Katrin,
Gross Wanzer is now just called Wanzer. It is about 10 miles East of Aulosen. These towns are at the very top of what is now "Altmark, Stendal, Sachsen-Anhalt" Northwest of the Elbe River.
My great great great grandfather was Johann Christian Wille. I do not know where he was born or came from. He was married to Louise Back daughter of Casper Back. She was born February 10, 1783 and died January 8, 1847 in Gross Wanzer. They had the following children:
Cathrina Sofie Wille born October 2, 1820 in Gross Wanzer
Female Stillborn Wille b. February 21, 1818 in Gross Wanzer
Marie Louise Wille born July 11, 1824 in Gross Wanzer
Anne Cathrina Marie Charolette Wille born July 7, 1827 in Gross Wanzer
Christoph Wille born January 16, 1808 in Gross Wanzer. He married Catharine Christine Marie Eleonore Penshorn on November 9, 1832 in Gross Wanzer. She was born February 22, 1797.
Catharina Dorothee Wille b. October 23, 1813 in Gross Wanzer. Died March 17, 1875 in Gross Wanzer. She married Christian Wulf.
Male Stillborn Wille born March 22, 1816 and died the same day.
Marie Elisabeth Wille born January 1, 1819 in Gross Wanzer. Died April 14, 1892 in Gross Wanzer. She was married to Ludwig Klissing.
Johann Jochim "Heinrich" Wille born November 2, 1821 in Gross Wanzer and died February 21, 1897 in Read Township, Clayton County, Iowa, USA.
(He is my great great grandfather and went by Heinrich Wille in the USA)
He married Catharina Sophie Dorothee Krueger born March 19, 1825 the daughter of Joachim Krueger and Dorothee Lemke. She was born March 19, 1825 and died before 1860 in Gross Wanzer. (She is my great great grandmother) They had two children: Marie Charlotte Whilemine "Elisabeth" Wille born April 13, 1853 in Gross Wanzer and died October 8, 1925 in Read Township, Clayton County, Iowa, USA. (She is my great grandmother)
Carl Heinrich August Wille born November 15, 1850 in Gross Wanzer and died November 26, 1850.
My great great grandfather's second wife was Catharina Marie Dorothee Luise "Dora" Krueger married in 1860 in Aulosen, Altmark, Stendal, Sachsen-Anhalt. She was the daughter of Hans Krueger and Anna ERFURTH born in January of 1834 in Aulosen and died in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA.
She and my great grandfather had two children: Wilhelmina Wille born April 15, 1863 in Gross Wanzer and Frederick Wille born in 1865 in Gross Wanzer.
On May 4, 1872 Johann Jochim "Heinrich" Wille, his second wife "Dora", my great grandmother "Elisabeth" and her two half siblings Wilhelmina and Frederich Wille left Hamburg on the ship "Vandalia" and arrived in New York City, USA on May 20, 1872. They then went to Chicago, Illinois.
I have been told this family information is at the Lutheran Church in Kruden, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany which is a few miles South of Aulosen and Wanzer. The LDS Church has not copied their records.
These Krueger females (Heinrich's first and second wives) have very similar names but have different parents so they may be cousins.
I am looking for the additional people who belong to this family. I am also looking for the birth place in Germany for my great, great grandfather, Johann Christian Wille. His wife, Louise Back, was born in 1783 so I am thinking he was born sometime before her. I would like to also find living persons of this family.
Do you have any idea of where I need to find this information?
Thank you for your help,
Marlene Hurney
Sioux Falls, SD, USA
marsmemories@sio.midco.net