Individual Details

TIMELINE
1882 Max Friend emigrates to New Baltimore, Michigan
1885 Anna Friend emigrates to New Baltimore, Michigan
1886 Max and Anna come to Hudson
1887 Robert, Augusta, Robert Jr. and Otttilia emigratd to Hudson
1894 Max Friend dies
1892 Robert Friend has a fall
1895 State Census, Robert Friend HH consists of 2 males, 3 females, all born Germany
1900 Fed Census, Robert Friend is a day laborer for railroad, resides on 9th st.
1905
1906 Robert Friend dies
1910 Augusta living with Ben Beaudry family
1918 Augusta dies

Throughout this history I will be using the Americanized version of the family name--FRIEND. Records from Neu Altmannsdorf and some early records here use the FREUND spelling.

Our great grandparents, Robert Freund, the resident shoemaker, and Augusta Lux, were married in Neu Altmannsdorf on January 23, 1866. The marriage record lists Robert as the illegitimate son of Theresia Cust?? and Augusta as the maiden daughter of the deceased harnessmaker Josef Lux. Illegitimatcy was a stigma that followed the child throughout his life in 1800s Germany. The groom was 28, the bride 29 years old. Witnesses were the community attendant Alois Schreibe and brewery worker Theresia Scharf.

I haven't located a bith record for Robert Friend. Under the guild system in Germany the journeyman traveled from place to place working with master craftsmen until he had the proficiency to become a master. He would then have to find a place where a master shoemaker or harness maker, etc. was needed and would ask the town council for approval to establish there.

Robert and Augusta had four children, all born in Neu Altmannsdorf:
Max Friend, born 1866
Anna Friend, born 1868
Robert Jr., born 1872
Ottilia, born 1873

The entire family emigrated to America, Max being the first to leave in 1882, According to his obituary he located in New Baltimore, Michigan where he worked for his uncle at the shoemaker trade until 1886 when he came to Hudson and began driving delivery wagon for another uncle. J.J. Lucks, who by that time had located in Hudson.

Theresa recalled her mother talking about Michigan where she met her brother, Max, before both of them came to Hudson. Theresa thought she may have worked in a boarding house there. This would have been in 1885.

Robert and Augusta Lux with children Robert Jr. and Otillia emigrated to America in 1887, arriving on 1 April 1887 on vessel WESSER at the Port of Baltimore.

The SS Weser was built in 1867 by Caird and Co. of Greenock, Scotland for Norddeutscher Lloyd (North German Lloyd). She was an iron built ship of 2870 gross tons, length 325 feet by beam 40 feet, clipper stem, one funnel, two masts, singe screw and a speed of 11 knots. There was accomodations for 60 in 1st class, 120 in 2nd class, and 700 3rd class passengers. She was launched on March 19, 1867 and left Bremen on her maiden voyage to Southhampton and New York on June 1, 1867. In 1881 she was fitted with compound engines by her builders and on June 13, 1895 [check this date] she sailed on her last trip to New York and Baltimore and was then transferred to the Bremen-South American service for two round voyages. She was scrapped in 1896.

Upper deck referred mainly to 1st class passengers. Steerage or 3rd class lived in the bowels of the ship where conditions were fairly primitive.

HST, 29Jan1892, p4, c3
North Side Narrations
Robert Friend, who fell from the main shaft to the floor, is on the gain, and will soon be about again.

Hudson Star-Times, 27 Jul 1906, p6
Robert Friend Sr. Killed by Train
Robert Friend, Sr., a member of the section crew working between Hudson and Stillwater Junction was struck by an east bound passenger at 5:30 P.M. Saturday and died five hours later from the effects of the injuries sustained.
With the rest of the section crew Mr. Friend was taking the hand car off the track on the Minnesota side, when a freight train came along from the east causing the men to seek safety between the tracks. While their attention was directed to the freight, the east bound passenger pulled upon the other track, and the steps from one of the cars struck Friend from behind and hurled him against the bumpers so forcibly that a wound on the head proved fatal.
Robert Friend was an old resident of Hudson and was 68 years of age. He leaves a wife, two daughters and a son.

Stillwater Messenger, Stillwater, Minn., Sat., July 28, 1906
KILLED BY THE TRAIN
Robert Friend, Sr., of Hudson Meets With Fatal Accident
While section crew was returning from Stillwater Junction Saturday evening about 5:30 o'clock, they were caught between two trains, a freight going west on the track nearest the river and a passenger train going east on the track near the bank. The crew removed the hand car, placing it between the tracks. Mr. Friend was standing with his back toward the approaching passenger train, some part of which, probably the steps, struck him and hurled him to the ground.
His head was badly bruised, and some reports state the skull was crushed but it is believed the shock more than the injury is responsible for death. He was taken to his home where he is said to have recovered consciousness. He died about eleven o'clock.

Republican-Voice, 25Jul1906, p1,c5
OLD HUDSON RESIDENT RUN OVER BY TRAIN
News was received in New Richmond yesterday of the death of Robert Friend, sr., one of the oldest residents of Hudson, and a member of the Omaha section crew working between Hudson and Stillwater Junction. He was struck by an east-bound passenger at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, and died five hours later. He was helping to take the handcar off the track when a freight train came along from the east, causing the men to seek safety between the tracks. While their attention was directed to the freight the east-bound passenger pulled up on the other track, and the steps of one of the cars struck Mr. Friend and hurled him against the bumpers so forcibly that a wound in the head proved fatal.
Robert Friend was an old resident of Hudson, and was sixty-eight years old. He leaves a wife and two daughters and a son. The daughters are Mrs. Baudret, and Mrs. Gartman, both of Hudson and the son is Robert Friend, a Hudson merchant. The funeral was held yesterday.

The "Omaha" was a wholly owned subsidiary road of the Chicago and NorthWestern. The C&NW took over the road completely in 1948. When operations ceased in Hudson records, including accident records, were sent "somewhere" but I have been unable to locate them. I contacted Craig Pfannkuche, Genealogical Archivist for the C&NW Historical Society who confirmed the records did not go there. He didn't know where they may gone.

Birth	12 Jan 1836	, Germany
Marriage	23 Jan 1866	Neu Altmannsdorf, Silesia, Germany - Augusta Lux
Burial	1906	Hudson, St.Croix, Wis., St.Patrick's Cemetery
Death	21 Jul 1906	Hudson, St. Croix, Wis.
Alt name		Freund or Freundt

Spouse	Augusta Lux (1835 - 1918)
Child	Max Friend (1866 - 1894)
Child	Anna Friend (1868 - 1957)
Child	Robert Jr. Friend (1872 - )
Child	Ottilia Friend (1873 - 1949)

Father	Friend or Freund ( - )
Mother	Theresa Friend or Freund ( - )