Johann Hinrichs Frederichs Ufkes was born in 1838 in Holtrop/Wiesens, Ostfriesland, Germany, and died in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1924. That is where he married Noentje Lena Grass in 1874.
From Johann, I learned the following lessons:
- Not everyone completes their homestead claim. Johann’s incomplete claim was filed in Franklin County, Nebraska, where probably stayed for less than a year.
- Even well-researched families have gaps. Despite quite a bit of knowledge of his life, no one ever knew that he owned and operated a mill for a few years after marriage.
- Pictures may appear “years” after you have been researching. Ths one in this post was located after I had been search for information on Johann for over thirty years.
My ancestor table can be viewed on my site. Johann is my great-great-grandfather.
Milena E says:
That’s good to hear you found his picture even after 30 years- I am afraid I’ll never get a hold of any more. The only other relative who was known to have photos supposedly threw them away because he didn’t know the names of everyone pictured. I found this out 6 years ago and it upsets me constantly, but maybe someday I’ll get lucky!