[Index]

Johann Heinrich Muff (1829 - 1899)

Six Generation Ancestors Table

b. 27 Jun 1829 at Hildburghausen, Saxony, Germany

m. Caroline Deiner (1833 - 1900)

d. 27 Feb 1899 at Oskar, Houghton, Michigan aged 69

Near Relatives of Johann Heinrich Muff (1829 - 1899)
Relationship	Person	Born	Birth Place	Died	Death Place	Age
Father in Law	Adam Deiner
Mother in Law	Wife of Adam Deiner
Father	Peter Muff
Mother	Wife of Peter Muff
Self	Johann Heinrich Muff	27 Jun 1829	Hildburghausen, Saxony, Germany	27 Feb 1899	Oskar, Houghton, Michigan	69
Wife	Caroline Deiner	11 Sep 1833	Saxony, Weimar, Germany	01 Dec 1900	Oskar, Houghton, Michigan	67
Son	Heinrich Franklin (Frank) Muff	18 Dec 1856	Wisconsin	19 Jan 1874	Oskar, Houghton, Michigan	17
Daughter	Anna Muff	13 Apr 1859	Sheboygan, Wisconsin	02 Jul 1935		76
Daughter	Emma Caroline Muff	08 Mar 1861	Hurontown, Houghton, Michigan	10 Apr 1949	Hancock, Houghton, Michigan	88
Daughter	Augusta Margaretha (Margaret) Muff	25 Mar 1863	Houghton, Michigan	02 Jun 1888	Atlantic Mine, Mi?	25
Son in Law	Jacob Roethlesberger
Son in Law	Louis Hauswirth	18 Nov 1850	Albany, New York	07 Dec 1900	Oskar, Houghton, Michigan	50
Son in Law	Karl (Charles) Hoffman	abt 1865	Berlin, Germany	08 Apr 1934	Ephrata, Grant, Washington	69
Son in Law	Johann Neipp
Grandson	Jacob Roethlesberger	06 Jun 1888	Houghton county, Michigan	06 Jun 1888	Houghton county, Michigan	0
Granddaughter	Lena Roethlesberger	abt 1890
Grandson	John Roethlesberger	abt Apr 1892		05 Feb 1893		0
Granddaughter	Tracy Roethlesberger	abt 1893
Grandson	Jack Roethlesberger	abt 1898
Grandson	August Fredrich Hauswirth	17 Sep 1878	Oskar, Houghton, Michigan	19 Sep 1899	Hancock, Houghton, Michigan	21
Grandson	August Hauswirth	1879	Houghton, Michigan	19 Sep 1899		20
Grandson	Henry John Hauswirth	26 May 1881	Oskar, Houghton, Michigan	02 Jul 1954		73
Granddaughter	Anna Elizabeth Hauswirth	22 Nov 1881	Stanton, Houghton, Michigan	07 Jan 1960	Wenatchee, Chelan, Washington	78
Granddaughter	Margaret Hauswirth	1884	Oskar, Houghton, Michigan	07 Oct 1905		21
Grandson	Anton Frank Hauswirth	07 May 1886	Oskar, Houghton, Michigan	17 Dec 1961		75
Grandson	Grover Cleveland Hauswirth	03 Jul 1888	Oscar, Houghton, Michigan	09 Jul 1970	Hancock, Houghton, Michigan	82
Grandson	Louis Hauswirth	08 Apr 1893	Oskar, Houghton, Michigan	08 Jul 1939		46

Events in Johann Heinrich Muff (1829 - 1899)'s life
Date	Age	Event	Place	Notes	Src
27 Jun 1829		Johann Heinrich Muff was born	Hildburghausen, Saxony, Germany
27 Jun 1829		Alternate Birth
18 Dec 1856	27	Birth of son Heinrich Franklin (Frank) Muff	Wisconsin
13 Apr 1859	29	Birth of daughter Anna Muff	Sheboygan, Wisconsin
08 Mar 1861	31	Birth of daughter Emma Caroline Muff	Hurontown, Houghton, Michigan
25 Mar 1863	33	Birth of daughter Augusta Margaretha (Margaret) Muff	Houghton, Michigan
19 Jan 1874	44	Death of son Heinrich Franklin (Frank) Muff (aged 17)	Oskar, Houghton, Michigan
02 Jun 1888	58	Death of daughter Augusta Margaretha (Margaret) Muff (aged 25)	Atlantic Mine, Mi?
27 Feb 1899	69	Johann Heinrich Muff died	Oskar, Houghton, Michigan
01 Mar 1899	69	Burial	Old Protestant Cemetery, Hancock, Michigan

Personal Notes:

He was a miner and a farmer. He died of spinal meningitis and was buried in the Old Protestant Cemetery in Hancock, Michigan, on March 1, 1899 I think this article was from The Daily Mining Gazette possibly from Hancock, Mi. The latest victim of la grippe is Henry Muff, an aged German living on a farm near Oskar. The deceased, who was 70 years of age, had only been sick but a short time and the news was a surprise to his friends. The funeral was held this afternoon from the German Lutheran Church. Interment being made in the old Hancock Cemetery. Besides a wife the deceased leaves two daughters to mourn his death. THE MUFF FAMILY OF HOUGHTON COUNTY (Mi.) Johann Heinrich (later Henry) Muff and his wife, Caroline (nee Deiner) emigrated from the Duchy of Saxony-Weimar sometime during the mid-1800's. So far we have not been able to determine whether they married in Saxony or the United States, or whether they came here alone or with other relatives. (The Duchy of Saxony-Weimar is currently a district of modern day Germany) We do know that they were living in, or near Sheboygan, Wisconsin during the late 1850's, where their son, Heinrich Franklin (Frank) and daughter Anna were born. In 1859, or early 1860, they moved to Houghton County, residing in Hurontown, where Henry was employed as a miner. "John H. Muff" and "Caroline Muff" appear in the 1860 Federal Census, Portage Township, with their two children, Frank, age 3 and Annie, age 1. The following year their third child, Emma Caroline, was born. In 1862 John Henry Muff purchased a home in the village of Houghton, from Daniel Ross and his wife. This lot is located on the south side of South Street, the second lot from the corner of South and Franklin. It was here that their fourth child, Augusta Margaretha (Margaret) was born. They sold this property in 1864. For a time the Muffs lived at the very end of Bridge Street (then called Dakota Street) on the west side of the street, on the shore of the Portage Canal. Presently, this lot is located directlly under the Houghton end of the lift bridge. There were still not many settlers at this time and groups of migrant Indians were a common sight. Whenever Indians came to the door seeking handouts the Muffs always gave them something, such as flour or sugar, in order to discourage thievery. On April 24, 1865, Henry and Caroline Muff purchased 80 acres of land on Schlottz Crddk in Oskar, from Frederick Kausler for $500.00. This land was approximately one mile west of Schmitt's Corner. It was while they lived here that their eldest, and only son, Heinrich (Frank) died on January 19, 1874, at 8:00 a.m. Another mishap occurred around this time while the Muff children were at play in the barn. Anna jumped from the hay loft into the hay, striking something hard underneath, injuring her knee. This injury caused her to walk with a "stiff knee" the rest of her life. But all in all, the children's lives were content. They always had enough to eat due to an abundance of wild game, as well as the many products raised on their farm. When the girls reached the age of 14 they were allowed to drink beer with their meals, with the other adults. They were also then allowed to attend dances and to help them out, their father taught them to dance. In 1878 the first of the Muff children married. Having just turned 17, Emma Muff married Louis Hauswirth on the 18th of March, by the Rev. C. F. Ebert. The very same day, and perhaps the same service, they were witnesses for the marriage of another couple, Frederick and Johanna Dittinger. On November 1, 1881 Henry Muff and Louis Hauswirth, together, bought 307 acres of land from Seth D. North at Schmitt's Corner. The two families moved to this farm where Henry and Caroline Muff, as well as Louis Hauswirth lived out the remainder of their days. The old house was built of stone, with very thick walls. Although quite changed in appearance, it still stands today. During the year 1887 the remaining two Muff daughters married and left home. Anna married Jacob Roethlesberger, nicknamed "Switzer Jake", who had come to the area from the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. He was small of stature, with a large handlebar moustache. The previous year (April 12, 1886) Jacob had settled in the area, buying 40 acres of land for $200.00, from John Stoppert, just north of Schmitt's Corner, consequently, living quite close to the Muff farm. In 1889 the Roethlesbergers bought and adjoining 40 acres from Nils Burkman for $80.00, and another 20 acres from Mary Ryan. The last increase in the farm came on 1903 when they purchased forty acres from Tracy Stoppert, for $250.00. The first child born to Anna and Jacob Roethlesberger, was stillborn, on June 6, 1888. He was named after his father. The cost of his funeral amounted to $23.00, with the coffin amounting to $10.00, the grave $15.00 and digging the grave $3.00. Tragedy struck the Roethlesberger home a second time on February 5, 1893 when their second son, John was ten months old. A piece of cut and dried bread, used for chicken feed, had fallen to the floor. The baby put the bread in his mouth and choked to death. Ironicallly, in 1908 Jacob Roethlesberger, while eating a partridge, got a small bone lodged in his throat. This caused him problems for quite some time until he was brought to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was operated on October 25, 1908. He died there two days later. Because of these two incidences some of his descendants still have an acute fear of people choking. This left his wife, Anna with three teen-age children to raise and a farm to maintain. Lena was 18, Tracy, 15 and Jack, 10. With Lena being the eldest child and in the best of health in the family, she took over the caring for the cattle and horses, plowing, and other "men's work". As Jack grew older more of the work was done by him. In a few years Lena and Tracy were both married and Jack was interested in working for the mill in Redriddge. In 1918 Anna Roethlesberger sold the farm to William and Lula Salonen for $3, 900.00. Anna and her son, Jack moved to Edgemere location, where Lena, Tracy andf their new families were living. When the Redridge mill closed Jack and the Tracy's new husband, Andrew Sandquist sought work in the Ironwood area. Eventually, the Sandquists, Jack, and their mother, Anna moved to the Verona and Ramsey area, near Ironwood, Michigan, where there was employment in the iron mines. Anna died there in 1935, but was brought back to Hancock to be buried by her husband at Lakeside Cemetery. The youngest Muff, Augusta Margaretha (Margaret) married Johann Neipp, and immigrant from Drossinger, Wuertember (present day Germany). They settled in Atlantic Mine, where she died of "nervous fever" on June 2, 1888. She was buried from Sts. Peter and Paul German Lutheran Church, where she had been married only eleven months before. The undertaker Crawford's records show that her funeral had cost $65.00, with the itemized expenses being the following: coffin- $30.00 grave- (lot)- $15.00 carriage$8.00 dig grave $4.00 gloves $1.00 hearse $6.00 bridge $1.50 It is not known what became of Johann Neipp after the death of his wife, but apparently he left the area sometime after that. Meanwhile the family in Oskar continued to thrive and grow. Louis Hauswirth, in addition to farming, was lighthouse keeper on the Portage Canal (1897-1900). He had come to the area in 1873 from Port Washington, Wisconsin. He was born in Albany, New York in 1850, the eldest child of Andreas and Maria Hauswirth. Andreas was a native of the Grand Duchy of Baden, while Maria was born in the Kingdom of Bavaria, before either of these places became modern-day Germany. Louis had been a printer's apprentice prior to coming to the Copper Country, but took up farming with his father-in-law once he married. Together, he and Emma had seven children, the eldest, August, who died on the Muff-Hauswirth farm at the age of 20, of what was probably tuberculosis. Another of the Hauswirth children to die prematurely was Margaret (Maggie), who married Frank Anderson. Shortly after the marriage Margaret became pregnant. Weakened by tuberculosis, she died nine months after giving birth to her only child, Francis. This was one month after the child, itself, had died, living only eight months. Emma Hauswirth held this against Frank Anderson, although Margaret was ill when she married him. Of the four Muff children Emma Hauswirth has the most descendents, many of whom still live in Copper Country. She was her families matriarch and she is fondly remembered for her strong will and determination, her generousity towards her family, as well as her ability of putting away large quantities of beer, without ever showing a sign of intoxication. On the 27th of February 1899, Henry Muff died at his home, after a few days of having spinal meningitis. His estate amounted to the following: person estate $1,400.00 Cash at 1st National Bank of Houghton $1,355.13 real estate 800.00 Cash at 1st National Bank of Hancock 445.00 team of horses 150.00 157 and 33/100 acres (1/2 owner) 750.00 one cow 35.00 Louis Hauswirth was appointed executor. Caroline followed her husband in death just short of two years later. She died Saturday evening, the first of December 1900 of tuberculosis. Like her husband, she was buried from Sts. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church, of which they were no doubt charter members, when it was built in 1867. She was buried in the family plot of the old Protestant Cemetery, whicsh was situated where the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church now stands. A tall, old-fashioned tombstone marked their graves, which was unceremoniously bulldozed and used for fill when the church was built in 1969. In her obituary, which appeared in the "Daily Mining Gazette" on the fifth of December 1900, stated, "The Muffs were among the first to settle on a farm in this section of the country. They were experts at tilling the soil and were successful. The products from their farm always found a ready market in the twin cities." On page 8 of the same paper, under the Houghton Brevities the following was entered, "Louis Hauswirth, the well known farmer and son-in-law of Mrs. Caroline Muff, is confined to his home on his farm near Oskar with erysipelas. It will be some time yet before he will be able to get out again". Two days later, at 3:00 a. m. Louis died. The following year, Emma Muff Hauswirth married a second time. Her new husband was a native of Germany, having come to this country in 1892. He was a saloonkeeper. With Emma's financial backing Emma and Karl (known as Charlie) Hoffman opened their own saloon. Some years later they moved to Soap Lake, Wa., as did Emma's daughter, Anna with her family. After Charlie's death, Emma returned to Copper Country and resided mostly with her son, Anton, and her family. Although, you could say she was somewhat "hardboileddD", she had a heart of gold and was as generous as her means would allow. When she died in April 10, 1949 she was the last of the pioneering Muffs, who had already been in Houghton County for ninety years. A sincere thank you to all who took the time to contribute information towards this project. In particular, a thousand thanks to Edna Hauswirth Smith, whose time spent writing, calling, etc. has been invaluable. Please direct any corrections and additions to : Jim and Debbie Kurtti, P. O. Box 193, Houghton, Michigan 49931 (phone 906-482-0248) 1860 U.S. CENSUS page 8, Houghton, Houghton, Michigan line 24, 30,33 Muff, John H., age 31, miner, born Saxony (Kingdom State)- born about 1828 Caroline,wife, age 26, born Weamer Frank, son, age 3, born Michigan Ann, dau, age 1, born Wisconsin Lekert, Frank, age 18, Miner, born Weamer

Created on a Mac™ using iFamily for Mac™ on 03 Dec 2018