George Henry Strohbeck

A marriage record has not yet been found for his parents, Adam and Maria Elisabeth, but they were probably married around 1820. They had a son, Christoph Henrich in 1823. If they had any children before this, they must have died young because no confirmation record for them has been found (confirmation was invariably done when children were 14). Christoph died in 1828 at age 5, just before George Henry was born. In 1825 Adam and Maria Elisabeth had a son named Johann Henrich. According to German naming conventions of the day, this son was almost certainly called Henrich (Henry). It is very likely that Henry is the father of the Toledo Family. George Henry was the next child born in 1828, followed by twins, Catherine Engel and Gerhard Friedrich, in 1833. Catharine Engel died but Gehard Friedrich survived and later followed his brother George Henry to the United States where he resided the remainder of his life in St. Louis, Missouri.

Adam Henrich Strohbeck died in 1838 before George Henry's tenth birthday. Gerhard Friderich's twin died the same year. In 1842, George Henry's mother died, leaving he and his siblings orphans. It is unclear what happened to the children. The confirmation record of Johann Henrich in 1840 when their mother was still alive, shows them still living in the same house. The confirmation record of George Henry in April 1843 still shows him living in the same house. However, by 1850, the confirmation record of Gehard Friedrich shows him living in house 2,a. By that time, George Henry had already emigrated to the United States.

According to family lore and his obituary, George Henry sailed to the US from Hamburg in 1849, landing in New York on May 3rd 1849. However, ship passenger lists were searched for this day and his name was not found. (Lots of ships came in that day and many of the lists are difficult to read, so if anyone else would like to look, don't be discouraged. Let me know if you find anything.) As the story goes, George Henry lived and worked for a time in New York. A record of this may have been found in the 1850 census, but the spelling is so bad it's hard to tell. Sometime around 1855 George Henry moved west to St. Louis, according to the tale because he knew of friends there. Possibly the friend was Fred Dependahl who was later a neighbor in Fosterburg. The name Dependahl is localized in Germany to the area around Osnabrück, and George Henry even had a classmate Johann Friedrich Dependahl confirmed the same year he was, although it is unknown whether this is the same person. George Henry moved from St. Louis to Fosterburg in 1856.

Johanna Louise (Brueggeman) Strohbeck

Children of George Henry and Johanna Louise Strohbeck

1. Johanna Louise was born in 1858 but died a month later. She is buried in Fosterburg Cemetery.
2. Friedrich Wilhelm was born in 1860. He is found on the 1860 census. It is not know when he died. His grave has not been identified but he is probably also buried in Fosterburg Cemetery.
3. Samuel Heinrich was the oldest surviving child, born in 1862. Samuel was never married. He lived for a time in Quincy, Illinois and later with his sister Emma in St. Louis but was buried in Fosterburg Cemetery after he died in 1937.
4. August Friedrich "Gus" was born in 1863. He married Bettie MEEDEN in 1891 and they had two children, Bernice who died when she was only 13 and Grace Edna, who married Edwin POLSTER. Bettie died in 1904 and Gus married a widow Anna Louise Katherine STULKIN HUNT. Anna died in 1944 and Gus in 1945 and they are both buried in Fosterburg Cemetery along with Bettie.
5. Emma Johanna was born in 1865 and married William PAUST in 1889. They had 8 children: Walter, Myrtle Ann, who married Bud BLOCK, Oscar George, who died as an infant, Wesley, Frances (female) who died as an infant, Eugene, and Frank and Ida Alice both of whom died as infants. William died very early, about 1904, but Emma survived until 1937. They are both supposidly buried in Bethleham Cemetery in St. Louis.
6. Ida Maria was born in 1868 and married Frank SCHEURER in 1897. They had four children: Lyman, who died when he was only 5, Ida E. who married Lester BIERBAUM, Paul F. and Harold W. who died when he was only 2. Ida died in 1941 and Frank in 1956 and they are both buried in Fosterburg Cemetery.
7. Theodore Ludwig "Theo" was born in 1869 and married Luella Olive EDDINGTON in 1895. They had 6 children: Newell, Dewey, Myrtle, who married Wesely GRAUL, Earl, Roy and Kenneth. Luella died in 1940 and Theo in 1943 and both are buried in Woodburn cemetery.
8. George Adolph was born in 1873 and married Amy Lucinda DECK in 1898. They had 6 children: Edna, who married William GRAUL, Ralph, Walter, George Victor "Vic," Esther, who married George BOKER and Theodore Charles who died when he was only 3. George died in 1938, but Amy lived until 1966 and both are buried in Fosterburg Cemetery.
9. Louisa Katherina was born in 1875 and married James Edward LOWE in 1900. They had three sons: Donald, Clifford and Glenn. The Lowe's lived in St. Louis. James died young in 1918 but Louisa lived until 1950. They are buried in St. Louis.
10. William Carl "Will" was born in 1878 and married Bessie Florence TUNLEY. They had 4 children: Pearl, who married Samuel COCKLEY, Warren, Verna, who married Leonard PELLETIER and Florence Eileen who died as an infant. Will died in 1970 and is burried in Brighton Cemetery, Macoupin, IL. Bessie died in 1980 in California.

• Strohbeck family around 1910 - This photo is almost like a "roadmap" to the first three generations of the family because it shows Johanna and all her children with their spouses, and almost all the grandkids born at the time neatly organized by age and families. There is also a newspaper article which seems to go along with the photo.
• Adult children of George Henry and Johanna Louise (Brueggemann) Strohbeck - Here is another photo of George Henry and Johanna Louise's children many years later (about 1837?).
• 1939 Strohbeck Family reunion - This reunion took place in Rock Spring Park. It is a very wide photo.
• Children of Theo Strohbeck ca. 1910 - Here is a very nice picture of all of Theodore Ludwig and Luella Olive (Eddington) Strohbeck's kids on the porch around 1910.
• Children of Theo Strohbeck ca. 1940 - And another around 1940 when the family had grown. This picture includes Theo's brother Gus and wife Anna.
• George Adolph Strohbeck Family ca. 1912? - This is a picture of George Adolph and Amy (Deck) Strohbeck and all their children, taken probably about 1912 (based on the ages of the children).
• George Adolph Strohbeck Family on Wagon - And another picture of George Adolph and family on a wagon about the same year.

Family Tree