Family name Kehn or Keng or Kine or Keene puzzle
Family name Kehn or Keng or Kine or Keene puzzle
One of the big puzzles in the Classen family is Minnie Claasen’s maiden name.According to her death certificate, her father was Frederick Keng.That was reported by her son, Willys Classen.Willys did not know the name of Minnie’s mother.On the 1870 Census, there is a Frederick and Gusta Kehn that have a Joseph and Minnie living with them in Pere Marquette, MI.Finally, Minnie’s maiden name is shown as Kine and Keene in the marriage records of two of her children.So, was it Keng, Kehn, Kine, Keene, Keine or possibly some other name?
I have included some clues below.
Minnie’s children Ed and Sarah’s marriage records show Minnie’s maiden name as Kine and Keene:
Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925
Groom's Name: Edward Classen
Groom's Age: 21 years
Groom's Birth Date: 1883
Groom's Birthplace: Ludington
Bride's Name: Roselina Bentz
Bride's Age: 19 years
Bride's Birth Date: 1885
Bride's Birthplace: Ludington
Marriage Date: 17 Sep 1904
Marriage Place: Ludington, Mason, Michigan
Groom's Father: M. J. Classen
Groom's Mother: Minnie Kine
Bride's Father: Albert Bentz
Bride's Mother: Wilhimina Buge
Film Number: 2342668
Digital Folder Number: 4208676
Image Number: 285
Reference Number: v 3 p 253 rn 2507
Michigan Marriages, 1822-1995
Groom's Name: Edward Classen
Bride's Name: Roselina Bentz
Marriage Date: 17 Sep 1904
Marriage Place: Ludington, Mason, Michigan
Groom's Father's Name: M. J. Classen
Groom's Mother's Name: Minnie Kine
Bride's Father's Name: Albert Bentz
Bride's Mother's Name: Wilhimina Buge
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M01712-2
System Origin: Michigan-ODM
Source Film Number: 2342668
Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925
Groom's Name: Andrew Nofziger
Groom's Age: 49 years
Groom's Birth Date: 1874
Groom's Birthplace: Ohio
Bride's Name: Sarah Hardlick
Bride's Age: 45 years
Bride's Birth Date: 1878
Bride's Birthplace: Ludington
Marriage Date: 28 May 1923
Marriage Place: Ludington, Mason, Michigan
Groom's Father: Jacob Nofziger
Groom's Mother: Barbara Nofziger
Bride's Father: M. J. Classin
Bride's Mother: Minnie Keene
Groom's Marital Status:
Groom's Previous Wife:
Bride's Marital Status:
Bride's Previous Husband:
Film Number: 2342756
Digital Folder Number: 4209978
Image Number: 411
Reference Number: v 6 rn 50
I believe Minnie was short for Wilhelmina.Yet, there is no proof that Wilhelmina was Minnie’s first name.I have not yet found a birth record for Minnie, but the Mormon Church is a good resource for German church records.I have included texts of two near misses below.They are both too early for Minnie’s birth, which was in 1852.
From www.Wikipedia.org:
As a first name, Minnie is a diminutive of Wilhelmina, Hermione, Mary or Amelia
Wilhelmina (alternately spelled Wilhelmine) is a female given name, originating from the German language and meaning "protector". Wilma, Willa, and Mina are short forms of the name, and male versions include William and Wilhelm.
From www.familysearch.org:
Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 for Sophia Julie Wilhelmina Keine
Name: Sophia Julie Wilhelmina Keine
Gender: Female
Baptism/Christening Date: 17 Jun 1849
Baptism/Christening Place: KATHOLISCH, ISERLOHN, WESTFALEN, PRUSSIA
Father's Name: Friedrich Keine
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age:
Mother's Name: Carolina Reichardt
Mother's Birthplace:
Mother's Age:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C96993-2
System Origin: Germany-ODM
Source Film Number: 949733
Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 for Sophia Louise Wilhelmine Keine
Name: Sophia Louise Wilhelmine Keine
Gender: Female
Baptism/Christening Date: 21 Dec 1845
Baptism/Christening Place: Iserlohn, Westfalen, Preußen, Germany
Birth Date: 02 Dec 1845
Father's Name: Friedrich Keine
Mother's Name: Elisabeth Imschlak
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C96991-5
System Origin: Germany-EASy
Source Film Number: 595582
In the 1870 census, the following four people appear together in Pere Marquette, Michigan.Despite the misspellings, I think this is Joseph and Minnie Classen along with her parents.The spelling for her fathers name is “Kehn,” but considering the other misspellings, who knows?I wonder if the Classens and Kehns didn’t yet speak English very well yet and the census taker just wrote down what they heard.
1870 United States Federal Census
Name: Frederick Kehn
Birth Year: abt 1818
Age in 1870: 52
Birthplace: Prussia
Home in 1870: Pere Marquette, Mason, Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Male
Post Office: Ludington
1870 United States Federal Census
Name: Gusta Kehn
Birth Year: abt 1828
Age in 1870: 42
Birthplace: Prussia
Home in 1870: Pere Marquette, Mason, Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Female
Post Office: Ludington
1870 United States Federal Census
Name: Joseph Glassaco
Birth Year: abt 1848
Age in 1870: 22
Birthplace: Prussia
Home in 1870: Pere Marquette, Mason, Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Male
Post Office: Ludington
1870 United States Federal Census
Name: Minnie Glassaco
Birth Year: abt 1851
Age in 1870: 19
Birthplace: Prussia
Home in 1870: Pere Marquette, Mason, Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Female
Post Office: Ludington
So what would it take to solve this puzzle?An obituary for Fred or Gusta Kehn would help, or maybe finding Kehn graves right next to Classen graves in a Mason County cemetery.I don’t think it would be worth it to pursue a death certificate for Fred Kehn unless his death date and correct spelling of his name were known.
Is there any Classen or Kehn family out there that can help solve this puzzle?
Mitch Trier
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