Descendants of Thomas Weik or Weick

Generation No. 1

1. THOMAS WEIK OR¹ WEICK¹ was born Abt. 1820 in Germany, and died Aft. Mar 1887 in Probably Germany². He married MRS. WEIK OR WEICK³ Abt. 1839 in Possibly Germany. She was born Abt. 1820 in Probably Germany, and died in Probably Germany. Immigrated from Baden, Germany

Notes for THOMAS WEIK OR WEICK:

THOMAS WEICK/WEIK:

According to Probate records in Memphis, TN in 1887, Thomas Weick wrote to his grandson, Henry Weik (or Weick), Christian's son, that he was to inherit about $250 from his uncle in Germany--a brother of Henry's mother, Frances. (Thomas Weick's daughter-in-law's brother.) This uncle's name was not mentioned so we don't know Frances' maiden name. Henry Weik/Weick was about 19 and a half when this letter was written and Henry was encouraged to obtain a guardian since he was still a minor. This was to help him with any legal matters. Bryan Fazakerly, Sophia's husband and Henry's brother-in-law, became his guardian until Henry reached the age of 21. There was no mention in the documents that Henry ever received this inheritance from Germany. Hopefully he received this inheritance after the age of 21.

In the petition the lawyers spelled the name Weick, but since Henry couldn't sign his name except with an x, it is still unclear just how the family name is supposed to be spelled. We have seen it spelled many ways--Weik, Wike, Weick. There have been other variations also spelled in error (Wyke, Wycke, and Weike). Sophia, Thomas' granddaughter, changed her name from Weik or Weick to Wike (her "calling cards" had this spelling) but we don't why she chose to do this.

One theory from one family member stated that she may have been trying to make it more "American" sounding.

We have no further information on Thomas Weick. We don't know when he died. All we know was that he was still living in 1887.

Billie Fazakerly Harrison

Great, Great, Great, Granddaughter

May 1996

More About THOMAS WEIK OR WEICK:

Fact 1 (2) 1: Father of Christian and Heinrich Weik/Weick.

Fact 1 (2) 2: Family name may be spelled Weik/Weick/Wike.

Fact 3 (2): About 1887 sent a letter to Henry (Sophia's brother), telling him about a possible inheritance.

Fact 4 (2): Grandfather to Sophia & Henry, only surviving children of Christian & Franzisca.

Occupation: Unknown

More About MRS. WEIK OR WEICK:

Fact 1 (2): An 1887 document mentioned that she had a brother in Germany, but his name was not given.

More About THOMAS WEICK and MRS. WEICK:

Marriage: Abt. 1839, Possibly Germany

Children of THOMAS WEICK and MRS. WEICK are:

2. i. CHRISTIAN WEIK OR² WEICK, b. Abt. 1840, Rath, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; d. Abt. 1873, Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee.

ii. HEINRICH WEIK OR WEICK³, b. Abt. 1847, Probably Germany⁴; d. 10 May 1887, Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee⁵; m. WINFRED T. WEIK OR WEICK⁶, Aft. 1880, Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee; b. Abt. 1847, Unknown; d. Aft. 1887, Probably Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee.

More About HEINRICH WEIK OR WEICK:

Cause of Death: Enlarged liver. Age about 40.

Fact 1 (2) 1: He went by the name Henry, but his full name may have been Josef Heinrich Weike.

Fact 1 (2) 2: We know Christian had a brother named Heinrich, age 23.

Fact 3 (2): St Mary's Catholic church had this name listed in the Book of Burials (no dates).

Fact 4 (2): We believe this is the same person & that he is the brother of Christian Weik. There were no other Weiks in Memphis then that we can find.

Fact 5 (2): The 1880 Memphis census stated he was a butcher, 33 or 35 years old, & single.

Fact 6 (2): It is unknown yet if he and Winifred had any children.

Fact 7 (2): He and his parents were from Germany. He must have married after he was 33 or 35

Fact 8 (2): The 1895 Memphis city directory listed a Winfred T. Weik, widow of Henry.

Fact 9 (2): She is not listed at Calvary cemetery, so she may have remarried or perhaps she was not Catholic.

Fact 10 (2): Henry died of an enlarged liver, age 40. (Perhaps he had survived from yellow fever years before and this was in some way connected to his liver problems?)

Fact 11 (2): The 1886 city directory stated that he was a butcher at 104 Iowa Av.

Fact12 (2): 1887, Calvary Catholic Cemetery had a "Weik" listed in Section 8, A-4, single grave.

Medical Information: The death record states that he died at corner of 4th & Alabama, ward 10, Memphis. According to Calvary Cemetery records, Henry died May 10, 1887 and was buried there in a single grave May 11, 1887.

Occupation: Butcher for Leopold Schilling

More About WINFRED T. WEIK OR WEICK:

Fact 1 (2): Unknown if she and Henry had any children.

Occupation: Housewife

More About HEINRICH WEICK and WINFRED WEICK:

Marriage: Aft. 1880, Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee

Generation No. 2

2. CHRISTIAN WEIK OR² WEICK (THOMAS WEIK OR¹)⁶ was born Abt. 1840 in Rath, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany⁷, and died Abt. 1873 in Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee⁸. He married FRANZISCA⁹ Abt. 1864 in Probably Germany. She was born Abt. 1845 in Possibly Baden or Rath, Germany¹⁰, and died Abt. 1873 in Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee¹¹.

Notes for CHRISTIAN WEIK OR WEICK:

Weik; Wike; According to the New Dictionary of American Family Names, Elsdon C. Smith, Harper & Row Publishers, Weik, German, Descendant of Wigo (battle)

Also according to the Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, Weick, German, from a short form of any of the Germanic personal names beginning with the element wig ‘battle’, ‘fight’.

CHRISTIAN WEIK: (or Weick)

We are unsure where the Weiks (Christian, Franzisca, Josef, and Franz) are buried. It's possible they died in the yellow fever epidemic in 1873 or 1878 and that they might be buried in a mass grave. Hopefully we will be able to locate them. We know there were mass burials in 1878, but I don't know if this was also done for the other epidemics.

Uncle Floyd found Christian Weick in the 1872 Memphis City Directory. He was listed as a blacksmith--living near Gates av. (Believe near the Old Raleigh Rd; the Thanes lived nearby on Dunlap near Spring and later, Gates Ave.--the neighborhoods were not far apart.) There is no further mention of Christian Weik in the city directories and we now believe that he and his family died during the 1873 epidemic. (There was more than one epidemic.) This would back up more clearly the statement that Sophia was reared in a catholic orphanage, since she would have been about 7 or 8 then.

There is a Henry Weik buried at Calvary Cemetery (died May 10 1887; buried May 11, 1887) in Section A, Division 4. This is possibly the brother, Heinrich, that came to America with Christian Weik in 1870. The 1880 Memphis City Directory stated that Henry was a butcher for Leopold Shilling (Shilling & Bro--Meats and Vegetables). It showed that he boarded at 72 Jefferson. The 1880 census agrees with the above and states that he is 33 or 35 years old, single, and boarding with another man, James Kirk, age 22. It stated that Henry and his parents were from Germany. Heinrich Weik's age was listed as 23 on the passenger list. If this is the brother of Christian and the uncle to Sophie and Henry, it is unclear as to why he was not able to take them in when their parents died. Perhaps it was not proper for a bachelor to do so--or perhaps he was financially unable to help them much. Heinrich (Henry) Weik died at the age of 40, the same age as his nephew, Henry. We do not know if he had any children. The 1895 City Directory listed a Winfred T. Weik, Widow of Henry, and stated that she boarded at 356 Mississippi Ave. Henry was buried in a single grave. His widow was not mentioned as being buried with him so she may have remarried--or perhaps she wasn't Catholic.

Perhaps these were Sophia's relatives.

August 8 & 9, 1995:

While visiting my aunt in Memphis, we visited the Calvary Catholic Cemetery. We were told where the Thanes were buried, but that there would be no markers there. The same for Henry Weik, (possible brother of Christian) who was buried in a single grave. We do not know what happened to the markers, but we did get to see the areas of burial. The office pointed out the general areas (Section A Division 1 for the Thanes & Section 12 A-4 for Henry Weik) but I hope someday to be able to find precisely where they are and place tombstones there. Later we were told by John Harris, a friend of Uncle Floyd's (who does genealogical research) that there was an area allocated at the Calvary Cemetery for a mass grave during the awful yellow fever epidemic in 1878 (over 5,000 people died in a two month period). We believe the Weiks were Catholic, since Sophia was (also Henry Weik, her uncle) and that her parents and younger brothers may be buried there. We were told there was not a list of names of these unfortunate people who were buried so quickly in the mass graves. Ms. Charlene Mason from the Memphis Memorial Studio, who was showing us tombstones to consider for the Thanes and Weiks, told us that the epidemic was so bad that those burying the dead would often die, too, during this awful epidemic.

Mr. Smith from Calvary Catholic Cemetery explained that the people were not massed together, but buried in single graves in a common area. These graves were not individually marked. He also explained that the burial records for St. Peter's Cemetery were partially burned and are in the process of being reconstructed through other records, etc.but will not be available to the public any time soon. So, though it is likely that the Weiks were buried either at St. Peter's Cemetery (all graves were later moved to Calvary when they built John Gaston Hospital) or were buried at Calvary after one of the epidemics, we don't know yet precisely where they are or just when they died.

November 09, 1995:

I was not able to get much help after calling St. Mary's Catholic Church. The secretary seemed terribly busy and didn't seem eager to help (not even after I wrote a letter and sent money to the church--which she returned--an unheard of thing to do. I'm sure the priest doesn't know about this.) However, while on the phone with her she did come up with a name in one group of books (Book of Burials) and found a Joseph Henry Weike (name may be spelled Josef Heinrich Weike). No dates were given. Also she couldn't find great grandmother Sophia's death record, which I find odd. We know she was a member of St. Mary's and was a generous contributor. Hopefully, I'll learn more after she has time to answer my letter--if she ever does.

Was Joseph Henry Weike (or Josef Heinrich Weike) Christian's brother? Or could this possibly be Christian's son, Josef? It appears that young Henry, Sophia's brother, (who died 1908 and buried at Forest Hill Cemetery) followed in his father's footsteps--one was a blacksmith and the other a horseshoer. Perhaps tax records in Memphis can give us more clues as to when the Weiks may have died. Perhaps a burial record on Henry, Christian's brother, can tell us who their parents were.

Billie Lynn Fazakerly Harrison

Great Great Granddaughter

January 1996

More About CHRISTIAN WEIK OR WEICK:

Cause of Death: Yellow Fever in 1873 or 1878; Age at death about 33 or 38.

Fact 1 (2) 1: His name was originally found on Henry Wike's burial permit.

Fact 1 (2) 2: The passenger lists in "Germans To America" show his name spelled Weik.

Fact 3 (2): The famous Memphis yellow fever epidemic killing over 5000 people was in 1878. There mass burials at Elmwood Cemetery and Calvary Cemetery.

Fact 4 (2): Supposedly died during a yellow fever epidemic.

Fact 5 (2): There was yellow fever & cholera and other diseases in 1872 & 1873.

Fact 6 (2): Christian, 30, came to America with his brother, Heinrich, age 23--on the ship HANSA.

Fact 7 (2): Emigrated from Baden, Germany in 1870; (I'm not sure where I got this info; possibly an error. The passenger record clearly stated Rath, Germany). Left Bremen, Germany; Arrived at N.Y. June 23 1870

Fact 8 (2): His wife, Franzisca, age 26; Sophie, 5; Heinrich, 3; Josef, 1 1/2; & Franz, 3 mos.

Fact 9 (2): His family came later--Left Bremen, Germany & arrived in NY April 24, 1871--ship DEUTCHLAND

Fact 10 (2): Listed as a blacksmith residing ns (northside) Old Raleigh Rd. near Gates Av.

Fact 11 (2): It's remotely possible that the Weiks, Thanes & Bryan knew one another from 1872 (Whether Bryan & Sophia knew each other or not growing up, they had lived nearby each other at one time when she was young--Bryan lived on Dunlap near Spring in 1871 & 1872.)

Fact 12 (2): His name found in the 1872 Memphis City Directory. Name spelled Christian Weick.

Medical Information: It is believed that he and his family may be buried at the Calvary Cemetery in unmarked single graves, as so many were during the awful epidemics; possibly between Sections 6 & 7 & 9.

Occupation: Blacksmith

More About FRANZISCA:

Cause of Death: Yellow Fever in 1873 or 1878; Age at death about 28 or 33.

Fact 1 (2) 1: Aunt Frances was told by Zack that Gangey's family died of yellow fever.

Fact 1 (2) 2: Maiden name unknown. Joined her husband in America in 1871.

Fact 3 (2): Sophia and Henry & possibly one uncle survived the epidemic.

Fact 4 (2): Her name was not listed on her son Henry's burial permit, just his father, Christian. (Information probably given by his sister, Sophia.)

Fact 5 (2): This yellow fever epidemic could have been the one in 1873 or 1878.

Fact 6 (2): Hope that books showing inscriptions on tombstones in Memphis list their names.

Fact 7 (2): According to the 1900 census, Gangey stated she came to America in 1872.

Fact 8 (2): Passenger records show 1871, perhaps they were in Memphis by 1872.

Fact 9 (2): 24 Apr 1871, Franzisca Weick, (spelled Franziska on the passenger records) age 26; Sophie, 5; Heinrich, 3; Josef, 1 1/2; & Franz, 3 mos. came from Bremen to NY on the ship DEUTCHLAND; Under place of origin was just "Germany" (Not sure if it was Baden or Rath, Germany)

Medical Information: Possibly buried at Calvary Cemetery in an unmarked grave.

Occupation: Housewife

More About CHRISTIAN WEICK and FRANZISCA:

Marriage: Abt. 1864, Probably Germany

Children of CHRISTIAN WEICK and FRANZISCA are:

3. i. SOPHIA WIKE OR³ WEICK, b. Apr 1865, Possibly Baden or Rath, Germany; d. 08 Sep 1937, Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee.

ii. HEINRICH WEIK OR WEICK¹², b. 11 Sep 1867, Possibly Baden or Rath, Germany¹³; d. 06 Jun 1908, Mound City, Crittenden Co., Arkansas¹⁴.

Notes for HEINRICH WEIK OR WEICK:

HEINRICH WEIK: (Henry)

Sophia's brother. The burial permit dated June 06, 1908 states that he was a resident of Memphis for 37 years. Henry was a horseshoer, 40 years old, and single. "Sudden death" is all that is listed on the permit. It stated that he was in Mound City, Arkansas at the time (across the river from Memphis), and died about 7:00 A.M. (Maybe he was on a job at the time, shoeing a horse and got kicked; or, he could have had a stroke, aneurysm, or heart attack. We don't know.) There was no doctor's signature on the death certificate portion of the permit--just where he was to be buried. Henry was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, the first one of our family to be buried there, June 07, 1908. (Sophia's husband, Bryan, was moved from Elmwood to Forest Hill in 1909.) I haven't been able to find Henry on any census record so far. He may have been boarding with someone.

June 20, 1995:

James talked to Mr. Russell Baker in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the Genealogical Library at the reference desk of the Stated History Commission. (1-501-682-6900). He was able to tell us the following:

Mound City was established in 1852. The name was changed to Mounds in 1888. The name was again changed to Edmondson in 1921. Mound city was a ferry boat landing prior to the railroads. The "famous ferry, Sultana, sunk there and blocked the passage during the civil war." Marion was the County Seat at the time. Mr. Baker referred us to the Memphis Public Library for information. Births and deaths were not required to be recorded before 1914. Mound City is south of West Memphis, Arkansas. You take the first exit, right, from West Memphis to get there.

August, 1995:

I received a picture of Henry Weik as a young boy from Aunt Frances. He looks to be about fourteen years old. He is holding a hat that looks very much like the hats the Amish people wear. Henry Weik's picture reminds me of a very young Donald Sutherland--a cute young man.

May 1995:

Probate records obtained from the archives division of the Memphis Public Library showed that Bryan Fazakerly became Henry's guardian for a brief period of time. March 5, 1887, Henry, age 19 years and 6 months, requested that Bryan, his brother-in-law, become his guardian, which he did until Henry reached the age of 21. In this request, Henry stated that he was an orphan and that both his parents had died in 1873. He also stated that he had received a letter from his grandfather, Thomas Weick, stating that he was to receive an inheritance of roughly $250.00 from his mother's brother in Germany. This maternal uncle's name was not mentioned so we do not know his mother's maiden name. We never learned if Henry ever got his inheritance or not. Henry signed his name with an x which leads me to believe he had not been reared in a Catholic orphanage (his sister, Sophia, was supposed to have gone to a Catholic orphanage and was later a very sharp business woman). Henry possibly went to a foster home which might explain why he never learned to write.

This is speculation, but I wonder if he had been reared by another blacksmith family. Horseshoeing became Henry's trade, which was similar to his father's occupation as a blacksmith. We know now that while Henry and Sophia were growing up as orphans, there were at least an uncle and grandfather in Germany and an uncle in Memphis. Hopefully these relatives were able to help Henry and Sophia from time to time along the way.

Billie Lynn Fazakerly Harrison

Great Grandniece

January 1996

More About HEINRICH WEIK OR WEICK:

Burial: 07 Jun 1908, Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee

Cause of Death: Sudden death. Age at death: 40.

Fact 1 (2) 1: His parents may have died in a yellow fever epidemic 1873.

Fact 1 (2) 2: Henry Weik came to America in 1871at about age 3, from Baden, Germany.

Fact 3 (2): Was his Uncle, Henry Weik, able to contribute to Henry's & Sophia's care?

Fact 4 (2): We do not know where he grew up; possibly in an orphanage.

Fact 5 (2): Unable to find young Henry in the 1880 census. (1890 census doesn't exist.)

Fact 6 (2): Henry was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery. The name on the tombstone is "Weick".

Fact 7 (2): His father's name was listed as Christian Wike (family name was Weik).

Fact 8 (2): The burial permit was obtained from the Memphis Public Library.

Fact 9 (2): His mother's name-Franzisca-wasn't listed but found later in passenger records.

Fact 10 (2): Young Henry never married.

Fact 11 (2): Young Henry was 40 years old and single. (His uncle, Henry, also died at age 40)

Medical Information: Died in Mound City, Arkansas at 7:00 a.m. June 06, 1908; Exact cause was not stated; First of the family to be buried at Forest Hill Cemetery. Buried June 07, 1908.

Occupation: Horseshoer

iii. JOSEF WEIK OR WEICK¹⁵, b. Abt. Apr 1870, Possibly Baden or Rath, Germany¹⁶; d. Abt. 1873, Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee¹⁷.

More About JOSEF WEIK OR WEICK:

Cause of Death: Yellow Fever

iv. FRANZ WEIK OR WEICK¹⁸, b. Abt. Jan 1871, Possibly Baden or Rath, Germany¹⁹; d. Abt. 1873, Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee²⁰.

More About FRANZ WEIK OR WEICK:

Cause of Death: Yellow Fever

Generation No. 3

3. SOPHIA WIKE OR³ WEICK (CHRISTIAN WEIK OR², THOMAS WEIK OR¹)²¹ was born Apr 1865 in Possibly Baden or Rath, Germany²², and died 08 Sep 1937 in Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee²³. She married BRYAN FAZAKERLY²⁴ 10 May 1882 in Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee²⁵, son of WILLIAM FAZAKERLY and MARGARET SULLIVAN. He was born 27 Oct 1854 in New York²⁶, and died 21 Mar 1904 in Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee²⁷.

Notes for SOPHIA WIKE OR WEICK:

Sophia Wike Fazakerly: 1865-1937

Sophia/Sophie Wike/Weik/Weick "Gangey" Fazakerly has been a fascinating person to learn about.

This German great grandmother was a tough survivor. She was an attractive woman in her younger years; strong willed and determined; a very frugal person with a keen sense of business. Her grandchildren called her "Gangey". (Pronounced with hard g's, as in "gargle".) Cousin William Fazakerly, who lives in Texas now, believes Uncle George named her this. Perhaps he was trying to say "Granny" or "Grandmother". This is an example of one of the things handed down from one generation to the next, but it's origin can't be proven. Aunt Frances thought that it might be German for grandmother; but, the German word for grandmother is "Gross mutter".

There is some confusion about Gangey's maiden name. On her "calling card" that she carried with her when she was a young woman, (one of which was in her family album that my second cousin, William Fazakerly, inherited) states "Sophia Wike". Her marriage certificate states Sophia Wike. The Memphis City Directories for 1880 and 1881 list her as Sophia Wike. Her brother's burial permit spells his name Henry Wike and lists his father as being Christian Wike. However on his tombstone the name is written, "Henry Weick". This could be an error on the engravers part--which has been known to happen from time to time. This permit states his father was born in Germany. (Christian "Weik" passenger record stated Rath, Germany). Whoever helped fill out the permit did not list his mother's name. Again, a family friend must have helped fill this out. Surely, if Sophia had answered the questions she would have known her mother's maiden name--even if their parents did die when they were young. Perhaps she thought the one name was enough. Passenger records have shown that her mother's name was Franzisca (Franziska) Weick. (An index has her mistakenly listed as "Heick")

There is also some confusion about Sophie/Sophia's first name. On a copy of her will her name is spelled Sophie. Her tombstone has Sophie Fazakerly. Her death certificate says Sophia. Cousin William believed she may have changed the spelling of her name order to make it seem less "German". Perhaps she wanted to establish her own identity as a business woman and wanted to seem less "German". But this is speculation.

(I found the name "Wike" listed in various church records in the Lancashire Co. area of England. So perhaps she wanted to seem more English like her husband Bryan. Again this is just speculation.)

June 28, 1995: Uncle Floyd found the passenger records of Sophia's family and when they came to America! This information was in a set of 24 books entitled "Germans to America" found in the Memphis City Library. Sophie's father, Christian Weik, (30), and his brother, Heinrich Weik, (23), left Baden, Germany and traveled from Bremen, Germany on the ship, "Hansa", and arrived in New York June 23, 1870. A year later, his wife, Franzisca (26), and her children, Sophie (Sophia) (5), Heinrich (Henry) (3), Josef (1), and Franz (3 months) sailed on the ship "Deutschland" from Bremen, Germany and arrived in New York, April 24, 1871. (I'm not sure where I got the information about the Baden, Germany. This may be an error on my part. The passenger record from the ship HANSA June 23, 1870 from Bremen to NY, stated that "Christ" & brother "Heinr" "Weik" came from Rath, Germany. Their occupation was listed as smith.

The 1872 Memphis city directory shows that Christian Weik was a blacksmith and lived on the north side of the old Raleigh road near Gates Ave. (The Thanes lived on Gates sometime after 1872). There is no further mention of Christian Weik anywhere after this and it is believed that he and most of his family died in the 1873 or 1878 yellow fever epidemic.

There are two stories that came from Zack, daughter-in-law to Sophia, and were repeated several times to Aunt Frances; but, have not been confirmed yet, though are probably true and close to being accurate. The first story is that all of Sophia's family, except she and her brother, Henry, died in a yellow fever epidemic. The other story is that Sophia was reared in a catholic orphanage. Zack never stated the name of the orphanage. I always felt St. Peter's Orphanage in Memphis was somehow significant. Aunt Frances and Uncle Floyd checked and were told a family member would have to come by to check on this information. (Months later they called Aunt Frances and said they did not have a record of Sophia being there--Oh, well! Now where do I look? I wonder if she "wasn't there" or if her records got lost.) There were other orphanages at the time, at least two or three in the 1870's, but St. Peter's was the main Catholic orphanage. Zack made another comment about being surprised that Gangey would turn to the Catholic religion when she hated the orphanage so much. (Perhaps she didn't let the experience affect her religious choice.)

There is a well documented yellow fever epidemic that occurred in 1878 in Memphis, killing over 5,000 people. For a while we believed this was when her parents died. But yellow fever hit these cities more than once as well as cholera and other disasters. 1873 was also a bad year for yellow fever. Sophia's father was listed in the 1872 city directory as a blacksmith. He doesn't appear again after this. We later learned from probate records that her parents did indeed die in Shelby County in 1873. When her parents died in 1873, Sophia would have been about 7 or 8 and could have been reared in an orphanage like Zack said. What a terrible fate for her parents! To come to America, move to the South, (a war torn area, five or six years after the civil war), and then to die so shortly after arriving in Memphis of yellow fever. Her father would have been about 33 and her mother 28. I don't think we realize just how hard life was for people back then. No records of the Christian Weik family were found at the Calvary, Elmwood, or Forest Hill cemeteries. They may have been buried at a small church outside of the city or possibly in a "mass" grave. Or perhaps the records were lost. During some of the worst epidemics, when there were hundreds of people dying every day, for health reasons, the people had to be buried very quickly. According to Mr. Smith, an historian at the Calvary Cemetery, Calvary donated some land to the city for burial of these victims who were of all denominations, not just Catholic. The people were buried in individual boxes--placed side by side in long rows in dug out ditches--but with no head stones or markers--making it impossible to know just where someone was placed. This may be how Sophia's family had been buried (if mass burials occurred in 1873--and I don't know if this was the case).

Sophia also suffered many tragedies and hardships. She lost her parents when she was young; had to go to an orphanage, which she hated; was working at age 15; married and pregnant at age 17. She lost her 49 year old husband in1904 after a long and debilitating illness. She lost her 40 year old brother, Henry, a horseshoer, in 1908. Then just a few months later, she lost her 25 year old daughter, who died of an intestinal obstruction. She must have been devastated. Her father-in-law also died in 1908. Later she lost one son, our grandfather, George Mitchell Fazakerly, to suicide. The other son, William, had moved away to Mississippi, though we are not sure just why. Also Sophia and her daughter-in-law, Zack, did not get along. These were two extremely dominate women with strong wills.

In her later years, as Gangey became old, lonely, and sick, she probably became eccentric, and may have seemed almost fanatical in her religious beliefs at times. (Her religion was probably one of the few sources of comfort and peace to her--and she probably felt the need to continuously pray for the souls of her loved ones, which the Catholics believe in doing. This would also explain why Cousin William was a little frightened on his visits to her when he had to get on his knees to pray with her with all the burning candles around.) Only one grandson, Uncle George, really "befriended" her. She had encouraged him to become a Catholic, much to Zack's dismay (she was Methodist), and he remained a faithful Catholic all his life, according to Aunt Frances. She also said he was genuinely fond of Gangey and said kind things about her. Uncle George was well rewarded for his loyalty--as, I believe, he should have been. (See copy of Gangey's will.) Uncle George was able to stand up to Zack--at times--and he remained friendly to Gangey and turned to her when his father, George, Sr., died. Aunt Frances felt that Zack had discouraged my father and her from being friendly with Gangey. As a result, they were deprived from getting to know their grandmother well.

As a German female immigrant, Sophia did rather well for herself in spite of being an orphan; but, it wasn't easy, and she earned everything she obtained by real hard work. Sophia was a true example of the great American success story--obtaining the great American dream. Where else but in America could a foreign female orphan start out as an assistant cook and a domestic and wind up so very well off. We do not know how far along she got in school--but perhaps finished school at the Catholic Orphanage. In 1880, at age15, Sophia worked for Mrs. A. Haack as an assistant cook at the Excelsior Bakery on 126 Beal St. In 1881, she was a domestic for Jacob Ney, a bar-keeper, who worked for W. H. Irwin. In 1882 she was supposedly working as a domestic for one of the Dr. Mitchells in town when she met her future husband Bryan. Not exactly glamorous jobs; but, never-the-less, work--and her beginning.

Through all of her trials, Sophia remained a successful business woman. She must have relied on her German sense of good money management. When she died in 1937, and times were tough then, she was worth a good bit of money. (One place I saw written on the side of a copy of her will was an amount of $22,700.) Aunt Frances said the total of her estate in her will came to about $18,800. I don't know what the sale of her house and property came to. Sophia worked like a war horse and managed her finances well. Gangey left $2,000 to each of her grandchildren, Bill, and Frances Fazakerly. She left $5,000 to her grandson, George. She left $5,000 to her son, William Bryan Fazakerly, (Lilly May and George, Sr. had died) and the rest of her money went to the Catholic church.

I don't know what she was like personally, maybe a hard person to get to know, maybe a tough person to deal with; but, perhaps friendly to those who were friendly to her and loyal to those who were loyal to her. Certainly not a warm, cuddley, "Aunt Pitty-Pat" type person. Even though she was very careful with her money, she was not miserly. She could be helpful and generous, too. Zack told another story about how Sophia let a friend be buried in one of her reserved family burial plots, since this friend had no money for a burial place at the time. This was confirmed by the records from Forest Hill Cemetery which shows a Mary Crump Henderson being buried in grave #4 of the six grave plots she had reserved. The plots on the top row, numbered 1,3,& 6, held Henry Weik, Bryan Fazakerly, and #6 was to be Sophia's. Then on the bottom row, plots 2,4, and 5, held Lillie May, Ms. Henderson, and George Mitchell Fazakerly. Mary Crump Henderson was later moved to another site. Plot #4 was probably reserved for Gangey's son, William. As it turns out he was buried in Jackson, Mississippi. So plot #4 must be empty.

Another story about Sophia's helpfulness comes from Aunt Frances. She mentions that "Uncle Johnny" Manning, (John P. Manning), (not a relative) lived at Gangey's home, a very large place, and worked for her around the house, farm, and dairy. The 1903 city directory shows that John P. Manning started to work for Gangey as a laborer. Later he was listed as a milker, and then again later as a gardener for her. Supposedly, Johnny and Sophia may have been in the orphanage together and she gave him a job and place to live. He was catholic and his sister was a nun, Sister Bertram (Mary). Aunt Frances remembers getting candy from her on holidays. Johnny Manning was with Gangey from almost the beginning of her dairy business and definitely from the time she moved to her home on Barron and Semmes. I wonder if he helped to care for Bryan before he had to go into the nursing home? "Uncle Johnny" was with her through it all--boy, the stories he could have told! Gangey couldn't have been easy to live with or to work for. What loyalty! He lived in Gangey's home until her death in 1937 and then he went into a catholic home. Aunt Frances remembers visiting him there once. The 1880 census showed that a Mary Manning, age 13, and Johnny Manning, age 8, were listed as orphans at St. Peter's orphanage. There were several Mannings listed on the census in general, so this may not be the same Mary and Johnny Manning. If they were, then Mary would have been closer to Gangey's age; perhaps they were friends and this is how Johnny got the job. Cousin William remembers that Gangey's home was large and sat about 100 yards up the hill from Barron Ave. and that they entered the back from Semmes Rd. He also stated that he remembered "a big gander that ruled the yard, and kept me at a distance." (Geese make an awful racket. They certainly let you know if anyone is around. They make great watch-dogs.) Cousin William remembers Gangey churning and scooping off the butter and patting the butter into one-pound blocks. He also remembers ""Uncle Johnny" Manning "milking the cows, and carrying the pails, and cranking the centrifuge to separate the cream. I remember him ploughing and working in the field or garden. And I remember him climbing the stairs after dark with his oil lamp, to his room upstairs." (Aunt Frances said this was a small room on the third floor.) Cousin William also remembered the horse and buggy and understood that "Uncle Johnny" "hitched the horse to the buggy every Sunday morning and drove Gangey to Mass--this, when buggies had almost disappeared from the American scene." Aunt Frances described "Uncle Johnny" as "a little fella". He was a shy, quiet man and he would wave and smile at the children when they visited. I think he really enjoyed seeing Gangey's family. In one picture I saw recently, he is holding either Daddy or Uncle George, and he looks "proud as punch".

Sophia also paid the expenses for Uncle George and Daddy to go to Sacred Heart, a Catholic school. Uncle George wanted to go to college and after he became a Catholic, she paid for his college education. Daddy and Aunt Frances never became Catholics or went to college. According to Aunt Frances, Zack wouldn't allow it and she didn't encourage a college education--she believed in work. The three children were supposed to be reared as Catholics; but, Sophia's son, George, Sr., seldom went to church and Zack was a Methodist, so she sent them to the nearby Methodist church when they were younger.

(October, 1997; Additional Note and Speculation: In studying the Fazakerleys in Albany, Thomas, a baker, was a very active person in the community and participated in the theatre. Could this possibly be a picture sent to Bryan of Thomas on stage? It isn't clear yet if the Fazakerlys were related to the Fazakerleys in New York--even though Bryan was born there.)

***Follow-up Oct. 3, 2005; I haven't been able to get copies of the picture of the theatre performers. I had hoped I could trace them by seeing the name of place on the picture but that is no longer available to me. I waited too late to ask.***

October, 1997; I received a letter from Aunt Eve (Uncle George Mitchell Fazakerly, Jr's. wife) she stated "that Uncle George told her stories about "his grandfather being born in England (an error) and was visiting Dr. Mitchell in Memphis when he met "Gangy" who worked at Dr. Mitchell's as a domestic". (I have not looked to see if there is a city directory record of this, though.) There was more than one Dr. Mitchell in Memphis at the time. She didn't say which Dr. Mitchell this might have been.

(The city directories that I have found so far listed Sophia as a domestic for J. Ney and worked for Mrs. D. Haack, a baker & confectioner.)

The 1880 census shows Henry Weik (we believe this is the brother to Christian) to be living at 74 Jefferson and was 33 or 35 years old, single, and living with a James Kirk, 22. They both worked in the butcher shop of Leopold Schilling, who lived at 72 Jefferson. The census also stated that Henry was from Germany and that both his parents were from Germany. Heinrich (Henry) Weik (Christian's brother and Sophia's and Henry's uncle) died May 10, 1887, at about age 40 and was buried in a single grave at Calvary Cemetery May 11, 1887. The 1895 city directory showed a Winfred T. Weik (widow of Henry). So Henry must have gotten married after age 33 or 35. His widow is not buried with him at Calvary, so perhaps she remarried or perhaps she was not a Catholic. No record of any children have been found yet.

November 09,1995: After calling St. Mary's Catholic Church today, I was able to find out that they had a listing for a Joseph Henry "Weike" (may be spelled Josef Heinrich Weike) in their book of burials. This church goes back to 1860, so these records are really old--some in Latin--which the secretary could not read. No age or date of death was given in this book. This was the church for the German congregation. I believe this is the same "Henry" mentioned above and the one listed in the passenger lists from Bremen since the dates, age, his name and especially the spelling of the the last name all seem to match. The secretary did not find a listing for Christian Weik and family.

Sophia died at the St. Joseph's Hospital in Memphis, September 08, 1937. Cause of her death was myocardial insufficiency, (heart problems). She had been ill for several years. She was 72. She was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, September 10, 1937. I hope someday to be able to find out a little more about Sophia's girlhood, which may have been rather bleak.

May 1996: Bryan and especially Sophia/Gangey certainly learned to use the courts through the years, especially the Probate Courts of Shelby County. There were several probate records found at the probate courts and archives of the public library. The earliest record we have was a probate record of guardianship and bond dated March 05, 1887. Sophia must have encouraged her husband, Bryan, to become the legal guardian of her brother, Henry. Though over 19, he was still considered a minor. This was done in order to help Henry with legal affairs and especially to help him obtain an inheritance that was supposed to come from his maternal uncle in Germany. Through this petition we learned that Sophia and Henry as adults still had living relatives in Germany, in particular, a paternal grandfather, Thomas Weick, and until recently a brother of their mother's (no name given). We do not know if Henry ever received this $250.00 inheritance or not. This was found under Probate Court Guardian's Bond No. 5667 Record 8 and recorded in record book 3 page 385.

June 1996: Another early record from the probate courts is in regards to a petition and order for a Widow's Year Support which was evaluated and recommended to be $600.00. Bryan had not left a will and this petition had been made a few years after Bryan died. Also, she requested that she be given his savings at the Manhattan Savings Bank and Trust Company (in Memphis) which, with interest to June 30th, 1908, amounted to $157.89. She was granted both by the courts. F. Zimmerman was her attorney. This was found under the estate of Bryan Fazakerly, Docket No. 13658.

Records of Sophia Wike Fazakerly's estate and Last Will and Testament, Docket No. 39114, were also found. The will was the same as the copy we already had. It was written on August 05, 1937. It was recorded in the Will Book 48, Page 448 and filed on September 13, 1937. Her estate took four years to settle and was a long, complicated and drawn out affair. The complications came from the the following: The collection of First Mortgage Bonds and other secure ties (for about six different properties); a lawsuit from Johnny Manning against William Bryan Fazakerly (details unknown) which Johnny won and was granted $650.00; a question about a Bill of Sale dated August 05, 1937 found in her safety deposit box selling her half interest of certain property to Johnny Manning for one dollar (they had been in partnership together through the years and he owned one half interest in certain personal property which included just about everything--farm equipment, etc.-- except the house and land) and it looks like this was accepted by the courts; a dispute between the Catholic church for their money--they were granted cash, bonds, notes, interest coupons, rent accumulated from the rent of the house, etc.; and, between the church and Uncle George over her property. A Warranty Deed dated December 09, 1936 was found in her safety deposit box giving the property "being the home place and about six acres" to St. Sebastians Church, but was considered invalid since it was unrecorded and because of a "residuary clause" of the will and the court ruled in Uncle George's favor giving him the property as well as the cemetery lot that Sophia had bought years earlier. Sophia's heirs, William Bryan, George Mitchell, William Thomason, Frances Louise were given their money but only by waiting a few years and had to go to court to petition for portions at a time. They finally settled the estate October 25, 1941 when they gave the church the above mentioned assets, the cash, bonds, and certificates--a hefty bulk of the estate which they did not have to pay taxes on--and Uncle George got the property (which he sold about 1942). This property was situated in the Second (another place says the Fourth) Civil District in Shelby County, Tennessee and was about six acres. Sophia had bought this property from Rolfe M. Brown (no date given) and was recorded in Book No. 301, page 380, Register's Office of Shelby County, Tennessee and was conveyed to Mrs. Sophia Fazakerly. (The property was in her name and not Bryan's.) The first attorney, A. J. Calhoun, died before the estate was settled. He made about $1100.00 in handling the estate. The new attorney Ben Matthews made about $400 to $600. Mr. H. H. Huddleston probably made a good bit more than the lawyers as executor of the estate. This was a large estate--impressive when you consider that the 1930's were so hard and difficult for so many people.

Not bad for a female orphan who started out working as an assistant cook and a domestic .

Billie Lynn Fazakerly Harrison

Great Granddaughter

January 1996

1919 Memphis City Directory: Fazakerly, Sophie (wid Bryan) res e Rosebrough ne cor Speed

1920 Memphis City Directory: Fazakerly, Sophia (wid WB) h ns Barron Av 1 e Semmes (Rosebrough & Speed changed to Barron & Semmes)

1920 Census: Taken in January

Sophia Fazakerly:

Street not listed, a page or two before her name had "Spotswood" and a page or two after her page had "Highland Ave.". Her age was listed as 54. It stated that she owned the property and that she was a naturalized citizen. Both her parents were from Germany and spoke German, but didn't list where in Germany. Under Occupation it had listed "none". I don't know if this was correct or not. (Her neighbor Stanley Rivers, 41, was listed as dairyman).

Johnny Manning:

Residing on the same premises. He was listed as J B Manning, 44 or 48 (looked like 44), a Laborer, wage earner, and the exact occupation was too difficult to read (gardener? yard --- something?). He & his parents were born in Tennessee.

1930 Census: Tennessee, Shelby, Dist. 4, Roll T626--2272, Pg. 1B, Ed. 180, Image 0854, Line 59

Sophie Fazakerly, Property (owned, est. $4000), Age 64, Widow, b. Deutschland, Head of Household, parents b. Germany & spoke German, In US since 1872 (?), Naturalized, Occ., None

Also:

John P. Manning, Boarder, 57, Single, b. Tennessee, Parents b. N. Ireland, (Northern Ireland) Occ. Laborer, Residences, Wages, Veteran (no)

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More About SOPHIA WIKE OR WEICK:

Burial: 1937, Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee²⁸

Cause of Death: Myocardial Insufficiency; Age at death: 72

Fact 1 (2) 1: All her family died but 1 brother (& 1 uncle?) during a yellow fever epidemic.

Fact 1 (2) 2: Sophia came to this country April 24, 1871 from Germany at age 5 from Bremen, Germany on the ship DEUTCHLAND. Place of origin was "Germany". Father & Uncle were from Rath, Germany according to their passenger records.

Fact 3 (2): Her name 'Wike' was printed on a calling card found in her beautiful photo album

Fact 4 (2): Left an orphan. Reared possibly in a catholic orphanage.

Fact 5 (2): Sophia may have changed the family spelling of Weik to 'Wike'.

Fact 6 (2): Gangey started the Dairy business in 1901; Her dairy was sold around 1917-19.

Fact 7 (2): Nickname was Gangey. (Pronounced with hard "G" sounds).

Fact 8 (2): She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic church.

Fact 9 (2): The Fazakerly farm on Barron (sold abt. 1942) had cows, chickens, pigs, & geese.

Fact 10 (2): Gangey was a resident of Memphis for about 65 years.

Fact 11 (2): 'Uncle Johnny' Manning (possibly from the orphanage) helped Gangey from 1903 on.

Fact 12 (2): Sophia outlived her son, George Mitchell, & her daughter, Lilly May.

Medical Information: Died at St. Joseph's Hospital, Memphis, Tn., Wednesday, Sept. 8, 1937, at 5:45 p.m.; Ill for several years; also had arteriosclerosis & a chronic gallbladder. Buried at Forest Hill Cemetery 9/10/1937.

Occupation: Assistant Cook Excelsior Bakery; Domestic; Owned a Dairy

Notes for BRYAN FAZAKERLY:

Bryan Fazakerly 1854-1904

INTRODUCTION:

I am not sure just when I was told our name was English. People have a hard time believing this. My mother-in-law "assumed" I was a Russian Jew when she first heard my name. She told me this the first time I met her. She was a little surprised to meet this Methodist girl that had been reared in the South with English roots. Guess she was expecting something more exotic. Who knows where the first Fazakerly tribe originally descended from before the Celts; Romans; Angles, Jutes, Saxons; then Vikings went to Britian. (Perhaps "Fazakerly" is Austro-Hungarian in origin and we come from a long line of dark haired gypsies or even from Transylvania! Wouldn't surprise me a bit.)

While growing up I had never heard of anyone else with our name until a doctor in an elevator at the Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, where I trained as a nurse, asked me if I was related to the Fazakerlys in Mississippi. He said he thought they spelled their name Fisackerly or Fisakerly. I was surprised. I thought our family members were the only ones on the planet--or at least in America. Later as an adult I ran across the name in a detective novel. A lieutenant Fazakerly was mentioned as one of the characters in the book. (In real life my father was a lieutenant on the Memphis police force, but there was no connection.) Later, I heard the name mentioned on the Benny Hill Show during one of his comedy skits.

Since then I have found that there are indeed other Fazakerlys here with different spellings: Fazakerley, Fazackerley, Fazackerly, Fisakerly, etc.

William Bryan Fazakerly, Jr., my second cousin (first cousin to Aunt Frances, Uncle George, and my Daddy, Bill) lived in London, England from 1971-1974 and he states that he "passed through British Immigration Authority about a 100 times. Often, an immigration official would look at my passport and immediately call my name, pronouncing it just the way we do. In the U.S.A. we have to Spell it and Sound it, and Re-sound it, before a new acquaintance will pronounce it the way we do." We Fazakerlys certainly know "exactly" what he's talking about! I would love to go to England some day and visit the area great grandfather Fazakerly's family is from. According to some maps in a Liverpool Street Atlas, there are several places listed with the Fazakerley name. There is a Fazakerley brook, Fazakerley school, Fazakerley hospital, Fazakerley street, Fazakerley lane, and Fazakerley sidings (railroad yard). According to my aunt, there was also a Fazakerley summer resort at one time.

Frances Fazakerly McDaniel, Bryan Fazakerly's granddaughter and my aunt, sent me a picture of Bryan Fazakerly and others of his family. He was described as being tall and was an attractive man when he was young. The pictures of his sons, William Bryan Fazakerly, Sr. and George Mitchell Fazakerly, Sr. show that they were very attractive men. William, Sr. was a little more heavy set than his brother George, Sr., who was tall, slim, and thin faced, but both were very well built, strong looking, handsome men. Bryan Fazakerly's grandsons, Wm. B., Jr., Wm. Thomason, and Geo. M., Jr. were tall, handsome men also. (There are many Williams, Georges, and Marys in this family and it's a little hard to keep straight at times.) Bryan's daughter, Lilly May, was also attractive with her thick dark hair, slender build, and pretty face; but, unfortunately she inherited the large "Fazakerly nose" instead of her mother's small features--but she was still pretty. On the men that inherited it, like Daddy, I thought it added character.

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BRYAN FAZAKERLY

(William Bryan? Dennis Bryan? or just Bryan?)

The 1860, 1870, and 1900 Memphis, TN census records state that Bryan was born in New York. His burial permit also stated that he was from New York. It had been believed prior to this that he was from England, but it was his father, William, that was from England.

Even though the 1870 Memphis, TN census had that he was born in New York, it also had his name listed as what appeared to be "Dennis" or "Darius" Thane, age 15. Perhaps he later decided to go by the name Bryan which may have been a first or middle name--or maybe the name was entered by mistake. The 1900 census states that he was born in 1853, but this must be an error. Other records show he was born in 1854. Census records are often full of errors.

Another source for information, as listed above, are burial permits, which include the death certificates. Often this information comes from friends of the family or from other members of the family, other than the spouse or parent, or from acquaintances trying to help out at the time, therefore allowing for a few errors. (Example: Lilly May's permit stated that her father, Bryan, was from Germany and that she was buried at Calvary Cemetery--both very incorrect statements. The name of the person giving the information was not listed.) So much for accurate reporting! Hence, having more than one documented source can be helpful in finding the "accurate" truth.

1870, Memphis, Shelby Co., TN Census; June; Ward 9; Post Office: Memphis; entry # 344/394

1st time we find Bryan after Chicago when he was with Margaret & William Fazakerly. Now is was listed oddly enough as Dennis or Darius Thane (index on Internet stated Tham), age 15, b. NY, area marked: "parents of foreign birth" & was with: William Thane (Tham?, Thann?), 34 (b. abt. 1836), b. Prussia, Occ., Ice Dealer, area was marked: "male citizen of US"; Margaret, wife, 34, Keeping House, b. Ireland; William, son, 3, b. Tennessee; Mary,1, b. Tennessee

1871, Memphis City Directory, Bryan was employed as a salesman for the Mitchell, Hoffman, & Co. furniture store. Age about 16. No residence was given. In 1872 he is listed as a shipping clerk for the same company.

1872 Boyle & Chapman's Memphis City Directory, listed Brian "Fazackerly", shipping clerk, Mitchell, Hoffman & Co., res. Dunlap)

1874 he is working for Bohlen & Huse Co. as a clerk and is boarding at St. Charles. He worked for this company until 1878 when he became employed again with Mitchell, Hoffman, & Co. as a clerk and resided at 355 Main.

1875, city directory not published due to some type of deoression.

1880 he was working a clerk for G. Mitchell, r. 308 Main (residence at the store?) Age about 26

(It isn't clear how the Mitchells were connected to Bryan, but Cousin William remembers as a young boy visiting the Mitchell Sisters (Mattie & Hattie); in 1880 Mattie M. Mitchell resided at 395 Vance. George Mitchell resided at 215 Union (another listed at that address was Walter S. Mitchell, clerk at the furniture store. (There was also a Dr. Robert W. Mitchell res. 110 Adams and a Dr. Dr. Edward D. Mitchell res. 268 Vance, both physicians, practicing at 34 Madison; there was also a William Mitchell, farmer, that boarded at 268 Vance). According to Aunt Eve, Gangy met Bryan while she was a domestic at Dr. Mitchell's house (which Dr. Mitchell unknown).

1880, Not listed with with William & Margaret Thane & family.

1880, Memphis Shelby Co, TN Census; Index; Unable to view census record; Index stated "Bryan Thane, 24, b. Tennessee, single, parents birthplace: Ireland"; Either this is someone else, or this is full of errors. Unable to see what his occupation was or where he lived, etc.

1881 and 1882 Bryan Fazakerly was a listed again as a clerk for the same company, the George Mitchell, furniture, carpet, and upholstery store on 308 Main Street and he lived at 128 Court.

1882, Bryan and Sophia were married on May 10, 1882 at St. Peter's Catholic church in Memphis. He was a good bit older than Sophia, about 10 or 11 years older. She had just turned 17 and he was 28 years old.

1887, March 05; Funny how information can come in such unexpected ways and show how families can be so entwined. I had requested information (death, burial, or cemetery records) on Christian Weik/Weick from the Archives Division of the Memphis, TN Public Library. What I received was a probate record of guardianship. )

This record showed that on March 05, 1887, Bryan Fazakerly became Henry Weik/Weick's guardian (Sophia's brother) in order to help him legally inherit some money. Henry was about 19 years and 6 mos. at the time and Bryan was his guardian until Henry reached the age of 21. In this probate record Henry states that he had received a letter from his grandfather, Thomas Weick, stating that he was to receive about $250.00 from his mother's brother in Germany. (Thomas Weick must have been corresponding for his deceased daughter-in-law's brother's family--the family name was not mentioned.) Henry stated that he was an orphan and that his parents, Christian and Frances both died in 1873. (Thus the answer to my request!). Apparently Henry couldn't sign his name and marked his signature with an x. We don't know if Henry ever received his inheritance from Germany or not. Also, William Thane, Bryan's step father, signed the five hundred dollar guardian's bond as a sureity that was required by the state; and, Mr. Thane stated