John and Johanna Brunken Home

John and Johanna Brunken Home[1]

Story

Laurel Brunken[2] and I spent some time with this picture of the John and Johanna (Plath) Brunken home and family.  Included in the picture are Plath and Gottberg family members. The connection between the families was that Leopold Plath (brother of Johanna (Plath) Brunken and son of Ludwig Plath) married the sister of Max Gottberg, Mathilda Gottberg, in New Jersey prior to the families moving to Nebraska.

Who's Who

Laurel Brunken added numbers to the photograph to more easily designate the individuals in the picture.  The names labeled on the bottom of the original photograph have been interpreted to be:

1. Carl H. “Charlie” Brunken (Oct. 9, 1884 – Jan. 21, 1970)
2. Henry Frederick Brunken (Oct. 5, 1882 – Apr. 26, 1951)
3. Gustav “Gus” Brunken (Sep. 12, 1880 – Sep. 13, 1966)
4. Johan Dietrich“John” Brunken (Dec. 5, 1843 – July 27, 1925)
5. Johanna (Plath) Brunken (Feb. 22, 1853 – Apr. 4, 1949)
6. Louise Wilhemina (Brunken) Karlin (Oct. 16, 1896 - Aug. 4, 1991)
7. Fredricka Mary (Brunken) Witt (Jul, 16, 1875 –  Dec .14, 1968)
8. Ida (Schaad) Gottberg (Oct. 13, 1860 – Sep. 9, 1933)
9. Otto Brunken (Aug. 19, 1880 - Dec. 31, 1946)
10. ?
11. Mathilda Amilie Plath (Mar. 10, 1866 – Apr. 20, 1917)
12. John “Louis” Brunken (Sep. 30, 1873 – Oct.16, 1957)
13. Max Gottberg Sr. (Dec. 22, 1861 – Nov. 16, 1944)
14. ?
15. Ludwig J. Plath (Mar. 15, 1826 – Nov. 20, 1902)
16. ?
17. ?
18. ?
19. ?

Several children from both families were not noted in the original labels and may be the unidentified individuals in the picture.

Brunken children not named:

William Leopold Brunken (Jul. 2, 1878 – Oct. 12, 1941)
Anna (Brunken) Roesch (Dec. 1, 1886 – Dec. 16, 1983)
Emil Herman Brunken  (Dec. 28, 1891 - Dec. 13, 1974)
Edward W. Brunken (Nov. 23, 1893 - Mar. 27, 1974)


Gottberg children not named:

Max Frederick Gottberg Jr. (Oct. 16, 1884 – Sep. 28, 1964)
Jacob Werner Gottberg (Apr. 20, 1886 – Mar. 1, 1970)
Oscar A. Gottberg (Apr. 27, 1888 – Nov. 4, 1963)
Alexander Gottberg (Jan. 15, 1890 – May 29, 1967)
Milton Henry Gottberg (Jun. 27, 1892 – Feb. 19, 1959)
John F. Gottberg (Dec. 22, 1994 – Dec. 7, 1939)

Any help in further identifying who is who would be appreciated. This post will be updated as new information is found.

Date

As per Betty Meyn[3], assuming that the baby (Number 6 in the picture) being held by Johanna (Plath) Brunken (Number 5 in the picture) is Johanna's youngest child, Louise, then this picture would have had to been taken in about summer of 1897.

Location

John and Johanna (Plath) Brunken farm near Platte Center in Shell Creek Township, Platte, Nebraska.

1899 Land Ownership Map - NW Shell Creek Township, Platte, Nebraska

Notes

1. Diane Lliteras verified that this is a photograph of the John and Johanna Brunken home in Shell Creek Township of Platte County, Nebraska.
2. Laurel Brunken found this photograph on findagrave.com.  It had been added by William Peel who's great great grandfather, William Gottberg, was the brother of Max Gotteberg in the picture. William Peel had obtained the photograph from Diane Lliteras whose great grandparents were John and Johanna Brunken.
3. Betty Meyn noted:  "Yes, the picture is John and Johanna Brunken's house on the farm near Shell Creek.  The names you have listed on the picture are what I have but also have penciled in that Ma is holding Louise and the little boy in the front is Otto.  If it is Louise, then this picture would have had to been taken in about summer of 1897. " Louise is Betty Meyn's grandmother. Email received Sunday November 23, 2014.