Johannes RÖMER, III

                   Climbach/Londorf Geburts Protocoll
Film #1201524
1843, No. 54, page  53-54 - Heinrich Römer
Heinrich Römer, born 4 May 1843 in Climbach about four in the morning. Illegitimate son of Eleanor Wißner, second daughter of Friedrich Wißner, citizen and farmer of Climbach, and his wife Anna Maria neé Römer; and Johannes Römer, unmarried son of Johann Jacob Römer, citizen and farmer of Climbach, and his wife Christina Commelin; the first illegitimate child, a son. Baptized 16 May 1843. Sponsor: Heinrich Römer, unmarried son of Jacob Römer, the father's brother; and Peter Becker. Signatures of Johannes Römer, the father, and Heinrich Römer, the father's brother - both sons of Johann Jacob Römer and Christina neé Commelin.
An added note indicates that Heinrich was "legitimated," possibly by the parents' marriage, on 7 Sep 1845.
Added Note: Heinrich died 23 July 1903; buried 26 July 1903


Londorf (Climbach)
Confirmanden Register (Confirmation) 1808-1875
Microfilm #1201531
1857, p. 65, Climbach - Heinrich Römer, geb 4 May 1843, Johannes Römer III, Eleanora geb Wißner
                  

                   Grace Shomshor Lueninghoener wrote  in 1972:

Grandmother Helene (Roemer)  Benner was an anergetic, pleasant and soft-spoken woman. She was kind, helpful, and very religious. She was referred to, and endearlingly addressed by her husband, as "Mutterchen," meaning "little mother." She was an expert seamstress and a good knitter. In Europe she learned the process  of making homemade cheese.  She baked delicious bread and delectable apfelkuchen (appel pastry). Sometimes she topped her  cakes with apple slices, apples grown  and dried at  home. ?She and her husband also knew how to make sausage and how to smoke and cure meat for later  use.

Grandmother Helene had worked for a doctor in Europe and had learned from him the technique of assisting  in the brith of babies.  Serving as a midwife, she delivered many babies in the Scribner vicinity. Doctors were few, cars were not available, and the telephone had not yet reached rural America.

She and her husband were a familiar sight walking to church on Sunday morning from t heir little acreage nearby where they spent their latter years. He  presented a tall, stately and aristocratic figure with his head slightly bent and topped by heavy, shaggy, gray hair. Beside him trudged the litttle bent Mutterchen.  Their religious life was continued daily with Bible reading, devotions and prayer.

Just preceding the War of  1870  (Franco-Prussian War), my grandmother,Helene, and her sister (Barbara, who would later marry Henry  Westphalen) were  working in Paris.One  day my  grandmother was ill and didn't go to  work. When  her sister returned about  5:00 p.m. she informed  my grandmother that the border  between France and Germany had been closed. Consequently they packup up their clothing as fast as possible and headed for the border. Here they happened to find a farmer with a load of hay about to cross the border. They hid in the hay and thus made  it  back to the   German lines and to their home near Frankfurt.


Died Christmas day at the home of her son Henry J. Benner

St. John's Lutheran Church, Ridgeley, Dodge Co, NE
Deaths 1928
Mrs. J. Benner, b. Feb 5, 1846, d. Dec 25, 1928


Plot 33C-F
Gravestone:
Helene Benner
5 Feb 1846 - 2 Jan 1928


Climbach/Londorf Geburts Protocoll
Film #1201524
1846, No. 13, page 444 - Helena Römer
Helena Römer, born 5 February 1846 in Climbach about four in the afternoon. Daughter of Johannes Römer III and his wife Eleanor neé Wißner; the second child, first daughter. Baptized 8 February 1846. Sponsors: (1) Peter Wißner, son of Heinrich Wißner and his wife Anna Maria neé Römer, the mother's brother; (2) Helena Römer, daughter of Johann Jacob Römer and his wife Christina neé Commelin, the father's sister.


Londorf (Climbach)
Confirmanden Register (Confirmation) 1808-1875
Microfilm #1201531
1860, p. 81, Climbach - Helena Römer, 5 Feb 1846, Johannes III
                  

                   Londorf (Climbach)
Microfilm #1201529
Sterb Protocoll (Death)  1834-1849
1849, No. 5, page 723 - Jacob Römer
Jacob Römer died in Climbach 17 Jan 1849 about six in the morning, son of Johannes Römer III, Citizen of Climbach, and Eleanora neé Wißner, age 8 months and 24 days (born 24 Apr 1848). Buried 19 Jan 1849 about two in the afternoon in the presence of Konrad Conrad, illegitimate son of Katharina neé Stein, widow of Jakob Stein , and Margaretha Leÿers, unmarried daughter of Ludwig Leÿers.


Climbach/Londorf Geburts Protocoll
Film #1201524
1848, No. 40, page 44 - Jakob Römer - Nebraska
Jakob Römer, born 29 April 1848 in Climbach about ten in the evening. Son of Johannes Römer III, citizen in Climbach, and his wife Eleanor neé Wißner, the third child, the second son. Baptized 30 April 1848. Sponsors: (1) Jakob Stein, son of Johann Heinrich Stein, citizen of Climbach, and his wife Elisabeth neé Dietz; (2) Conrad Conrad, citizen of Climbach, son of Catharina neé Conrad, Jakob Stein's widow; (3) Elisabeth Conrad, second daughter of the late Johannes Conrad,citizen and farmer in Climbach, and his second wife Elisabeth neé Faulstich; (4) Maria Catharina Wißner, daughter of Heinrich Wißner, citizen and farmer in Climbach, and his wife Anna Maria neé Römer.
Added note: He died 17 January 1849.
                  

                   Londorf (Climbach)
Microfilm #1201530
Sterb Protocoll (Death)  1850-1871
1851, No. 40, page 115 - Kaspar Römer
Kaspar Römer died 22 Apr 1851 about two in the afternoon, son of Johannes Römer III, citizen in Climbach, and Eleanore neé Wißner, age 1 year, 6 days (born 16 Apr 185). Buried 24 Apr 1851 about four in the afternoon in the presence of Johannes Leÿeres, son of Ludwig Leÿeres, and Wilhelm Steinnach, son of Jacob Steinnach, both of Climbach. (When he signed the record, Johannes spelled his name "Leieres").


Climbach/Londorf Geburts Protocoll
Film #1201524
1850, No. 52, page 365-366 - Caspar Römer - Nebraska
Caspar Römer, born 16 April 1850 in Climbach about ten in the morning. Son of Johannes Römer III, citizen in Climbach, and his wife Eleanor neé Wißner; the fourth child, the third son. Baptized 28 April 1850. Sponsors: (1) Caspar Römer, son of Jacob Römer, citizen and farmer in Climbach, the father's brother; (2) Elisabetha Backhauß, daughter of Caspar Barchauß of Climbach.
Added note: Caspar died 22 April 1851.
                  

                   ROEMER, John August 1852-1906
[In the church records in Climbach and Ridgley, his name is Johann Ludwig.]
Schwedt, Louise Amelia (Melcher) 1862-1943

John Roemer was born April 20, 1852, in Climback, Germany. His parents were John and Eleanore (Wisner) Roemer. John's father came to America to look for gold during the California's 49er's Gold Rush. Eleanore stayed in Germany with the family. John wrote saying that when he had some money saved up he would send for the family to join him, but he was never heard from again.

John August then quit school, at the age of 12, to help support the family. He was a shoe maker by trade. When he was 18 years old he came to America, to avoid the draft into the German army. Later Eleanora, his mother, came to America and stayed in Scribner (NE) with John's sisters, Mrs. John (Helena) Benner and Mrs. Henry (Alice) Westphalen. Later on she stayed witih John and his wife, Louise. Eleanore was born November 28, 1817 and died March 21, 1904. She is buried at Scribner, Nebraska.

John met Louise Melcher, and her three children Richard, Hattie (Hedwig) and Jennie, when John had gone into town to trade cobbs for a calf. John was living in the country. On April 30, 1893, John August Roemer and Louise Amelia Schwedt Melcher were married. John and Louise had four children: John August, Jr., born Aprill 20, 1894; Bertha Ella, born September 25, 1896; Wilhelm Louis, born November 25, 1900; and Otto Theodore, born March 10, 1903. All these children were born and raised on the farm southwest of Scribner, SE½ of 14-14-6 Ridgeley Township, Dodge County, Nebraska, which is still owned by their heirs.

Louise always told about the Indians walking along the creek in the spring and the fall. They would camp right below their place but they never bothered them. Sometimes they would look in the windows but if you left them alone they would go away again. Sometimes they would take a chicken but that was all. John and Louise always went to Church at Ridgeley Lutheran Church and the last words that John said before he died was "Kinder get fleisick in die Kirche." (Children go to church). He died when Otto was just three years old. He was 54 years old and died of Brights DIsease. He is buried at Ridgeley Lutheran Cemetery.

Bertha used to tell about her Dad picking corn by hand, his finders would crack and bleed. He would melt candle wax and coat his fingers with this.

Louise raised the seven children by herself. Richard was old enough to do the field work. This place that they lived on was homestead land; in order to keep the land, you had to make improvements. Every eighty acres had to have buiildings and/or trees. Most of the land was void of trees, due to prairie fires, and so they had to plant trees. Most of the trees they planted were saplings: they would cut a branch off in the spring and plant it in the wet ground and it would grow. The types of trees that they used were mostly cottonwood, willow and box elder. They would also plant osage orange and these would be the fence line.

Lucy was a horse, the biggest and strongest that Willie had ever seen. They hitched old Lucy up with a single tree, big enough to hold her. She was BIG Willie and the other's pushing and Lucy pulling, they moved the summer kitchen, on skids, from the east side of the house to the west side.

Grandma's house was built before John moved into it. The north end was built first, with a kitchen, dining room and bed room. Later they added the front room and again later, in 1946, they added the west porch and basement. Before the basement there was just a cellar under the kitchen.

His grandson, Otto Roemer, now lives on and farms this land.


St. John's Lutheran Church, Ridgley, Dodge Co, NE:
Beerdigung 1906, No. 2
Johann Ludwig Roemer, born 20 April 1854 in Climbach, Hessen-Darmstadt, died on 14 Dec 1906, and was buried 16 Dec and was buried in the cemetery here by P. Traubel.


Plot 35C
Gravestone:
John Roemer
20 Apr 1852 - 14 Dec 1906


Londorf (Climbach) Geburts Protocoll  (Birth and Baptism)
Microfilm #1201525
Geburts Protocol 1852-1867
1852, No. 45, page 47- Johannes Ludwig Römer
Johannes Ludwig Römer, born 20 April 1852 in Climbach in the moring about eleven o'clock, son of Johannes Römer III, Citizen, and his wife Eleonora neé Wißner, the fifth child, the fourth son, Baptized 25 April 1852. Sponsors: Johannes Römer II, Citizen of Climbach. Signatures below are of Johannes Römer III the father, and Johannes Römer II the Godfather, and Wilhelm Thayser, the Pfarrer.


INDEX FOR VOLUME B - DODGE COUNTY NEBRASKA - NATURALIZATION RECORDS
DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION 1882 - OCT 1903
Roemer, John L  202
                  

                   Church records of St. John's Lutheran Church, Ridgeley Twp, Dodge Co, NE:
Barbara Westphalen, wife of Henry H. Westphalen, born 5 Sep 1854, died 8 Feb 1889.


Plot 8B
Gravestone:
Barbara Westphalen, wife of Henry H. Westphalen
5 Sep 1854 - 8 Feb 1889


Londorf (Climbach) Geburts Protocoll  (Birth and Baptism)
Microfilm #1201525
Geburts Protocol 1852-1867
1854, No. 94, page 383 - Barbara Römer
Barbara Römer, born 5 September 1854 in Climbach in the morning about 4 o'clock, daughter of Johannes Römer III, citizen in Climbach; and his wife Eleanora nee Wißner, the sixth child, second daughter. Baptized on 10 September 1854. Sponsors: (1) Barbara Weller, single daughter of Conrad Weller, citizen and carpet merchant in Climbach; (2) Johannes Schlabbeis, unmarried son of Heinrich Wißner, citizen and day laborer in Climbach.


Londorf (Climbach)
Confirmanden Register (Confirmation) 1808-1875
Microfilm #1201531
1868, p. 101, Climbach - Barbara Römer, 5 Sep 1854, Johannes III


St. John's Lutheran Church was established in 1874 by the Shomshor, Roemer and Westphalen families. The first church was located near Pebble Creek, approximately where Arlene Witt was residing in 1999 on the Church's 125th anniversary. It was later moved to Ridgeley Township. The church burned several years ago but was reconstructed and in 1999 has approximately 150 members.

The church's cemetery is the well-known site of the graves of the Westphalen sisters who perished during the 1888 blizzard.