Michael Kunz in Illinois

Special thanks to Evelyn Kunz Gaffney, who wrote the largest portion of this section.

Michael Kunz was born January 29, 1853 in Lyons County, NY, the fourth child of Joseph Kunz and Mary Magdalena Weber. Michael was about two years old when his family moved to Elvaston, Hancock County, IL where Michael grew up, went to school and then began to farm. On January 12, 1875 he married Josephine E. Bejot in Hancock County, IL when he was 22 years old and she was just one month short of her 18th birthday.¹ Josephine was the daughter of Eugene Victor Bejot and Catherine Broihier, immigrants from France who had settled in the area.

One very sad day, June 26, 1890, when the babies were only 11 months old, Josephine said she felt very hot. Little Leo, age 5, was in the room with his mama and said he would go find Papa. When Leo and his father, Michael, got back to the room, Jose was dead. It has always been assumed that she had a heart attack.

When Josephine, fondly called Jose, had passed away so suddenly, leaving eight children, the twins only 8 months old, family and friends were devastated by the loss. And then, only six months after his mother’s death, on December 9, 1890, Ferdinand Amile died at sixteen months of age. One month after that, on January 4, 1891, Frederick George passed on into heaven to meet with his twin and his mama.

Freddie G.

Son of M. & J.E.Kunz

Born July 20, 1889

Died Jan. 4, 1891

Ferdie A.

Son of M. & J.E.Kunz

Born July 20, 1889

Died Dec. 9, 1890

I'll take this lamb, said he

and place it on my breast.

Protection it shall [gain] in me

and [... find rest].

Messages of sympathy and compassion poured in to comfort this bereaved family. There is a very touching letter from M.R. Rohrbough, a former teacher of both Josephine and Michael, in sympathy for Michael’s losses – not only of his beloved wife, but of the twins as well. M.R. Rohrbough wrote from the College of Commerce in Omaha, Nebraska which had most recently been established and was growing in numbers of students. This institution of advanced instruction specialized in bookkeeping, commercial law, civil government, mathematics, shorthand, typewriting, English and instructions in German, as well as plain and ornamental penmanship. Mr. Rohrbough invited Michael to send his oldest son, Francis Eugene, to study with him in order to advance his abilities in business. His granddaughter, however, has no information that her grandfather ever took up Mr. Rohrbough on his offer.

The bereavement was overwhelming and the support of Michael’s family was invaluable. His sister Josephine cared for the children as best she could to assist him in his sadness. Michael’s brother and sister-in-law, John and Mary, wrote a long and loving letter of sympathy to Michael from Sherman, WA:

I seat myself to answer your kind letter but with sadness to think of poor Jose being taken from you so sudden. We may think we know how to feel for you but dear Brother we know nothing about it till we have the parting which will be sooner or later for as we all know death comes to all, and we ought to be ready to meet it when it comes. And I want you to not let your trouble be to deep. Think of the happiness those dear children will bring you and you to them.

Harvesting is on hand. John is finishing putting up his hay this morning will commence cutting grain next week. Grain is very heavy this year. Garden and vegetables of all kinds is fine. Will close for this time hoping to hear from you soon.

John writes in August 1890 on the same stationery papers his wife after Josephine’s death:

This is to answer your letter of a recent date which we read with earnest sympathy in your sad bereavement. Poor Jose is gone. She was a true woman in every sense of the word to you and all others. Those children, oh how often I think of them so much in need of a mother’s care. I wish I was near to you so I can assist you in some way. I would be glad to help you. Will wright (sic) no more this time. This leaves us all well.

            Michael and his sons continued to farm in Elvaston, Illinois, and bought and sold hogs and cattle. There is a ledger still in existence of some of those transactions. At times his bottom line total on the ledger was less than $100. (Of interest, as the story goes on, is the fact that the bottom line in the ledger book reached to the thousands after he came west.)

        Michael’s children, going to school in Elvaston, were growing by leaps and bounds. The older boys were reaching manhood; the little boys were having growth spurts. And Kate was growing out of her Sunday dress. Amelia Much was making her own living across the river and across the state line in Keokuk, Iowa, when Michael hired her to come and live with them for as long as necessary to outfit the family in new clothes.

Amelia & Michael Kunz

Back (L>R): Frank, Gene, Joe

Middle: Michael, Kate, Amelia

Front: Will, Leo

Amelia Much was the daughter of Mary Fisher and Conrad Much. Amelia was an attractive, single, and talented woman of German decent attributes that contributed towards their compatibility. Michael needed a mother for his large family and Amelia was receptive to his offer of marriage. Michael and Amelia were married in Keokuk, IA on November 25, 1892² at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Michael was 38 years old and Amelia was 33 when they were married. Amelia was a beautiful woman, stately and standing tall in her wedding dress of rich brown tulle with tightly hand-stitched pleats across the bodice falling into an unpleated skirt to the floor. (Aunt Gertchie showed me a swatch of her wedding dress and I witnessed first hand the delicate pleat hand stitches.) The veil was of plain white netting held in place with a wreath made of fabric flower buds. She wore a corsage matching the wreath which also matched the boutonnière that Michael wore on the left lapel of his formal, dark, three piece suit. He too had a tall and stately look about him, dignified and serious. Amelia wore white kid gloves, some of these items of which are on display in a shadow box.

It was after Michael had started this new life with a new wife that Michael’s brother John wrote to Michael in Illinois from Sherman, WA telling of the expanse of land available to be purchased for farm land. Michael visited his brother John in the Sherman area in the summer of 1894 and “was so attracted to the vast rolling prairies that he decided this should be his home, also.”³ So in calculating his needs to support his large family, and in a spirit of adventure and bravery, Michael, Amelia and family started out in 1895.

¹ From the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900, vol. 4, page 98, licence 4922

² Elizabeth Kunz, "Introduction to Hilary M. Kunz," written for her nieces and nephews