Stal, Kristin Louise

Kristin married Duncan, Emmett 27 Jun 1960, Newport Beach, Orange County, California, USA. Emmett was born 16 Apr 1933, Oquawka, Henderson County, Illinois, USA; died 2002, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA. [Group Sheet]

1. Duncan, Stuart Ian

Kristin married Butler, Jim 11 Nov 1986, Santa Paula, Ventura County, California, USA. [Group Sheet]

Lars married Wellemeyer, Mary Louise 21 Jan 1939, Huntington Park, Los Angeles County, California, USA. Mary (daughter of Wellemeyer, John Fletcher and Gethmann, Olinda) was born 5 Dec 1915, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, USA; died 15 Dec 1992, Temecula, Riverside County, California, USA. [Group Sheet]

Eben married Jameson, Belle. Belle died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Married:
Details of the marriage are not known at this time.

John married Gethmann, Olinda 5 Aug 1909, Gladbrook, Tama County, Iowa, USA. Olinda was born 1886, Gladbrook, Tama County, Iowa, USA; died 1949, Kansas City, Wyandotte County, Kansas, USA. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Residence: Between 1850 and 1872, Wapello Township, Louisa County, Iowa, USA
• Residence: Between 1872 and 1876, Hancock County, Iowa, USA
• Occupation: Between 1876 and 1909; a minister in the German Methodist Episcopal church

Notes:

Residence:
According to an obituary, Frank Henry moved with this family to Louisa County, Iowa at about the age of 2 years. For most of the next 22 years he worked on his parents' farm.
     For a brief time at the age of 19 or 20 he attended school in Quincy, Illinois, but for the most part he got his education at home.

Residence:
After about 22 years in Louisa County, Iowa, Frank took up farming in Hancock County, Iowa.

Occupation:
Between 1876 and 1896, Rev. Wellemeyer served at Sleepy Eye and Henderson, Minnesota; Le Mars, Iowa; Freeport, Illinois; Giard, Dubuque, Le Mars (for the second time), Garner and Decorah, Iowa. Failing health necessitated a leave of absence from 1896-1901, which he and his family spent on their farm near Garner, Iowa. Rev. Wellemeyer returned to the pastoral ministry from 1901-1909 and served at Dubuque (for the second time), St. Charles, Gladbrook, and Rudd Iowa.

Buried:
After it was discovered on the morning of 3 July that Rev. Wellemeyer had died in his sleep, a service was held at the home of the Witzel family of Rudd, Iowa, where he had been staying during the revival. Later that day the body was transported to Charles City, Iowa. On 4 July a memorial service was held in Rudd, Iowa, attended by both the English and German Methodist congregations of that town. The main funeral service was held on 6 July at Charles City, Iowa and burial was on the same day in Concord Cemetery at Garner, Iowa.

Died:

Frank died in his sleep between 2 and 3 July. The following is a transcription supplied by Frances Gretchen (Klein) Leenerts of an obituary which she reported had appeared on Wednesday, 14 July 1909 in the Garner Signal, of Garner, Iowa.

Frank Henry Wellemeyer was born in a log house in Warren County, Missouri the 11th day of December 1848. His parents were Henry F. and Catherine E. Wellemeyer, nee Fiegenbaum, both of whom were natives of Germany. He was the oldest but one of a family of nine children. When about two years old he removed with his parents to Wapello, Louisa County, Iowa. Here for about twenty-two years he lived the life of a farm boy and helped his parents to win out in the struggle against the wilderness and against poverty. Educational advantages were meager and the deceased used to tell his children that he had reached the age of twelve before he even learned his ABC's. He acquired a common school education at home, and when nineteen, being temporarily unfit for farm work, attended school at Quincy, Illinois a short time. Soon after he came of age he began farming on his own account in Louisa County. Then, like the pioneer he was, settled on a farm at that time in the original prairie sod of Hancock County, Iowa, which he still owned at the time of his death. On 3 June 1875 he was married to Mary Klaus of Colesburg, Iowa. After two years spent on the farm, the call to the ministry, which he had first become conscious of at Quincy, became imperative. He left the farm and entered the ministry in 1876, being stationed at Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. He served without interruption for twenty years, at the following places: Henderson, Minnesota; Lemars, Iowa; Freeport, Illinois; Giard, Iowa; Dubuque, Iowa; Lemars, Iowa; Garner, Iowa and Dacorab, Iowa. Then in the fall of 1896, because of poor health and the desire to have his family find work at home, he moved to his farm at Garner, Iowa. Here were spent five of the happiest years in the history of the family. In 1901 he resumed his work as a pastor. His subsequent appointments were: Dubuque, St. Charles and Gladbrook, Iowa. During the time of his residence at Gladbrook from 1904 to 1906 his health broke down completely and his life was dispared of. His ailment was heart trouble. For this reason he retired from active work and lived quietly in the town of Garner. About a year later he decided to make Charles City his home, this being congenial because of the location of the college here and the fact that so many of his fellow workers of the ministry lived here. Activity was the very breath of life to him. He could not be idle. So when the conference needed men in 1907, he took his place in the ranks once more and was assigned to the church at Rudd, Iowa, whose pastor he was at the time of his demise. The last weeks were very busy ones. The last week in May found him at the Basket meeting at Flood Creek, where as usual he was in the harness. Then came the Commencement of the college and the annual meeting of the trustee board, of which the deceased was vice president. It was his custom to attend the Garner Camp Meeting and he went there. In the meantime a revival of religion had begun in the English M. E. Church at Rudd under the leadership of Pastor Comyns and Evangelist Decker. His family advised rest, but the "King's Business" required his presence and he went. The trio of workers were very congenial and God crowned their work with success. On Friday, 2 July, he preached at the afternoon meeting from a text taken from the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians. He was present at the evening meeting and was active in personal work. Even at ten o'clock he had the pleasure of influencing one of the audience to accept Christ. After the evening service, he and Evangelist Decker went to the Witzel home for the night. Brother Wellemeyer led in the evening devotions. In this prayer he said "We thank thee God that so far as we know we're saved up to date." At eleven o'clock he bade the assembled company goodnight and retired. The next morning he was called several times but did not answer. At length Brother Decker entered the room and found him lying as asleep. A closer examination disclosed the fact that he had departed this life. It is the testimony of all witnesses that there was no evidence of a struggle and death from heart failure undoubtedly ensured shortly after he fell asleep. To sum up his religious experiences, we may say that he was reared by parents whose Christianity was believed in by their neighbors. He was early converted and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. With true missionary instincts, he wanted others to find in religion the help he himself had found. He never allowed private business, inclement weather, pleasure, love of ease, or fear of man to stand in the way of the performance of his duty as a Christian minister. He was denied the advantages of a liberal education at school, and felt the loss keenly. This made him the more earnestly to desire better school advantages, not only for his own children, but for young people in general. His love for his family led him to sacrifice personal comfort and business ambition for their welfare. He was loyal to his friends regardless of consequences, and always championed their cause when necessary. He never learned what fear or expediency were, yet in dealing with those who he thought misunderstood or wronged him, he showed "Malice toward none and charity for all." It would be wrong to say he had no ambition, but it was directed towards building up the church where he was, not desiring honor or preferment. "Lift where you stand" was his motto. If his work was more successful among one class of people than another it was perhaps among our farmers. He knew every phase of farm work from having done it with his own hands, and even at the age of 50, few men could do a harder day's work. Those who survive him to mourn his loss and cherish his memory are as follows: an aged mother, (the father died in 1899) five brothers and three sisters. Of the immediate family are left: a wife, four sons and three daughters. Two children preceeded him, Lois who died in infancy and Estella who died two years ago. His grandchildren numbered three. A nephew aged seven had also been a member of the household since infancy. The funeral services were held at Charles City, Iowa, Tuesday morning and burial took place at Garner, the afternoon of the same day.

The following is a translation of a biographical sketch of Rev. Frank H Wellemeyer that appeared in Die Nordwest Deutsche Konferenz der Bischöflichen Methodistenkirche: Geschichtlich, Sachlich und Biographisch Geschildert published in 1913:

     Rev. Frank H. Wellemeyer of the Northwest German Conference was born in Warren County, Missouri on 11 December 1849 and died at Rudd, Iowa on 2 July 1909. When he was about the age of 2 years, the family moved to Wapello, Louisa County, Iowa, where he spent his childhood and youth. As he was the eldest son, he was required from an early age to help with the work on the farm; as a result his education was not very comprehensive, but was completed when, at the age of 20, he attended the college at Quincy, Illinois. In 1875 he moved to the neighborhood of Garner, Hancock County, Iowa, to a piece of land which the family still owns, and on 3 June of the same year married Mary Klaus of Colesburg, Iowa. Brother Wellemeyer was early on converted and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. At the school at Quincy it had become clear to him that he should serve the church as a preacher. The call of the church became undeniable in 1876, when in the autumn of that year he was given a mission field. He possessed a strong evangelical aptitude and consequently, as the fruit of his labor in the first year, had ten conversions and had received 27 provisional and 4 full members into the church. To my knowledge he had more or less the same success in each of his fields of labor. Between 1876 and 1896 he served the following missions: Sleepy Eye and Henderson, Minnesota; Le Mars, Iowa; Freeport, Illinois; Giard, Dubuque, Le Mars (for the second time), Garner and Decorah, Iowa.
     Failing health forced him to spend the years 1896-1901 with his family on the farm. From 1901 to 1906 he served the following communities: Dubuque (for the second time), St. Charles and Gladbrook, Iowa. At the last place, he was seriously ill with heart disease and was very near death, as a result of which he lived for one year at Garner, but in the autumn of 1907 he moved to Charles City and accepted a call to serve Rudd. In Rudd, in addition to the German congregation was an English one, which, under the leadership of an evangelist, held a revival from 15 June to 4 July, which the German congregation with Brother Wellemeyer heartily joined. The last day of his life serves as an illustration. On that day he made a pastoral visit outside the city on foot, at the afternoon prayer service in the city conducted a thorough exegesis of the 13 chapter of 1st Corinthians, took special pains during the evening meeting to lead an animated woman to certain faith, conducted the family devotions in the home of his host, where he uttered the noteworthy expression: "We thank Thee, dear Lord, that as far as we know, we are saved up to date," wished everyone a good night on his way to his rest and was found dead the next morning in his bed. In all probability, his sick and weary heart ceased is work as soon as he lay down.
     Among those especially grieving at his departure are: the aged mother, the widow, four sons and three daughters, who find themselves in various circumstances, also five brothers and three sisters; as well as a seven year old nephew who has been a member of the family since his early childhood. Two children are already deceased.
     After a divine service at the home of the Witzel family in Rudd that was well attended by members of the congregation and the city, the body was brought to Charles City on 3 July and on 4 July a joint memorial service was held at the English Methodist church at Rudd, at which this author and the English preacher spoke. The main funeral service took place on 6 July at Charles City attended by the congregation and representatives of Rudd, as well as 26 preachers from the same Conference and the various denominations within the city and from neighboring towns. The District Superintendent, W. H. Rolfing, preached from Matthew 20:8. On the same day, burial took place in Garner, attended by the resident pastor, the congregation and the town.

Frank married Klaus, Mary Malvina 3 Jun 1875, Colesburg, Delaware County, Iowa, USA. Mary (daughter of Klaus, Johan D. and Hartbecken, Elizabeth) was born 28 Jan 1853, Colesburg, Delaware County, Iowa, USA; died 29 Mar 1930, Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa, USA; was buried , Garner, Hancock County, Iowa, USA. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Residence: Abt 1914, Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa, USA

Notes:

Buried:
Mary was buried in Concord Cemetery.

Died:

The following is a transcription supplied by Frances Gretchen (Klein) Leenerts of an obituary which she reported had appeared on Wednesday, 2 April 1930 in an unidentified newspaper of Garner, Iowa.

Mary Malvina Klaus was born on a farm near Colesburg, Iowa on 28 January 1853. Her parents were John D. Klaus and Elizabeth Hartbecke Klaus, both of whom were natives of Hanover, Germany. Her childhood and youth were spent in the farm home, and she attended the rural school in her home district, and the normal school at Galena, Illinois. From the time she was ten until she was fourteen years of age she suffered from ill health. Her physical condition was such that she was not able to attend school regularly. Then her health improved and remained normal during most of her life. For four years she was a teacher in the rural schools located near her home. These were strenuous days, for the country schools were overcrowded, the enrollment in one of her schools being 60 pupils. On 3 June 1875 she was married to Frank Henry Wellemeyer and to this union were born nine children of whom six children survive. Lois died as an infant in 1891. Estelle passed away in 1907 and Elizabeth in 1917. The husband was called from his labors 2 July 1909 at the age of 59. Mahlon Allen Wellemeyer, son of George L. and Aurilla Wellemeyer, was left an orphan at the age of seven months by the death of his mother. The deceased gave to this boy a home, and a mother's care for eight years. For a year following their marriage, Frank and Mary Wellemeyer lived on a farm near Garner. But the urge to the ministry, which had been strong for years, became imperative, and in 1876 Mr. Wellemeyer was assigned to a pastorate at Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. His companion entered upon her duties as pastor's wife and assisted with enthusiasm. It was not an easy road to travel. During those early years in Minnesota, the grasshoppers destroyed the farm crops and the pastor's salary almost reached the vanishing point. In 1896, after twenty years in the active ministry, Rev. Wellemeyer moved with his family back to the farm, remaining there for a period of five years, after which he returned to the pastorate. During those busy farming years, in 1897, Mrs. Wellemeyer was elected conference secretary of the Women's Foreign Missionary Society, holding this office for sixteen years. Part of the time she acted as treasurer also. Her duties called for a great deal of correspondence work, the letters being written by hand in the most painstaking manner. This work was usually done at night or in the wee small hours of the morning and was persisted in until her eyesight failed her. Her service in this capacity was her greatest contribution to the welfare of the church she loved. The interests of the church and the welfare of her family were both held in the very highest esteem. Her home duties were as faithfully attended to as to her church work. The declining years of her life were spent in the homes of her children, especially that of her youngest daughter where she was always shown every attention. On a page in the family record of the old family bible, penned in her own handwriting, we find this motto: "God and His Work first." These words strike the keynote of her life. The following near relatives mourn her passing: one brother, Rev. W. H. Klaus of Colesburg, Iowa; four sons, Carl W. of Colesburg, Iowa; Ernest E. of Patterson, California; J. F. of Kansas City, Kansas; two daughters: Mrs. R. W. Merten of Guthrie, Oklahoma and Mrs. Ruth Melcher of Charles City, Iowa. Also sixteen grandchildren survive.

Notes:

Residence (family):
Because of Frank Wellemeyer's ill health, the family lived on their farm near Garner.