Children of Diedrich and Sophia (Meilahn) Brunken

Children of Diedrich and Sophia (Meilahn) Brunken

Children of Diedrich and Sophia (Meilahn) Brunken

Who's Who

Back row left to right:

• "Fred" is Fred Brunken (1880 - 1965).
• "John" is John Brunken (1875 - 1950).
• "Henry" is Henry Brunken (1883 - 1950).
• "August" is August "Bud" Brunken (1886 - 1941).

Front row left to right:

• "Emma" is Emma Brunken (1889 - 1968).
• "Mary" is  Mary Brunken (1877 - 1950).

Story

A portrait of the children of Diedrich and Sophia (Meilahn) Brunken in 1908[1].

The following along with newspaper clippings tells a bit about the lives of these first cousins of my grandfather, William Leopold Brunken.

John Brunken was born on October 23, 1875, in Columbus, Nebraska. John became a farmer and married his first cousin, Marie "Mary", in 1902 in Platte Center, Nebraska. They had 11 children in 19 years. He died on October 5, 1950, in his hometown, at the age of 74, and was buried there.

The Columbus Journal., December 3, 1902, page 2

Mary Brunken was born on September 1, 1877, in Columbus, Nebraska. She married Herman August Kluever on March 1, 1898, in her hometown. They had 10 children in 15 years. She died on April 15, 1950, in Columbus, Nebraska, at the age of 72, and was buried in Platte Center, Nebraska.

Fred Brunken was born on October 31, 1880, in Columbus, Nebraska.  He died on January 30, 1965, at the age of 84.  Fred worked as a farm laborer and tried other things:

The Columbus Journal., November 18, 1908, page 2

The Columbus Journal.,March 10, 1909, page 2

The Columbus Journal.,July 21, 1909, page 2

The Columbus Journal.,July 21, 1909, page 2

Henry Brunken was born on October 28, 1883, in Columbus, Nebraska.  Henry became a farmer.. He married Maybel Lavone Douglas on June 5, 1918, in Grand Island, Nebraska. They had two children during their marriage. He died on March 3, 1950, at the age of 66.

The Columbus Journal.,January 4, 1905, page 2

The Columbus Journal., November 28, 1906, page 2

The Columbus Journal., October 28, 1908, page 2

August Brunken was born on November 1, 1886, in Platte Center, Nebraska. August moved to Oregon and became a telegraph operator. He married Ruth Anita Anderson and they had one child together in 1918. He then married Gladdia May Winn and they had two children together between 1930 and 1937. He died on May 25, 1941, in Grants Pass, Oregon, at the age of 54.

The Columbus Journal.,October 17, 1906, page 2

The Columbus Journal., October 24, 1906, page 2

The Columbus Journal., November 25, 1908, page 2

Emma Brunken was born on November 9, 1889, in Columbus, Nebraska. She married Fredinand "Fred" Mihulka on October 22, 1912, in Platte Center, Nebraska. They had seven children during their marriage. She died on January 23, 1968, at the age of 78.

The Columbus Journal., June 16, 1909, page 2

A few other clippings about the siblings:

The Columbus Journal.,October 15, 1902, page 2

The Columbus Journal.November 25, 1908, page 2

Date

1908.  The portrait was probably taken just before August left for Portland, Oregon.

Location

Nebraska

Notes

1. Lori Garbers Weisser shared this photograph on FaceBook December 8, 2013.  Downloaded with permission to post on November 22, 2014.