THE RIECKEN FAMILY IN GERMANY

JOHANN HINRICH RIEKEN was born on June 15, 1800, in Stolpe, Germany. He married Christiana Margretha Magdalena Haak.

The Children of Johann and Christiana Riecken were:

JOHANN HEINRICH CHRISTIAN	Born July 25, 1836	in Pfeifenkopf
CARL ALBRECHT JURGEN THEODOR	Born Feb. 18, 1839	in Pfeifenkopf
HANS ANDREAS THEODOR	Born Sept 26, 1840	in Pfeifenkopf
CARL CHRISTIAN NICOLAUS	Born Dec. 26, 1842	in Pfeifenkopf
GEORG EMIL JOHANNES	Born Dec. 26, 1842	in Pfeifenkopf
ANTOINETTE CAROLINE DOROTHEA	Born Jan. 17, 1844	in Pfeifenkopf
HANS FRIEDRICH AUGUST	Born July 27, 1846	in Pfeifenkopf

The above information is a translation of data received by Lenora Mason Schoenroth in 1973 from official records in Germany. There is only one instance of Riecken being spelled without the letter "C" and must be the error of a recording clerk since it is spelled Riecken throughout the rest of the information, including the death certificate for Johann Hinrich Riecken. There are other variations in the spelling of names. On the death certificate for Johann Riecken, it states that he married Christiane Margaretha Haack. On his ancestry chart, Klaus Riecken records her name as Magaretha Magdalena Christiana Haack. The above information . taken frorn church records lists her name as Christiana Margretha Magdalena Haak. Ottilie Riecken Reber stated that her grandmother's name was Christina Hauck, and Ida Riecken Sass listed her grandmother's name as Christiane Hawk or Hank. The name chosen for this booklet is Christiana Haack.

There is also various information regarding the names of the Riecken children. Ottilie Riecken Reber stated that there were five sons, Heinrich, Albrecht, Hans Andrew, Theodore Nickolaus, August, and one daughter, Antonie, between Nickolaus and August. There is no mention of the one twin, Georg Emil Johannes Riecken, and perhaps he died at birth or in his infancy. Ida Riecken Sass listed her father's name as Theodore Andrew, while Frieda Riecken said that her father's name was Andreas. The name chosen for these records is Andreas. According to his obituary, Nicolaus Riecken spelled his name Nickolaus. Heinrich Riecken signed his name Henry Riecken in both Nebraska and Saskatchewan.

Pfeifenkopf was the name of a small restaurant and bakeshop, and also the name of the farm property belonging to Johann Riecken. The Pfeifenkopf still stands today.

CHRISTIANA RIECKEN died. on July 28, 1846, the day after her son, August, was born.

Ottilie Riecken Reber gave the following information to her daughter, Alice Hill: "Grandfather raised the children with the help of a housekeeper and private tutor. The children all received musical education as well. Johann Riecken was a well- educated man and among other subjects he had studied English. The lovely ancestral home was burnt during the lifetime of Johann Riecken. A sister lived across the street and was the first to see the fire. She gave warning, entered the house to helped save contents, and was burnt to death. Grandfather was badly burned about the face and this later affected his eye sight. While the home was being rebuilt, the family lived in a cottage on the premises. This cottage had been built and kept to shelter any member of the family in need of a home. Grandfather kept a store in Stolpe. Before the time of railways, he carted his supplies many miles from points such as Plön, Kiel, and Neumünster, using a team of heavy horses."

JOHANN HINRICH RIECKEN died Dec. 23, 1887, in Stolpe, at the age of 87 years.

THE FAMILY OF JOHANN AND CHRISTIANA RIECKEN

ANTOINETTE RIECKEN, the only daughter of Johann and Christiana Riecken, married Helmuth Kähler. They were both murdered one night; Helmuth in the house and Antoinette as she ran for help. The crime remained unsolved and it was believed to have been a case of mistaken identity. Their only child, Max, was asleep in his crib at the time and was not harmed. He was raised by his uncle and aunt, Albrecht and Anna Riecken of Germany.

ALBRECHT RIECKEN, second son of Johann and Christiana Riecken, remained in Germany. He purchased his father's small restaurant in Stolpe in 1882 but sold it a few years later. He married Anna Christina Elisabeth Theden on November 8, 1870, and their children were Johann, Regina, Rita, Bertha, and Hans, as well as Max, the orphaned son of Albrecht's sister, Antoinette Kähler. Albrecht Riecken died August 26, 1911, in Germany at age 72.

ANDREAS RIECKEN was a miller in Germany. He married Dorothea Elisabeth Theden on March 4, 1870, at Depenau, Germany. Dorothea Theden was born on July 17, 1850, at Wankendorf, Germany. Their first home was the cottage on the family home site at Stolpe and Ottilie was born there. Their other children were Otto, Ella, Marie, Ida, John, and Frieda. Frieda Riecken was born at Flensburg near the Denmark border, but it is not known when the family moved there. Frieda was one and a half years old when her father died on April 1, 1886, at Stolpe at the age of 45 years. It is believed that he had consumption. His widow and her family returned to the cottage at Stolpe to live.

Children of Andreas and Dorothea Riecken

Ottillia	Born July 9, 1870, at Stolpe, Germany	Died Aug. 11, 1963	buried at Girvin
Otto	Born Dec. 16, 1872, at Stolpe, Germany	Died March 7, 1942	buried at Girvin
Ella	Born Feb. 13, 1875, Germany	Died April 4. 1963	buried at Elkhorn
Marie	Born Mar. 31, 1877, Germany	Died Jan. 22. 1933	buried at Millard
Ida	Born Jan. 10. 1879, Wankendorf, Germany	Died July 13, 1963	buried at Elkhorn
John	Born Feb. 19. 1881. Wankendorf, Germany	Died Mar. 11, 1965	buried at Nanaimo
Frieda	Born Nov. 1, 1884 Flensburg. Germany	Died Mar. 22, 1971	buried at Girvin

HEINRICH RIECKEN. oldest son of Johann and Christiana Riecken, married Dorothea, the widow of his younger brother, on March 23, 1888, at Wankendorf, Germany. They lived at first at Stolpe and then they migrated to Nebraska arriving at New York City on July 15, 1895 settling in Nebraska. They moved to Saskatchewan in 1906. Because he signed a Receipt on March 1895, Lenora thinks, he made two trips to Nebraska. Heinrich Riecken died there on June 24, 1916, almost 80 years of age. Dorothea Riecken died in Saskatchewan on Jan. 12. 1929, at the age of 78 years. Heinrich and Dorothea Riecken were buried in the cemetery west of Girvin, Saskatchewan.

Children of Heinrich and Dorothea Riecken

Max	Born July 30, 1888. at Stolpe. Germany	Died June 22. 1964	buried at Girvin
William	Born Feb. 27, 1891, at Stolpe. Germany	Died May 24, 1925	buried at Girvin

NICKOLAUS RIECKEN migrated to Douglas County, Nebraska, in 1868 and made his home there. He married Kathrine Tietgen in Omaha on Dec. 12, 1868. Kathrine Tietgen was born in Ruhwinkel, Germany, on June 26,1845. It is not known whether they knew each other in Germany. whether they met on the boat, or whether they met in the United States. There is also doubt as to the father of Kathrine's first son, Edward, who was born in Omaha on Nov. 8, 1868. Kathrine Riecken died on Feb. 13. 1919, at the age of 73 years. Nickolaus Riecken died on March 14. 1932, at the age of 89 years. Kathrine and Nickolaus Riecken were buried in Mount Auburn cemetery near Millard, Nebraska.

Children of Nickolaus and Kathrine Riecken

Edward	Born Nov. 8, 1868, at Omaha. Nebraska	Died Mar. 18, 1937	buried at Girvin
Julius	Born Dec. 13, 1871, at Elkhorn, Neb.	Died June 5, 1958	buried at Elkhorn
Harry	Born Jan. 17, 1874 at Elkhorn, Neb	Died Dec. 9, 1940	buried at Millard
William	Born Aug. 28, 1877, at Elkhorn, Neb	Died July 3. 1958	buried at Elkhorn
Anna	Born Apr. 22. 1879, at Elkhorn, Neb.	Died Nov. 21, 1951	buried at Elkhorn
Lena	Born Nov. 26, 1881. at Elkhorn. Neb.	Died Sept 11, 1930	buried at Millard

AUGUST RIECKEN, youngest son of Johann and Christiana Riecken, served in the Franco-Prussian war in 1871. He migrated to Douglas County, Nebraska, in 1880, and at one time he was in the mercantile business in Elkhorn. He did not marry and he died in a Masonic home at Plattsmouth, Nebraska, on July 26, 1940, one day before his 94th birthday.

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