For My Cousins
Germania John Daniel Jahnke
or Yankee or Yonkie

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Misc. Jahnke Records
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Born:
Possibly May 1831 or
Oct. 1825		 An obituary said John Jahnke was born May 1825 in Raduuski, Province Posen, Germany [SOURCE: Montello Express March 1923 - transcription posted on rootsweb.com]. The 1900 census, however, says he was born May 1831. The obituary said he had a daughter named Mrs. Gust Zarbock. The 1900 census refer to his daughter Mrs. Gusta Zarbuck. Since the daughter with the married name of Zarbuck/Zarbock is mentioned in both these sources, it is possible that both refer to John even though the birthdates do not match.

Family members say that my ancestor John Jahnke lived almost to the age of 100. The obituary in 1923 said John died at the age of 97 years and five months.

Parents: Unknown
Marriage:
Married to Elizabeth Rux		 John Jahnke's obituary said that he was married to Elizabeth Rux in Prussia, and they had two children. [SOURCE: Transcription on roots.web from a Montello Express obituary on Mar. 23, 1923]
Child 1:
Augusta Jahnke
b. 1859 (?)
d. 1943		 For more information, go to Augusta's web site.
Child 2:
Gustus Jahnke (?)		 The 1880 Federal Census shows that John Junka had a son (age 17 at the time) named Gustus (see census entry below). This may or may not be Augusta's brother. I've posted a photo of John Gustave Yonkie, who was identified as "Uncle Gust" by a family member. I'm deducing this is the Gustus named in the 1880 census.
Step Children: The obituary of John Jahnke said that he was survived by two children plus one stepson and one stepdaughter. If this information is correct, it suggests that either John or his wife Elizabeth Rux had another marriage with children. The obituary also says that John moved in with his daughter after the death of his wife, and no other wife was mentioned.
Immigration:
1872		 The 1910 census says that John [and his daughter Gusta] immigrated in 1872 and had been in America for 28 years as of 1872 (see census entry below).

His obituary also said he immigrated in 1872 when he lived on a farm near Princeton. [SOURCE: Transcription of obituary posted on rootsweb.com]

Census Record:
1880 Federal Census
Newton, Marquette Co., WI		 The 1880 Federal Census in Newton, Marquette Co., WI, has a John Junka [as spelled]. This could be John Jahnke - the age matches the 1900 census (born about 1830), and the first name of his wife matches the wife's name in his obituary. John (age 50, farmer, born Prussia) was living with:
  • wife Elizabeth (age 57, born in Prussia)
  • son Gustus (age 17, farm laborer, born in Prussia).
Census Record:
1900 Federal Census
Packwaukee, Marquette Co., WI 		The 1900 Federal Census in Packwaukee, Marquette Co., WI, shows John Yankee [as spelled] living with his son-in-law's family. John (age 69, born May 1831 in Germany, immigrated in 1872, 28 years in America). He was living with:
  • his son-in-law Gotlieb Zarbock (age 43, born Nov. 1856 in Wis., parents born in Germany, farmer, married 22 years)
  • Gotlieb's wife Gusta (age 41, born Mar. 1859 in Germany, had eight children with seven living in 1900, immigrated in 1872, 28 years in America [immigration information hard to read] )
  • Gotlieb's son Gust (age 19, born 1888, single, born in Wis., father born in Wis., mother born in Germany, farm laborer)
  • Bertha (age 17, born Dec. 1882 in Wis., father born in Wis., mother born in Germany)
  • Gotlieb's daughter Gusta (age 16, born 1874 in Wis.)
  • Gotlieb's daughter Minnie (age 10, born Feb. 1890 in Wis.)
  • Gotlieb's son Alfred (age 7, born July 1892 in Wis.)
  • Gotlieb's daughter Manda (age 3, born Mar. 1897 in Wis.)
  • Gotlieb's son-in-law George Street (age 22, born Apr. 1878 in Wis., father born in Wis., mother born in Germany, farm laborer)
  • Gotlieb's daughter Emma Street (age 20, born Mar. 1879 in Wis., had no children as of the time of this census)
Census Record:
1910 Federal Census
Packwaukee, Marquette Co., WI		 In 1910 John Yonkie (or Yankie) [as spelled] was living with his son-in-law in Packwaukee, Marquette Co., WI. John (age 74 [born about 1836], widow, born in Germany, immigrated in 1873). He was living with:
  • Gotlip H. Zarbrook (or Zarbrock) (age 53, married once, married 32 years, born in Wis., farmer)
  • Gotlip's wife Augusta J. (age 50, had eight children with seven living in 1910, born in Germany, immigrated in 1873)
  • Gotlip's son Alfred (age 17, single, born in Wis., farm worker)
  • Gotlip's daughter Manda L. (or C.) (age 13, born in Wis.).
Middle Name
John Daniel Jahnke		 Family members said that his middle name was Daniel. I haven't found any records that confirm or refute this.
Misc. Note:
Other people with the same/similar name		 It's very easy to confuse John's records with the records of others with the same or similar names in Marquette or Green Lake Counties. I'm not 100 percent sure I've pulled together the correct records in this web page for my John Jahnke, but I'm including the evidence I used so you can weigh it for yourself. Anecdotes about John and his children have been passed down to us strengthening the evidence that he is the father of Augusta who married Gottlieb Zarbrook/Zarbuck and the grandfather of Bertha Zarbrook.
Following is information that I doubt or can't prove connects to my ancestor:

The 1880 Federal Census in Mecan, Marquette Co., WI, had a John Yankee [as spelled] (age 54, born in Germany) living with his son's family. This age would match a birth in about 1826. Besides John, others living in that household included:

  • Julius Yankee (head of household, age 28, farmer, born in Prussia)
  • Julius' wife Bertha (age 18, born in Wis., parents born in Germany)
  • Julius' son Alger (age 1, born in Wis.)
  • John's wife Henrietta (age 57, born in Prussia)
  • Julius' brother Gustoff (age 16, born in Prussia).
A tombstone in the Germania Lutheran Cemetery, Marquette Co., has Johann F. Jahnke, born Feb. 20, 1823, and died Apr. 1907 [day of death too weathered to read - looks like it starts with the number 1]. This is not my ancestor. Some others buried in this cemetery included:
  • Henriette (frau of J.F. Jahnke, born Mar. 1828 or 1823 [headstone is weathered], died Jan. 17, 1907)
  • Gustav Jahnke (1861-1939) [the age does not match the Gustus Jahnke who appears on the 1880 census referenced above]
  • Lena Jahnke (1887-1960)
  • Antoinette O. Jahnke (daughter of C.M. Jahnke; she was born July 19, 1900 and died Sept. 27, 1900)
  • Gusta Jahnke (1861-1939)
  • Mathilde A. Jahnke (related to G. Jahnke [could be daughter, hard to read on headstone], born Nov. 21, 1863, died June 8, 1905)
  • [first name illegible] Yonkie ([birthdate hard to read], died Apr. 17, 1860)
  • Julius Yahnke (born May 12, 1852, died 1885 [month hard to read - could be Mar.])
  • Frederick Johnkee (born Feb. 2, 184__ [? last digit unreadable], died June 17, 18_1 [third digit in year hard to read; could be a 9])
  • Julius R. Yonke ([weathered stone - relationship obscured, could be son of F. und A. Yonke], date on stone: Sept. 8, 1874
Riverside Cemetery in Westfield Township, Marquette Co., WI, has a tombstone for John L. Janke (born 1880, died 1952) who was buried with Helen H. Janke (born 1881, died 1968). This John Janke is not my ancestor. [SOURCE: Cemetery transcription online by Larry L. Ketchum]
Gustav and Johann Janke were members of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Germania, Marquette Co., WI. [SOURCE: Historical Stroll Through Churches of Marquette County, State of Wis. Sesquicentennial Project of H.C.E. 1998, printed by Morris Publishing in Kearney, NE] I suspect this may be Johann F. Jahnke and Gustav Jahnke who are both buried in the Germania Lutheran Cemetery. I doubt this Johann is my ancestor.
A death record in Green Lake County shows that John Yahnke died at the age of 84. This is not my ancestor. His year of birth was 1923 and died Apr. 17, 1907. He died of arteries sclerosis. [Death record in Vol. 5, p. 129]
Died:
Mar. 2, 1923		 John Jahnke's obituary said he died on Mar. 2, 1923, at the age of 97 years and five months. He was married to Elizabeth Rux who died before he did. They had two children, Gust Jahnke of Spokane and Mrs. Gust Zarbuck of Packwaukee plus one stepson and one stepdaughter, nine grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren surviving at the time of his death. [SOURCE: Transcription of obituary on rootsweb.com from Montello Express, Mar. 23, 1923 - thanks to Dan Nikolai and Joan Brenner.]

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Last update to this page - Feb. 12, 2011
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