Individual Details

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/v/o/l/Laura-Voltin-Minnesota/GENE1-0001.htm

Source: "The Nathe Family Tree 1700-1900" by Beverly Nathe, in the collection of the Stearns Co. (St. Cloud, MN) Historical Society Research Center.

The Nathe family were German immigrants to America in the 1800s. Their history can be traced back to Kruberg, Germany, (West Central Germany "Prussia"), where Wilhelm Nate (a Shoemaker) was born in 1793, to Johann Nate and Anna Margaretta Klein.

Wilhelm's wife was Anna Margaretha Besting, daughter of Wilhelm Besting (also a shoemaker), and Maria Drucker, born in November, 1804, in Nieden HeIden, Germany.

After they married, about 1827, Wilhelm Nate and Anna Margaretha lived in Repe, Germany, where they had 7 children. Wilhelm died in Helden, Germany on January 9,1843, of "kopf-krankheit", leaving his 39 year old widow with 6 children, ages 1 to 15 years old. Their 7th child died the same year as Wilhelm, at about a year old.

Their mother was Anna Margareta Besting, daughter of Wilhelm Besting and Maria Elizabeth Drucker. She was born November 1804 in Kruberg, Germany and died on November 10, 1878 in New Munich, Minnesota. They married 3/23/1827. The 7 children were all born in Repe, Germany - Last name was Nate.

1. Anna "Catherine" Nathe (Primus) b. 9/24/1828 d. 8/14/1901
2. Anna "Elizabeth" Nathe (Homberg-Zierden) b. 1/28/1830 d. 2/5/1905
3. Anna Maria Nathe (Schulte) b. 12/6/1831 d. 3/7/1920
4. Anton Nathe Sr. b. 3/15/1834 d. 1/7/1900
5. Joseph Nathe b. 9/4/1836 d. 8/4/1896
6. Casper "Johann Kasper" Nathe b. 8/11/1839 d. 5/20/1893
7. Maria Katherina Nathe b. 4/6/1842 d. 1843 (died at 1 year old)

Wilhelm Nate (Nahte, Nathe) lived and died in Germany.

His children, however, emigrated to America. In the 1830s the established way to the upper midwest was to take the Pennsylvania RR to Pittsburgh, thence on the Ohio to the Mississippi river, then north to St. Louis, Iowa and the areas just beginning to open up in Minnesota. Somewhat later the Great Lakes were used for westward travel. The route was from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, then by Lake Ontario steamer to Toledo where the Maumee River led west to Ford Wayne, Indiana. A large German population was settled there, working on the canal linking the Maumee to the Wabash river.

After some correspondence with the Archivist at St. Johns Abbey, Collegeville, MN, the West Gennan Tourist Bureau, several German priests and teachers, including the Dean of the Cathedral at Olpe, the history of the hamlet of Repe began to emerge. It lies in the Westphalian hills of the Diocese of Olpe, county of Arnsberg, between Siegen and the Lenne River, or northeast of Olpe.

In fact, Repe, Helden, Nieder-Helden, Kruberg and Rahrback are all close together- each in its own valley. Repe had no municipal or church administration, did all of its business, marrying, baptizing, and burying in HeIden, and after 1885 was absorbed into that town. Rahrbach, which appears on most maps, north of Siegen, is in the deaconate of Elspe and is a larger town.

Repe is about a block long, has a tiny church now, one gastutte, with barns along both sides of the road. There are deep pine forests on the hills, and the people are occupied with logging as well as fanning.

Our family - NATE - is the only one in records from 1650-1880.

Wilhelm (1793-1843), who is buried in the churchyard at Helden, was a shumacher, the cause of death as recorded as "kopf-krankheit".

The family migrated (from Germany to the U.S.) in sections; the John Primuses(Catherine) in 1855, after a nine week journey, had gone to Milwaukee. The three young men had trades; Anton was a shumacher (shoemaker) as his grandfather, Wilhelm Besting, and his father before him. Joseph and Kasper (Casper) were carpenters, came to America in 1857, and worked in St. Louis and Milwaukee before going to Minnesota to homestead in Grove township.

(If you have the Meire Grove Centennial book, Deep Roots, cherish it - it is well written and complete. It covers ship-board conditions on those long voyages from Rotterdam to Philadelphia, the early pioneer days in Minnesota. and is an album of priceless pictures.)

In 1859 Anton, his mother, and his two remaining sisters left Repe and went to Milwaukee to join the others of the family. At about the same time Joseph and Casper came had gone to Meire Grove. Both soon married: Jospeh to Mary Elizabeth Marto, Casper to Gertrude Serfas.

By this time, the name has become 'Nahte' because of the pronunciation, and at the insistence of the clerks who took liberties with the names of the immigrants who were registering. From 1860 to 1900 the name was most often spelled Nahte, until John Nathe changed the spelling to "Nathe", sometime between 1915-1928.

The mother, Anna Margaretha Besting Nahte, and her two daughters left Milwaukee with the Primus family in 1862, and the matriarch lived with her married children until her death in 1878." Notes from Pearl Swope Nathe.

Daniel Schulte's Notes Aug 1992 - The towns of Repe, Helden, Nieder-Helden, Kruberg are in Westphalia near Olpe and Siegen. The Nathe family is in the records from 1650 to 1880. Wilhelm is buried in the church yard of Helden, was a schumacher; the cause of death is recorded as "kapf-krankheit."

Repe village: 1910 population 143; Helden village: 1910 population 238; Kruberg not on the map, it is 11 km south of Attendorn and 8 km east of Olpe. All three places are situated in the county of Olpe, which is one of the counties making up the government district of Kruberg. Notes from Werner E. Baumeister
Research: I believe the history of the Nathe family was originally written by Pearl, spouse of Edwin J. (Mathias, Anton, Wilhelm) Nathe in 1972.

The European research was provided by Sarah K Nathe, of Boulder, CO.

He married Anna Margaretha BESTING, daughter of Wilhelm BESTING & Maria Elizabeth DRUCKER, 22 Mar 1827 in Kruberg, Ber Rahnbach, Westphalia. Born Nov 1802 in Nieder Helden, Germany. Died 10 Nov 1878 in New Munich, Minn.

Birth	September 7, 1791	Kruberg, Olpe, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Marriage	March 22, 1827	Kruberg, Westphalia, Germany - Anna Margaretha Besting
Death	January 9, 1843	Repe, Olpe Co., Westphalia, Germnay--he was 51
Burial		Helden, Olpe Co., Westphalia, Germany

Spouse	Anna Margaretha Besting (1802 - 1878)
Child	Anna "Catherine" Nathe (1828 - 1901)
Child	Anna " Elisabeth" Nathe (1830 - 1905)
Child	Anna Maria Nathe (1831 - 1920)
Child	Anton Nathe Sr (1834 - 1900)
Child	Joseph Nathe (1836 - 1896)
Child	Casper "Johann Kasper" Nathe (1839 - 1893)
Child	Maria Katherina Nathe (1842 - 1843)

Father	Johann Nathe (1768 - )
Mother	Anna Margaretha Klein (1773 - 1791)