GÜNTHER, Bertha

1894 - 1954  (59 years)

• Name	GÜNTHER, Bertha
  Born	30 Apr 1894	Teodorow, Russian Poland   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Immigration	01 Apr 1914	New York NY USA
  	SS Kaiser Wilhelm II
  Naturalization	20 May 1942	Ellendale, Dickey Co. ND USA
  	certificate 5056828
  Reference Number	126
  _UID	1878ABBA0C82445C93C2908D78752A32DE2A
  Died	16 Jan 1954	Chicago, Cook Co. IL USA
  Buried	Stevensville, Berrien Co. MI USA
  Notes	Birth registration in Russian script on LDS film 2,092,164, no. 74, page 37. We also have a copy of Bertha's delayed birth registration dated 1903, written in both Polish and German, clearly showing her parents Karl and Auguste and the village Theodorow, near Stawischin. The 1903 birth certification, made when Bertha was 9 years old, was apparently done as an exit document. It is not known if she in fact left Russia at that time, or if so, where she spent the next 11 years before coming to America. Eduard and Bertha arrived together in New York 1 April 1914 on the S.S. Kaiser Wilhelm II from Bremen; the vessel sailed on 24 March 1914. Both listed nearest relative in Europe as Julia Meier of Moorschutz, Germany and Carl Gunther of Moorschutz, Germany (Moorschutz is now Mrozcen, Poland). Both showed name and address of US contact as Josef Wehr (?), Alden NY, but that appears to be crossed out and the abbreviations Germ. Soc. (?) are overwritten. Both Edward and Bertha showed their birthplace as Moorschutz, Russia. An image of the entry manifest is available at www.ellisisland.org. Bertha, at the age of 20, was shown as a maid servant; she was 5'4" tall, with fair complexion, blonde hair, blue eyes, and no distinguishing marks. They were married at Ellis Island on 14 April on entry, apparently because Bertha was not yet of age and lacked a sponsor; marriage solved that problem. Upon entry to the US at the age of 30, Eduard was 5'9" tall, with fair complexion, blond hair, and blue eyes; he had no distinguishing marks.Bertha was naturalized (certificate no. 5056828) on May 20, 1942 at Ellendale ND. They lived in Monango, Dickey County, ND at that time. Twins (girl and boy) born in 1925 were miscarried. Bertha is remembered by her daughter Adeline as shoveling grain when she suddenly miscarried. ASM's delayed certificate of birth shows her father Eduard's birthplace as Schadenez, Poland, and Bertha's birthplace as Stavishin (or Stawiszyn or Staweszyn), Poland. She believes Eduard's birthplace was actually Zabinnitz, Poland. Both Edward and Bertha were of German descent and among many Germans who had colonized Russian Poland in the 19th century. Hattie (Meyer) Fausak states that Stavishin was the place given on Bertha's birth certificate. A certified copy of Eduard and Bertha's Certificate of Marriage Registration obtained by Hattie A. Fausak in 1986 shows names Meier and Gunther; apparently Meier changed to Meyer or Myers or Meyers when they moved to North Dakota. Eduard was naturalized on 24 May 1939 (certificate no 4490210) in Ellendale ND. Eduard Meyer apparently added a terminal "s" to his name (Meyers) in North Dakota to distinguish himself from another Edward Meyer who lived nearby. His birthday may in fact have been 21 Feb 1884 (according to ASM). Ed and Bertha Meyer moved to North Dakota in response to a newspaper advertisement seeking farmers. They spent over 20 years in Dickey County ND farming and ranching on rented land; when they moved away in 1942, they occupied the large Caldwell Ranch. In Oct 1942, with most of their children already in Chicago, Ed and Bertha moved off the farm. They had bought a flat in Chicago from Fred Wenzel (who later remarried the widowed Bertha), but never occupied the flat--Edward died in Michigan on Christmas Day 1942 before they completed the move. Eduard's obituary in the St Joseph (Michigan) Herald Press notes that he was survived by two cousins; one was Gustave Kalke of Stevensville MI and the other was Ed Kalke of Paw Paw MI. Eduard's son William Meyer said in 1996 that he thought the Kalkes were second cousins to Eduard and didn't know the exact relationship. ASM said in 1996 that she distinctly remembered the Kalkes as bakers in Chicago, but also was unable to clarify the family relationship. One of the Kalkes stood up for Bertha Meyer at her second marriage to Fred Wenzel.
  Person ID	I126	Fausack
  Last Modified	14 Dec 2013

  
  

  Father	GUENTHER, Karl,   b. 4 Aug 1860,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	SPERLING, Auguste (Justine?),   b. Abt 1863,   d. Abt 1925  (Age ~ 62 years)
  Married	Bef 1880
  Family ID	F130	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	MEYER, Eduard,   b. 13 or 25 Feb 1884, Schadenez, Poland ,   d. 25 Dec 1942, Baroda, Berrien Co. MI USA  (Age 58 years)
  Married	09 Apr 1914	Ellis Island, New York NY USA
  Children	1. MEYER, Alfred,   b. Sep 1915, Fullerton ND USA ,   d. 25 Mar 1916, Fullerton ND USA  (Age ~ 0 years)   2. MEYERS, Edmund Harold,   b. 28 Oct 1916, Fullerton ND USA ,   d. 12 Aug 1930  (Age 13 years)   3. MEYER, William Friedrich,   b. 06 Jan 1918, Fullerton ND USA ,   d. 09 May 2005, Ellendale, Dickey Co. ND USA  (Age 87 years)   4. MEYER, Hattie Adele,   b. 27 Feb 1919, Fullerton ND USA ,   d. 28 May 1995, Las Vegas, Clark Co. NV  (Age 76 years)   5. Living   6. Living   7. MEYER, Herbert Harold,   b. 15 Oct 1924, Fullerton ND USA ,   d. 07 Jan 1998, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA  (Age 73 years)   8. MEYER, (Unnamed Twin Boy),   b. 26 Aug 1925, Fullerton ND USA ,   d. 26 Aug 1925, Fullerton ND USA  (Age 0 years)   9. MEYER, (Unnamed Twin Girl),   b. 26 Aug 1925, Fullerton ND USA ,   d. 26 Aug 1925, Fullerton ND USA  (Age 0 years)   10. MEYER, Freda Lorraine,   b. 12 May 1933, Fullerton ND USA ,   d. 25 May 1933, Fullerton ND USA  (Age 0 years)
  Last Modified	7 Jun 2003
  Family ID	F43	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	WENZEL, Ferdinand,   b. 07 Apr 1893, Sergejewka, Volhynia, Ukraine ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Married	1943	Chicago, Cook Co. IL USA
  Last Modified	14 Nov 2010
  Family ID	F129	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 30 Apr 1894 - Teodorow, Russian Poland Immigration - SS Kaiser Wilhelm II - 01 Apr 1914 - New York NY USA Married - 09 Apr 1914 - Ellis Island, New York NY USA Naturalization - certificate 5056828 - 20 May 1942 - Ellendale, Dickey Co. ND USA Married - 1943 - Chicago, Cook Co. IL USA Died - 16 Jan 1954 - Chicago, Cook Co. IL USA Buried - - Stevensville, Berrien Co. MI USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos		Fausak, Ernest and Hattie nee Meyer; 1940; North Dakota L. to r. are Bertha nee Gunther Meyer, Hattie nee Meyer Fausak, Ernest Fausak, Herbert Meyer, and William F. Meyer.
  		Meyer, Eduard and Bertha nee Günther, c1940
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Meyer, Eduard and Bertha nee Günther, c1940
  		Meyer, Eduard, c 1942 Photo believed to have been taken in New Germany MN after Eduard and Bertha retired from farming and were in the process of moving from ND to MI. They were visiting the second man from the left, believed to be Rev. John Meyer (no known relation to Eduard), who had been the pastor of the Monango and Merricourt Lutheran churches in Dickey Co. ND, and who had moved to New Germnay MN in July 1942. Rev. Meyer traveled to Stevensville MI to preach the funeral sermon for Eduard Meyer in Dec 1942.
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Meyer, Eduard and Berths with son Herbert, 1940
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Wenzel, Ferdinand; 1948 ca with wife Gertha nee Günther Meyer.
  		Meyer, Eduard; 1921 ca; with wife Bertha nee Gunther and children Edmund, William, and Hattie
  		Meyer, Edmund; 1930; death

  
  

  Documents		Meyer, Bertha (nee Günther), 1942, naturalization certificate
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Günther, Bertha; 1894; birth Delayed record of birth, prepared in Posen in 1903. It is written in two columns, with Russian language in the left column and German in the right.
  		Günther, Bertha; 1908; confirmation
  		Meyer, Bertha, 1942, ID card
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Günther, Bertha; 1894; birth registration Russian language record shows parents Karl and Auguste nee Sperling Günther, and witnesses Wilhelm Leske and Karl Wierschke. No godparents are named.
  		Meyer, Edward; 1922; Declaration of Intention
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

  
  

  Headstones

  Meyer, Eduard (1884-1942) and Bertha nee Günther (1894-1954)

  
  

• Sources

  [S13] LDS, 2092164, p. 37, reg. 74 (Reliability: 3).