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Friederich Fausch was born about 1824, presumably somewhere in the Posen area of West Prussia. Sometime prior to 1847 he was married to Wilhelmina (possibly second name of Ernestine) Molkenthin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Molkenthin (Wilnelmina Fausch Obit) and who was born November 22, 1823 in Pomern, Prussia. On January 27, 1847, Ida Mathilda Fausch was born in Piecewo, West Prussia. Ida was baptized February 14, 1847 in the Evangelical parish serving the area. The baptism entry was recorded in the Evangelical church books of Tarnowke, a village four miles to the SW of Piecewo. On February 8, 1850, Henriette Wilhelmine Fausch was born in Piecewo, West Prussia. Henriette was baptized February 17, 1850 in the Evangelical Parish, and the baptism was recorded in the Evangelical church books of Tarnowke. On August 7, 1857, Friederich Fausch, his wife Wilhelmine, and their two daughters Ida and Henriette arrived in the US aboard the Barque von Stein at the Port Of New York, having sailed from Bremen, Germany. Their destination shown on the passenger list is Indiana. In the 1860 Federal Census, the family of Friederich Fausch is shown as living in Michigan City. Friederich's occupation is that of a blacksmith. Living in the same household is the family of Charles and Ida Hess, and their eight month old infant daughter Mena. (Nothing more is known on the Hesses.) Two pages and fifteen households away in the census is the second Michigan City Fausch family. On September 14, 1865, Ida Mathilda Fausch married Michael Sieben. The marriage license is signed by F. R. Tramm Past. Luth. The book History of the Lake and Calumet Region by Thomas H. Cannon et al, mentions that F. R. Tramm was the Pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church in the city of La Porte during the period of 1857-1867. Michael Sieben and Ida Fausch removed to Chicago where Michael bought a saloon at 186 Griswold Street (later Polk street, now South LaSalle Ave.) from John Hoeber and started the Michael Sieben Brewery. [Additional information on Sieben website.] On January 20, 1872, Henriette Fausch married Friederich Louis Groehler in St. John's Evangelical Church in Michigan City. Friederich Groehler was born May 22, 1847 in Posen. (Friederich Groehler had siblings also in the Michigan City area, specifically Beatty's Corners, who had social relations with the family of Friederich Fausch's sister, Eva Rotzien geb. Fausch.) Friederich and Henriette Groehler lived for a brief period in Michigan City, and then around 1876 removed to Chicago where in 1880 they were living at 315 23rd Street. Fred's occupation at that time was listed as a teamster. Around 1882 they returned to Michigan City and owned a farm four miles east of Michigan City where he was a farmer and stock raiser. Friederich and Henriette had the following children:
A civil record, La Porte County Court Estate Book,
from May 12, 1881 contains a sighting which is possibly related to this
Fausch family. It concerns the estate of a Justine Fausch.
The administrator of the estate is given as August Fausch (presumed to
be the brother of Fred Fausch) and the person placing the surety bond of
$500 is Frederick Fausch, presumed to be the Frederick Fausch of this family.
Research has yet to turn up any Justine Fausch. August's 1895 obit mentions
a wife who preceded him in death. August, brother of Fred, is not
found in the 1880 Census in Michigan City area.
Wilhelmina Fausch died of old age at 8 pm on Friday, January
24, 1908 at the home of her grand-daughter daughter, Amalia Miller,
at 119 East Warren Street in Michigan City. She had been bedfast
and living in the home of her grand-daughter for the previous 2 months.
Her funeral was Monday January 27 at St. Paul's Church with the burial
at Greenwood Cemetery.
August Fausch was born about September 10, 1828 in Prussia. He came to the US on the Barque Clara from Bremen to New York, arriving July 15, 1861. August was married at some point yet unknown, and his wife preceded him in death. August died January 17, 1895 of kidney and stomach troubles, at 9:30 pm at the home of his brother, Fred, at 601 Wabash Street. The funeral was held Sunday January 20 at 2pm at St. Paul's Church. Eva Fausch was born about 1836 in Prussia. About 1857, Eva married Michael Rotzien who was born March 22, 1826 in Tarnowke, West Prussia to Friederich Rotzien and Rosa Kühn. Eva and Michael had the following children:
Ida Rotzien married Henry Blessing, son of George Blessing
who owned a farm a mile north of Beatty's Corners. Henry and Ida
owned a farm at the Beatty's Corners intersection (Hwy
421 at County Road 100 N). Henry Blessing, along with a son
of Julia (Groehler) Witte, and a third man, George Selkirk, operated the
first threshing machine in LaPorte County.
 Eva (Fausch) Rotzien died July 23, 1900 and was buried in the Beatty's Corners Cemetery. Michael Rotzien died October 11, 1911 and was buried in the Beatty's Corners Cemetery. Henry Blessing died March 30, 1934 and was buried in Beatty's Corners Cemetery. Ida (Rotzien) Blessing died January 15, 1941 at 5:15 am in the
Michigan City Sanitarium following a four week illness. The funeral
was held Saturday, January 16 at 2pm. She was buried in Beatty's
Corners Cemetery.
to be continued (a work in progress)
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