Theisen/ Welter
This page is dedicated to the memory of our Luxembourg ancestors, the Theisens and Welters
The Theisens and Welters came from Luxembourg, immigrating through the Port of Dubuque and settling in the Dubuque, Iowa and Caledonia Minnesota area. This section is arranged with the most recent relatives on top.
Nicholas William Theisen (Nick) was born on the family farm on July 21, 1891, in Sheldon Township, of Houston County, Minnesota. His father was Dominic Theisen, and his mother was Agnes Annie Welter.
Nick wrote of his early experiences growing up in Caledonia Township in Houston County, Minnesota:When Nick was a baby his older brother George piled firewood atop him to keep him still when he had to babysit. It worked for a while but then little Nick cried. He remembers his mother going to town to shop and sell eggs. He would cry and cry until she got back.
Before Nick was born an infant girl had died. His mother did not recover from this well and had really wanted a daughter. So, Nick was dressed up like a girl, in dresses and with long hair, until the age of 3 or 4.
His first silver dollar was given to him by his Uncle Nick.
His first photo was taken of him by Frank Palen of Caledonia, Mn., standing on a fur rug with head done up in curls with a dress and a red ribbon around his waist. Shortly after the photo the curls were cut, and he began to wear boy's clothes. He wrote that his sister Elizabeth had died at 1 year and 3 months and guessed his mother wanted to make a girl of him.
Nick and his brother George helped to clear farmland by grubbing stumps and clearing out cornstalks. The rest of the family dug for potatoes on the first farmstead but Nick was too small to help. He enjoyed growing up on farmland and used to forage for hickory nuts and hunted squirrels, rabbits, and birds with his dad's old muzzel loader gun, and with a 20 gauge shotgun. He also fished in Badger Creek for trout and suckers. Mike W Moriarty and his brother George were his playmates when growing up. In winter they went sledding on a hill on the east side of the farm, and had neighborhood sleigh-riding parties.
His father hauled water from Badger Creek for drinking and in summer they dug holes in the low places to wash with. In winter they had to put snow in a big kettle and melt it for washing.
Nick attended elementary school at St. Peter's School in Caledonia, MN., starting with kindergarten, and taught by Catholic sisters. Children near Nick that attended the school included Dimmie Heyman, Dimmie Frank, George Theisen, Nicholas Theisen, John Schmidt, Ted, Frank, & Martha ?, the Thillens, Schlitz, Dimmers, Horsheits, Klugs, Goergens, Hoffmans, and Joe Koder girls, Wagners, Martin Jack, Palens, Peter Schmidt children, , Bill Lester children, Emily Susan Frank. And on the Hokah road there were the John Koenigs and Henry Koenig children, the John Themish children and the Becker children.
The (? first) high school Nick attended was the John Hoscheit District School, where George also started school. The teacher there was John Evans.
Nick Theisen married Gertrude Alice Howard on June 24, 1913. She preferred to be called Alice. She was a school teacher in a one room school house near the Dominic Theisen farm. They inherited land, built a farm, and ran the farm in the Caledonia, MN area for a few years until the late 1920's. Nick had to build all the farm buildings and the debt he went into to build was too much to pay, so they lost the farm. They moved to Caledonia, Minnesota, initially renting a house owned by the Monnarch family, and later purchasing their own house. There they raised 3 girls and 2 boys: Francis (Fank), Joseph S, Mary Alice (Sister gertrude Ann), and the fraternal twins Patricia and Teresa. Nick and Gertrude ran a pool hall/ restaurant there, actually living in the apartment over it for a while. CC workers often ate there during the depression. Nick also sold insurance for the Farm Bureau for a while. He took a correspondance course in carpentry and cabinetmaking.
Nick later moved to LaCrosse, WI, where he became a journeyman carpenter and worked in the LaCrosse area. He was a worker on the Roger Bacon Building at St. Teresa's College. He was one of the instructors for Francis C. Mara, when he learned his carpentry skills. He and Gertrude lived on the north side of LaCrosse for many years until Nick died in 1962, at age 71. Gertrude preceded him in death.
In Nick's obituary, he is listed as being a past president of Local Union 1143 of LaCrosse, WI. He was a member of St. James Holy name societyand a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 1198 of Caledonia, MN for 50 years.
Reverand Henry Hamburger officiated at the funeral mass at St. James Catholic Church in La Crosse.. Alice Gertrude had preceded him in death, in 1953.
Nick was of Luxembourg descent, and his wife, Gertrude Alice Howard, was of Norwegian and Irish descent: please see that web page for more information in that area. Above is their engagement photo, about 1912.
Above: Nick and Alice in later years, in the 1950's.
Left, the Theisen restaurant and pool hall in Caledonia Minnesota. A meal there cost 25 cents.
The Nick and Gertrude Thesien Family: Francis (Frank) on top, 2nd row Gertrude Alice, Joseph S, and Nicholas W. Bottom, Teresa, Mary Alice, and Patricia, taken about 1927 .
The Nicholas William and Gertrude Alice Howard Theisen Family
Mary Alice and Joe taking care of the twins Pat and Teresa. Joe had to babysit them for a summer due to a baseball through a neighbor's window.
Mary Alice, Frank, and Joe with puppies, about 1923
Threshing Day on the Nick Theisen Farm, about 1920
Pat, Teresa, Sister Gertrude Ann, Joe, and Frank, about 1928.
(Top) Pat, Joe, Frank, and Teresa
(Bottom) Nicholas William, Sister Gertrude Ann, and Alice Gertrude.
For a this Catholic family, to have a family member join a religious order, to become religious sister, was a great honor, and a source of tremendous pride.
Dominic Theisen and Agnes Annie Welter
Wedding Photo, Dominic and Agnes Theisen, 1881
Agnes Welter emmigrated from Luxemberg in 1872, at the age of 13 (was age 3 in another record), with her parents. She married Dominic Theisen and they farmed 2 and 1/2 miles west of Caledonia, MN. She was an excellent cook, with one of her specialities being a breakfast of whole wheat dumplings with bacon and gravy. Jo Theisen remembered her asking, "Joe, do ya want a smear?' She then spread butter and jam over the end of a loaf of bread and cut off a chunk for little Joe with a big knife. She loved smoked meats and fish from Graf's store. She carded wool on the farm from which she made clothing, and did lots of needlework.
Agnes read the bible to the Theisen children in German. She had a "Low German" accent.
She lived with Nick and Gertrude Theisen in her last few years until she suffered a stroke and became aphasic, and died at their home a few weeks later. Her wake was held at the Theisen home as well.
Kate Palen is reported by Sr. Gertrude Ann Theisen as being Agnes Welter's half sister. I am not sure where this fits in the family lineage though.
Dominic Theisen was born on March 16, 1856, in Luxembourg. He emigrated to America in 1863, at the age of 7, with his family.
Virginia "Ginny" Beck (Beck was her name after marrying Nicholas Beck) was half sister to Dominick Theisen. She also emigrated to the United States with the family.
Dominic Married Agnes Annie Welter, also of Luxembourg descent, on November 15, 1881. She was the daughter of George Welter and Justina Bonifas. It is believed her family also had a farm in the Caledonia, Minnesota area.
Dominic was known to be an excellent farmer and excelled at making smoked meats in their smokehouse. He enjoyed playing pool and went to Caledonia to play. After retiring from farming he was a security guard at the Sprague State Bank in Caledonia, MN for many years.
Dominic died of consumption (tuberculosis) on Agust 23, 1920.
Dominic Theisen, right, and his brother Nicholas on the Theisen farm.
The Dominic Theisen Farmstead near Caledonia, Minnesota
Below, Nick Sr driving bobsled with George Welter Sr., Dominic, and Agnes as passengers.
Left, Dominic and Agnes Theisen
with Alice G and Nick Theisen.
George Welter and Justina Bonifas Welter
George Welter Emigrated from Luxemberg to the United States with his wife Justina and children, and several siblings and their families, in 1864. The family temporarily in Dubuque, Iowa, moved to Caledonia, Minnesota after 6 months. Homesteaded a farm 3 miles south of Caledonia Minesota, currently owned by Merlin Klein.
George and Justina had 8 children born but only 3 girls survived. George died on May 27, 1912, in Caledonia, Minnesota, and Justina died March 20, 1911 in Caledonia, Minnesota.
Nicholaus Theisen and Catherine Braun, parents to Dominic
Nicholaus was believed to have married Catherine Braun as his second wife. They lived in a small village, Hiederpalen, several miles from the market town of Redington (now Redang e, name changed after the Germans occupied it in WWI.) He and Catherine immigrated to Minnesota with their family in 1861 to take advantage of the U.S. 1861 homestead act. They homesteaded a farm 2 and 1/2 miles west of Caledonia, MN in 1863. Nicholas filed for U.S. citizenship on November 5, 1867, in the court of Houston County, MN.
Of their children; 1 infant child, Mathias, died as a baby, and their son John died as a young man in a La Crosse, Wisconsin bar room brawl. Living children were Dominic Theisen of Caledonia, MN, Nicholas Theisen who lived in Northfield, MN, Walter Theisen who lived in Cottage grove, Virginia "Ginny" Theisen (from the first marriage), who married Nick Beck, Catherine Theisen Palen of Caledonia, MN, and Mary Elizabeth Theisen Collinson of Dubuque, Iowa.
Of their children; 1 infant child, Mathias, died as a baby, and their son John died as a young man in a La Crosse, Wisconsin bar room brawl. Living children were Dominic Theisen of Caledonia, MN, Nicholas Theisen who lived in Northfield, MN, Walter Theisen who lived in Cottage grove, Virginia "Ginny" Theisen (from the first marriage), who married Nick Beck, Catherine Theisen Palen of Caledonia, MN, and Mary Elizabeth Theisen Collinson of Dubuque, Iowa.
The Welters
The Welters came to the US in the mid 1850's through the Port of Dubuque, and settled in the Iowa, Minnesota nad Wisconsin counties around that area. Our Welter family tree goes back to 1639.
Julian Welter
Father to George Welter
Emigrated to the USA in 1864 along with his 2nd wife Anna Maria Jungles and a second son named George. Julien died in a farm accident on April 16, 1868 near Cascade, Iowa. He is buried in the Mount Calvalry Cemetary in Dubuque Iowa on the Henry Welter lot.
Mathias Welter, Brother to George
Settled in Dubuque, Iowa. Mathias served in the US Civil war in Haden's Battery from Dubuque. He was a mule teamster and drove ammunition wagons in the civil war.
Sister Gertrude Ann Theisen
Mary Alice Theisen was born on April 13, 1920, in Caledonia, Minnesota. She was baptized into the Catholic faith on April 25, 1920, at St. John's Parish in Caledonia, Minnesota. She received Holy Communion on June, 1929, and Confirmation on December 8, 1934.
Mary Alice graduated from Loretta High School in June of 1937. She attended Wisconsin business school from September, 1937, to June, 1938.
She was called to a reigious order and entered the Franciscan Sisters Convent in Rochester, Minnesota (Assissi Heights) on eptember 5th, 1938. he received her habit and became Sister Gertrude Ann on August 15, 1939. She made her first profession on August 15, 1941, and her second profession on August 15, 1944.
On August 15, 1966 she celebrated her silver jubilee with the Sisters of St. Francis, and on July 21, 1991 she celebrated her golden jubilee.
Sister Gertrude Ann taught grade school and high school, and religious education, and also served as parish ministry rom 1941-1970 in the followig places: Winona, Iona, Austin, Chicago, Chatfield, Hayfield, North St. Paul, Owatanna, and Edina.
From 1970 to 1973 she developed and managed the Christian Community Center in Assissi Heights, Rochester, Minnesota. In 1973 she worked at the Tau Center in Winona, Minnesota, near the college of St. Teresa. While in Winona, she was also affiliated with the Winona Ministerium Group and coordinated the chaplaincy program at Winona Community Memorial Hospital. A library at that center is named after her. Sister gertrude Ann also conducted arthritisr support groups and was a peer visitor fror persons with arthritis.
n 1982, she founded an arthritis peer support group, which was co-sponsored by the Southeast Minnesota Center for Independent Living and the Arthritis Foundation.
When older, from about the late 1970's on, she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. She eventually becam wheelchair dependent. he took on clowning and became the clown Dotte, attending many events and delighting children. She diesd in 2001 in Rochester,Minnesota, of Congestive Heart Failure, with family members at her side.
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As a young woman, before she became a nun, her older brother Joe took her to the Avalon. Joe danced a few dances with her, and then they sat down. Soon a young man asked her to dance, and onto the floor they went. Joe noticed they didn't seem to be dancing too well togethrer. Mary Alice came back, and Joe asked her how it went. "Not too well," she said, "He had a wooden leg!"
This map of Luxembourg has circled areas where the Theisens and Welters came from: Redange, Bissen, Mersch, Beaufort, and Eschanbach
If you are a relative with information or downloaded photos of ths family, please email me from the first page. I am trying to connect our Theisen ancestors with others that came to Caledonia at the same time: I suspect they were cousins or brothers.
