Last Updated : 26 May 2008

Johann Erdmann Wilhelm Unke

14 Aug 1834, Storkow - 17 Jun 1907, Sauk County, Wisconsin

Our great-grandgather Wilhelm Unke was born 14 Aug 1834 in Storkow to Erdmann and Christine Henriette (Schubring) Unke and was baptized Johann Erdmann Wilhelm Unke. Wilhem had one brother, Carl Martin Friedrich, born 11 Feb 1831, who died in Storkow at the age of 37 leaving his wife and one minor child. He had two older sisters, Hedwig Louise, b. 20 Oct 1825 and Wilhelmine Henriette, b. 24 Oct 1828, but died 24 Feb 1840. He had one younger sister, Friederike Marie Charlotte, b. 24 Jul 1817.

Wilhelm's future wife, Charlotte Henriette Zerbel, was born 1 Nov 1842 in Gramenz to Johann Christian Zerbel, b. 8 Feb 1803, and Marie Elisabeth Zastrow, b. 2 Mar 1815. Charlotte had seven siblings, Dorothea Louise Henriette, b. 14 Aug 1835, Johann Friedrich Wilhelm, b. 1 Jan 1838, Amalie Wilhelmine, b. 6 Mar 1840, Johann Carl August, b. 27 Jul 1845, Wilhelm Christian, b. 23 Nov 1847, August Ludwig Wilhelm, b. 15 Jul 1850, and Carol August Hermann, b. 7 Jan 1853.

About 1861 at the age of 27 Wilhelm Unke emigrated from Pomerania to Wisconsin, probably arriving at the Port of New York on the vessel Humboldt from Hamburg on 29 May 1861. Wilhelm's wife-to-be, Charlotte Zerbel, emigrated in 1864 to Wisconsin with some of her siblings (presumably Herman and August).

Wilhelm and Charlotte were married 19 Aug 1865, in Honey Creek Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin. On 4 Aug 1865, just prior to marriage, Wilhelm purchased the east half of the SE quarter of section 10 of Honey Creek Township. They purchased the south adjoining 30 acres (east 3/4 of the NE quarter of the NE quarter of section 15) on 11 Jan 1867. This is one half mile north of Denzer on Denzer Road, east on Zick Road to dead end, with the 30 acres to the south and the 80 acres to the north. They farmed here and raised a family of ten children - 3 sons and 7 daughters. They became members of the Evangelical Church which was started by an itinerant Methodist preacher among German speaking immigrants. (The Evangelical Church merged with the United Brethren Church to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church about 1950. The EUB and the Methodist Churches merged to form the United Methodist Church about 1960).

In 1885 Wilhelm, Charles Schorwetter (probably a friend) and Charlotte's brothers, Herman and August Zerbel, each purchased 80 acres in section 16, Rutland Township, Martin County, Minnesota, for $272 (west half of NW quarter, east half of NW quarter. west half of NE quarter, and east half of NE quarter, respectively). These sales and two others for the same section were the first filings recorded for Rutland Township and were recorded 20 Jul 1885. In 1888, Wilhelm purchased the 80 acres from Schorwetter. In 1891, Wilhelm sold the 160 acres for $1,000 to his oldest son Robert who was then 23 years old. Herman and August Zerbel each sold their 80 acres in 1893 to someone else and, like Wilhelm, confined their farming to the Denzer, Wisconsin, area which was much more picturesque than most of the flat prairie of Martin County.

In 1897 Wilhelm and Charlotte sold their land in Honey Creek and Freedom Townships to their second oldest son Herman when he was 24 years old. The youngest son, August, purchased a farm on the east bank of the Wisconsin River in section 17 of West Point Township of Columbia County. Unke Road is a L shaped road 1 1/2 miles long next to this farm. August's son Reuben recalls that it took several days to drive some cattle from Honey Creek across the Wisconsin River to their new farm. Wilhelm's seven daughters, Louisa, Mary, Bertha, Emma, Sarah, Ella, and Lydia all married farmers in the area.

Wilhelm died 17 Jun 1907 of mitral insufficiency endocartis and general asthemis at the age of 72. Charlotte died eighteen years later on 11 Dec 1925 of pulmonary edema with secondary general arteriosclerosis at the age of 81. According to the Sauk County News, Mrs. Derleth (a sister?) attended Charlotte Zerbel's funeral on 17 Dec 1925. According to the newspaper Chris Kindschi and Louis Zerbel also attended. And Fred Gastrow and his wife were present; Fred was a cousin on his mother's side. Wilhelm and Charlotte are buried in the church cemetery in the village of Denzer in Honey Creek Township. Charlotte's brothers are also buried there. Wilhelm was baptized 3 days after he was born, and again 158 years later in 1992 by the Mormons. Wilhelm's descendants are indebted to the Mormons for the genealogical work they are doing in an attempt to provide salvation to ancestors.

Willis Unke Fridley, Minnesota (a grandson of Robert Unke)	Carol (Unke) Waugh Madison,Wisconsin (a granddaughter of Herman Unke)
email: unke@msn.com	email: elcarwaugh@hotmail.com