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Tieman Family
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Alternate Spellings: Tiemann, Thieman, Thiemann, Teaman, Teeman, Teman Links: German Families, Jackson, Muhlenberg, Spolader, Wheeler, Childs, Swafford Contacts: Chuck McKeown kindly furnished a great deal of information on this family. James L. Brown is a descendant of William Perry Tieman and sent us Christian Teeman's history. He has posted some Tieman obituaries on the Mercer County Obituary Board. Barbara Frisby is a descendant of Mary Whitehill Beard, sister to John C. Whitehall, husband of Velle Tieman and sent us that connection. James Brown sent us two great photos: William Perry Tieman, son of Henry and Mary Adeline Wheeler Tieman and The Tieman House ca 1909-10 with Annie Virginia Smouse Tieman and son, Henry Wheeler Tieman. Chuck McKeown sent us photos from Winslow Cemetery, Jefferson Township, Poweshiek County, Iowa of Henrietta Muhlenburg Teeman Jackson Slater and of Mary Shields Doughty. Chuck tells us there are Swaffords, Crittendens and other Teemans in the Winslow Cemetery. He also sent a photo of some Mercer County land records including the Teeman land. You will see other familiar names on that page as well. |
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This family seems particularly tragic, or maybe it is just that we know more of their story than we do of the other German families who came to Mercer County. Henry & Henrietta Muhlenberg TeemanAn obituary for daughter Carrie Teeman Crittenden, who was born July 4, 1840, in Hanover, Germany, states: "When she was only a child of ten years of age she came with her parents from Europe to America by way of New Orleans, up the Mississippi River and landed at New Boston, Illinois, in the year 1850. Her father died shortly after their arrival in American leaving her mother to care for the surviving children."Family lore has it that Henry Teeman and Henrietta Muhlenberg Teeman were born, raised and married in Hanover, Germany. In 1850, they emigrated to America following Henry's older brother. This proved to be a costly decision that created a life of hardships for Henrietta and her children. Following a sea voyage to New Orleans, Henry and Henrietta, who was pregnant with their 8th child, along with their seven other children, caught a river boat going up the Mississippi. Henry contracted typhus during this voyage and died four days after the family arrived in Mercer County, Illinois. Soon after, her youngest child also died, leaving her and seven children in America. She spoke no English and would have relied on Henry's brother, except that, in his despondency over Henry's death, he committed suicide. Eventually, she established her life in Illinois and raised her family the best that she could. The children were bound out for work when they became old enough. Some of the above story is corroberated from the obituary of Henrietta Muhlenberg Teeman Jackson Slater, who died at the residence of her daughter Carrie on December 16, 1879, in Iowa County, Iowa. The obituary states: "Mrs. Slater was a native of Hanover, Germany, was born April 25th, 1807, emigrated with her husband, Mr. Teeman, and eight children, to New Boston, Mercer County, Illinois, in the year 1850. Her husband died on the 4th day after they reached their destination, and soon after her youngest child died. She was thus left a widow, with a large family of children depending upon her, a stranger in a strange land, and not able to speak a word of English. She, however, soon found kind friends who rendered her all the assistance in their power. She resided in Illinois for seventeen years, removed to Iowa County, Iowa, in 1867, and was married to John Slater in the fall of 1868. She was the mother of eight children, seven of whom are still living. Five of them were present at her funeral... ." Attempts to find official records to support some of the above information have not been productive. The massive resource Germans to America documents German immigration beginning in January 1850, but the Tieman family is not found under any of the alternate spellings. There are only two Tieman listings, neither one specifying a destination other than USA. One was A. C. L. Tiemann, single, age 24, arriving 26 January 1854 at New Orleans and the other a Friederich Wilhelm Tiemann, age 34, with wife Margaret, arriving 21 October 1852 at New Orleans. It is almost certain that Henry's brother arrived before January 1850 and it is possible that Henry also arrived before 1850, and paused somewhere before continuing on to Mercer County. No Teemans or Tiemans are found in the 1850 Mercer County census. Again, they might have stopped somewhere else and have arrived after the census date. There is no tombstone in Mercer County for Henry or Henry's brother or any evidence of a family for his brother. This is not necessarily surprising as a widow with seven children to care for was hardly in a position to buy tombstones. No Tiemans are mentioned in the History of Mercer County 1882, probably because most of the family left the area before 1882. The two obituaries are, however, fairly strong evidence, as Henrietta's daughter Carrie must have furnished the information for her obituary, and the stories must have come down in the family from Carrie's own memories. As anyone doing genealogical research knows, human memory is frail and it is one of the least reliable sources of data in genealogical information. We know Henry Tieman arrived before 1855 as the Golden Age, March 28, 1855, lists Henry Teeman as delinquent for $1.00 in property taxes on the SENE Sec 29, T14NR5W, 40 acres, valued at $140. (He was not alone - the delinquent tax list was always huge in that cash short economy.) This property belongs to William Turner in 1875 on the New Boston plat map. Caroline Tieman CrittendenDaughter Caroline Teaman married John J. Crittenden on 6/21/1856 in Mercer County. After their marriage they started for Kansas in company with John's brother George, also recently married. A grandniece tells the story that at that time there was a route that came from New Boston up through Iowa City, and across the open country to a farm that was a stop for travelers. At that point George and his wife pulled out of the train to settle in Iowa without informing John & Carrie. Kansas was a hard row to hoe for them, and after Carrie had an Indian scare they packed up and moved back to Iowa and lived out their lives in the Walnut Creek area (Iowa County, Iowa). We are not certain of the accuracy of this as they are found in Jefferson Township, Poweshiek County, Iowa in the 1880 census: J. J. Crittenden, farmer, 30, born In, parents born Tn; Caroline Crittenden, wife, 39, born Hanover, parents born Hanover. Carrie Crittenden was responsible for helping to raise the Tieman children as well as those of her sister Jane Tieman Swafford when she died.Jane Tieman SwaffordDaughter Jane Teeman married Benjamin Swafford 7/2/1865 in Muscatine County, Iowa, and went to Iowa County, Iowa, with her mother Henrietta in 1867. (We will be putting up a Swafford page). Jane was born in Germany June 15, 1843, and died in Iowa on April 28, 1882 at the age of 39. At that time she had six children who were left in the care of Carrie Crittenden. The names of the Swafford children as given in the obituary were Fred, Ettie, Omer, Carrie, John Y, Eva (died age one) and an unnamed infant at the time of Benjamin's death, so he must have remarried.More on Henry and Henrietta Tieman's familyWe learn from Jane Teeman Swafford's obituary that she had five brothers, two of whom lived in Iowa: Augustus and Charles. We now know from one source that there were eight children (seven living in 1879) and from this source that there were 5 boys and 3 girls. So far we have identified Caroline, Jane, Augustus, Henry, and Charles. Carrie Crittendon's obituary mentions a brother Christ of Vallisca, Iowa (see Christian below). A young child died shortly after arrival in Mercer County, which only leaves one unaccounted for. Chuck McKeown carries a Frank Tieman as oldest son but we have no further information on him.The 1860 Mercer County census sheds further light on the family. We learn from Mercer County marriage records that mother Henrietta Teaman married John Jackson on 4/28/1859, and we find them as household #2684 in Eliza Township in 1860. John Jackson, age 50, is a farmer, born Tennessee. Henrietta is age 51, born Hanover. There are two Jackson children living with them, Wiley T., age 19, born Indiana, and Silas, age 16, born Illinois. Henrietta's children, Jane Teeman, age 16, born Hanover, and Charles, age 10, born Illinois, are listed with the family with the surname Jackson. Augustus & Mary Spolader TiemanIn 1860, son Augustus Tieman, age 30, tanner, born Hanover, with wife Mary, age 23, born Hanover, is living in New Boston Township very near the Spolader, Hildebrand, and Muhlenberg families. Curiously his statistics coincide with those of the A. C. L. Tiemann who came to America on the ship Favorite from Bremerhaven to New Orleans on 26 January 1854. We wonder if there is a possibility that he did his mandatory military service in Germany and followed the family later to Mercer County. Augustus Teeman married Mary Spoleather (Spolader) on 12/17/1853 in Mercer County.Henry and Mary Wheeler TiemanSon Henry Tieman, age 27, farmer, born Germany, is living in Eliza Township in 1860. He has a George Jackson, age 16, laborer, born Illinois, working for him. He has wife Mary, age 17, born Indiana, and son Horace 8/12, born Illinois. Henry Tieman married Mary Adaline Wheeler, daughter of Nelson and Eliza Crittendon Wheeler on 12/2/1858 in Mercer County. Eliza Crittendon seems to be a sister of John J. Crittendon who married Carrie Tieman (above) but we are not sure.Henry Tieman, Jr., served in the Civil War in Company G of the 124th Volunteer Infantry. He is listed as a wagoner in the Illinois Adjutant General's Report. He enlisted August 5, 1862, from Eliza, was mustered in on September 10, 1862, and mustered out August 15, 1865. His tombstone proudly carries his Civil War service. Many of the German families who came to America to avoid mandatory military service for their sons, then had sons who served in the Civil War. Henry and Mary Adaline are found in the 1870 census in Miller Township: Henry, age 36, farmer, born Germany; Mary A., age 27, born Indiana; Horace M., 10; Nelson Wheeler, 8; William P., 4, all born Illinois. Son Nelson Wheeler Tieman married Rose Sellers on 9/18/1888 in Mercer County. Son Horace died 6/2/1872 at the age of 12 and is buried in New Boston Cemetery next to Henry (1833-1906) and Mary (1842-191?). Nelson (1861-1904) and Rose (1868-195?) are also buried there. There is a record in Mannon Cemetery in New Boston Township of Viella Tieman, wife of W. P., 6/7/1867-5/18/1901. There is an infant daughter buried next to Viella who died 6/6/1887. This is Viella Childs Tieman, daughter of Remus and Mary Beard Childs, who married William Perry Tieman in Adams County on 10/5/1886. (James Brown is descended from William Perry Tieman and his second wife, Annie Virginia (Smouse) Diehl, and gave us the Adams County tip.) Also from James Brown: William Perry and Viella Tieman had a second child, Zella, born in Mercer County in 1888. To date, no marriage record has been found for her, but the 1930 U. S. Federal Census includes the information that Zella married first when she was age 15, ca. 1903. Luther and Zella Kellums had three children: William D. Kellums (born ca. 1905), Viella A. Kellums (born 24 March 1908 - died 10 October 2002), and Mary Fredora Kellums (born ca. 1911). Mercer County Guardian Reports identify Luther Kellums as the father of William D., and Zella was the guardian who filed yearly reports of expenses. Whatever happened to Luther is unknown (more below), but Zella (Tieman) Kellums married second, Oral A. Rogers. The family moved from Illinois and lived in Frankstown, Blair County, Pennsylvania by 1920. Wilma B. Rogers, daughter, was listed as 3 years 5/12 months in the 1920 U. S. Federal Census, (taken 17-19 February of that year, Household 414, page 232). Zella M., age 31, was identified as wife, and William D, age 15, Viola (Viella) A., age 11, Fredora M., age 9, were all identified as step-children, born in Illinois. The Kellums children were part of a large family that included step-sister, Wilma B., born in Pennsylvania, and five other Rogers children from a previous marriage. A kind person sent us a note about Luther Kellums. In Villisca, Iowa in 1912 an axe murder of eight persons occurred as documented on a Web Site, and in some of the court testimony by Stillman, Luther Kellums is there looking for C. Tieman (Christ Tieman below who lived in Villisca). So we know where Luther was in 1912 but we still don't know what ultimately happened to him. He is not found in the 1920 census but then he isn't found in 1910 either. By the 1930 U. S. Federal Census, Oral A., age 48, and Zella Rodgers, age 42, along with Fredora, age 19, and Wilma, age 14, had moved again to Marydel Road, Dover, Kent County, Delaware. The Kellums/Rogers migration, from Illinois, to Pennsylvania, to Delaware, followed the same migration pattern taken by William Perry Tieman, Zella�s father. William D. Kellums married and settled in Philadelphia (1930 U. S. Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, District 234, Household 379, page 171). Viella A. Kellums married G. LeRoy Shorts and had two children, Richard and Doris. William Perry Tieman (1866-1934) was buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery, Camden, Delaware, as were Zella T. Rogers (1888-1969) and Oral Rogers (1882-1954). Viella A. Shorts (1908-2002) was buried in Lakeside Cemetery, Dover, Delaware. Here is the obituary of Nelson Wheeler Tieman from James Brown: Nelson Wheeler Tieman was born in New Boston township, July 9, 1861, and died December 1, 1904, at 12:02 a.m. The cause of his death was erysipelas. He was taken with a nervous chill while in his store about two weeks ago and was confined to the house and bed until he died. He received a wound on his right leg in a railroad wreck several years ago, but which he injured again last June, and was the seat of the trouble which caused his death. Funeral services were held at the home Saturday afternoon at 2 o�clock, conducted by Rev. R. A. Brown of Canton, Ill. Interment was in New Boston cemetery under the auspices of the Masonic order. There is a second obituary for him posted on the Mercer County Obituary Board - see link at the top of the page. Everyone but Henry, Jr., and family had left Mercer County by 1870. Henrietta's obituary indicates they went to Iowa in 1867. Christian and Sarah Robertson TiemanJames Brown kindly sent the following on son Christian Teeman (Tieman) (25 September 1845 - 7 November 1931):Christian Teeman, son of Henry and Henrietta (Muhlenberg) Tieman, was born in Hanover, Germany on 25 September 1845. He emigrated to Mercer County, Illinois with his parents and siblings in the early 1850s when he was about five years old. At age eighteen he enlisted on 6 October 1863 at Mount Pleasant, Iowa into the the 4th Independent Battery, Iowa Light Artillery for a period of three years. He is described in numerous documents now housed in the National Archives as being 5 ft 10 in tall, of light complexion, with light hair and grey eyes. He was mustered into the Union army (Civil War) on November 23, 1863 and served as a private in P. H. Goode's Company of Independent Volunteers. He was honorably discharged at Davenport, Iowa on 14 July 1865. In a Declaration for Pension (Act of February 6, 1907), he listed several places of residence after leaving military service: From 1865 to 1867, Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa; from 1867 to 1892, Clarinda, Page County, Iowa; from 1892 to 1907, Villisca, Montgomery County, Iowa. J. T. Hammond married Christian Teeman and Sarah E. Robertson (born 3 June 1844 Van Buren County, IN) on 19 September 1867 in Charlestown, Indiana. The 1870 United States Census confirms that Christian, farmer, age 26, and his wife, Sarah, age 26, and one year old son, Clarence, were living in Harleysville, Valley Township, Page County, Iowa (page 501). The 1880 United States Census lists Christpher Tuman (Christian Teeman), age 36, in Household 211 (District 151, Valley Township, Page County, Iowa) with his wife, Sarah E (age 36), daughter Mary N. (age 9), and daughter Lena V. (age 6). The 1885 Iowa State Census lists Christian (age 39), Sarah E (age 39), and daughters Mary N. (age 13), and Leanor Teeman (age 10) still residing in Valley Township, Page County. The 1920 United States Census lists Chriss Teeman (widower, age 74) in the household of his daughter and son-in-law: Belle and John C.Whitehill of Villisca, Jackson Township, Montgomery County, Iowa. Daughter Belle was actually known as Velle, and was Mary Novelo Tieman, according to descendants. (John Whitehill was brother of Anna Mary Whitehill who married William Woodward Beard, ancestors of Barbara Frisby.) Son Clarence R. Tieman was born 3 Nov. 1868 and died 12 Oct. 1872. Daughter Mary Novelo (Vella) Tieman was born 12 July 1871 in Iowa and married J. C. Whitehill. Daughter Lena Vashti Tieman was born 21 Sept. 1874 in Iowa and died 6 Nov. 1956 in Los Angeles County, California. (California Death Records lists Lena V.s birth date as 24 September 1873; Christian listed the 21 Sept. 1874 birth date in his pension application. Lena V Tuman (age 55) is found in the 1930 United States Census living in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California.) Grave Records of Montgomery County, Iowa (page 223, Villisca Cemetery, Villisca, Montgomery County, Iowa, South Strip, Lot 218., No.1, G. A. R.) lists C. Teeman, birth date: 25 September 1895 (should be 1845), and death date: 7 Nov. 1931. Sarah Teeman is in lot #2 with a birth date: 3 June 1844 and death date of 9 Feb. 1917. Updates: 2/1/2009 Added photos sent by Chuck McKeown. |
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