Finding Lenertz Genealogy Gold in City Directories

Have I told you how much I love city directories? Yes. Have I done so lately? No. This is a friendly reminder how much I love city directories.

Here is an example of why:

These Lenertz folk in this city directory clipping are my ancestors in 1908 Mankato, Minnesota. Alexander, Henry, Michael and William are the brothers of my great-great grandfather, John Benjamin Lenertz (Robert is Michael's son). John left Minnesota for greener pastures in Oklahoma. Everyone else stayed in Mankato. I've been using city directories to track their lives, occupations and locations.

Check out this city directory. Not only does it tell where everyone lived and worked, it also lists a death date for Henry Lenertz. I used this date to order an obituary. He died of typhoid fever.

But wait...look what it says about William Lenertz. He moved! And it tells me where he moved to. This makes me very happy, because I was having trouble tracking William. I now know he eventually died in Wisconsin, but this city directory he helping me fill in the events of his life.

No shocking revelations here, just happy to be building strong timelines for my Lenertz ancestors...and city directories are helping me do so.

Genealogy as Therapy

I find great solace in genealogy. When life presents challenges and difficulties, our ancestors are always there, waiting to be studied.

The past week was full of said challenges for me. Several days strung together of illness, bad luck, various disappointments and a blizzard that kept my husband from coming home.

Suddenly my weekend calendar was free. I used the time to work on my own genealogy for a change. The activities weren't very exciting. I entered some city directory information into my RootsMagic database. Find the fact at Ancestry.com, apply it to the corresponding person in RootsMagic and enter the citation that connects the two.

It's not everyone's idea of a good time, but I enjoyed the solace...and it was good to see my ancestors again.

Las Vegas, New Mexico, circa 1916

My great-great grandmother Marie Schmitz (standing), her daughter Violet Hayward (kneeling), her daughter / my-great grandmother Gertrude Baerecke (seated), my grandfather Jack Lenertz (toddler)

In day-to-day life, when others cut you off, overcharge, are rude, write checks in the express line, give excuses in stead of results, and generally muck up your day...ancestors just sit patiently waiting for discovery.

Genealogy is good therapy for me. Dies anyone else feel that way? Through life's ups and downs, family history is a constant that provides comfort. 

Why I Blog: Cousin Bait Reels in a Big One

Back in June 2012, I posted a little "cousin bait" for the Francis Schoffman family. He married my great-great grandfather's sister, Mary Lenertz.

On that post, I listed the names of the Schoffman children (including married names) and birth/death dates.

It wasn't the most exciting post, but it had a purpose. I hoped that at some point, someone somewhere would poke around the Internet for the Schoffman family. Maybe one of the people I mentioned was their ancestor. And maybe they'd have some information to share with me.

These types of posts are called "cousin bait" because you're fishing for cousins so you can compare information for your respective family trees.

Four months later, I'm happy to say that I snagged a big one on the Schoffman family trotline. Kind blog reader Eric recently left a comment on the original post and a link to a cemetery walk video featuring the story of George Schoffman, my first cousin three times removed.

Eric was also kind enough to send me ten images of obituaries and news articles, as well as a 5-page outline of Schoffman family history and facts.

Here's what I reeled in:

That fabulous 5-page outline as a Word document.
A newspaper photo of a 1914 picnic given by Schoffman
Photos of the William and Mary Schoffman residence
A 1926 invoice from Schoffman Brothers general merchandise
Article about Frank and Mary Schoffman's family's historic homes
Obituary for Frank Schoffman
Obituary for William F. Schoffman
Obituary for (with photo) Mary Lenertz Schoffman - SCORE!
Obituary for Rose Schoffman Heiertz
Obituary for George Schoffman
Obituary for Nellie Griebel Schoffman (George's wife)
Obituary for Mildred Lake Schoffman (William's wife)

Not bad day o' fishing, huh?

So you see folks, this is why I blog. It has been an essential tool in furthering my own family history research.

There are those who don't like the concept of blogging. It's not professional like *real* genealogical writing. There are also those that think that blogging is too hard (it's not), or not worth the effort.

To all y'all I ask this question, pulled from a classic award-winning movie:

Do you like apples?

Well thanks to this genealogy blog, I just scored a photo of my great-great grandfather's sister. How do you like them apples?

Blogging gets results, people.

Cousin Bait: Francis W. Schoffman and Mary Lenertz

I am looking for information on Francis W. Schoffman and Mary Lenertz as well as their children. My genealogical connection is to Mary Lenertz. She was an older sister of my great-great grandfather, John Benjamin Lenertz.

John moved away from Minnesota and his siblings. He died in 1919 and I don't have a lot of information on the other Lenertz brothers and sisters. I do have vital statistics, but I would like to learn more about their lives which is why I wrote this post.

Here's what I do know:

Mary Lenertz
born 12 August 1859 in Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa
died 9 March 1940 in Mankato, Blue Earth, Minnesota

married in January 1875 in Mankato to:

Francis W. "Frank" Schoffman
born November 1847 in Wisconsin
died 13 July 1936 in Watonwan County, Minnesota

Mary and Frank had the following children:

William Francis Schoffman (17 October 1875-21 November 1918)

George Ambrose Schoffman (15 June 1879-8 January 1924)

John Roland "Rollie" Schoffman (12 February 1882- ?)

Sadie May Schoffman Movius (16 December 1890-15 May 1897)

Rose Katherine Schoffman Heiertz (31 March 1893-17 June 1986)

Like I said, these folks are cousins to me and my connection is through the Lenertz line. I would like to know more about their lives and maybe see a photo or two.

I am hoping someone somewhere does an Internet search for their Schoffman ancestors and lands on this blog post. I am hoping after reading this that they reach out and connect with me.

I do have some information on the other Lenertz siblings, as well as Mary's parents, that I am happy to share.

Thank you for reading this far. Hopefully casting this line will help me reel in some cousins. I'm not a crazy online stalker person, I promise. I'm just trying to bolster this Lenertz / Schoffman branch on my family tree.


October 8, 2012 UPDATE! Blog reader Eric Henderson commented below regarding a video about the Schoffman family. In the video, Eric plays George Schoffman, who is listed above. Very cool!

Jumping in the 1940 Census Pool

After two days of doing genealogy work for others, I finally found a chance to peek at the 1940 census this evening. I decided to start with my paternal grandparents, since I knew where they were supposed to be then.  My grandparents were living in Los Angeles, near USC. It was in this house, as it is seen in present day:

I used Steve Morse's easy peasy tool to determine the  enumeration district (ED 60-1205). Then I clicked on the link provided and went right to that ED. On page 32 of 33, I found them!

No big surprises here. It's my grandparents and uncle. My dad and his sister would come later. The family was living in a house they owned. I knew this, too, because they had it built. The house was worth $4250. Both of my grandparents had 4 years of college noted in the education column. In 1935, they were single, both living in their respective Oklahoma hometowns. Also not new information to me.

My grandfather's occupation was "feed man." The census says he was the owner of a feed store. I happen to know it was South Vermont Feed & Seed, named for the street it was on in Los Angeles. It's hard to believe this now-crammed (and kinda scary) part of Los Angeles once had a need for feed, but it did. On this census, my grandpa reported working 48 hours a week.

But wait, what is this on the census form I spy with my little eye?

I hit the supplemental questions lottery on my very first ancestor search! For my family, this means every 20th person in the 1940 census was asked a series of supplemental questions. My grandpa was one of those selected. These questions included the birthplaces of his parents, veteran status (no), and possession of a federal social security number (no, not until 1951 or so). Unfortunately no surprises here, either.

So there you go. One family down in the 1940 census, many more to go. Some will have to wait for the index, because they moved a lot and I have no idea where they might have been in 1940.

As for these grandparents, when the 1950 census becomes available, they'll be in Pomona, California. And get ready, dad, because you'll be in that one.

Big Shake Up in My Little Family Tree

Sometimes you make genealogical discoveries that aren't all rainbows and unicorns. Sometimes you learn things about your ancestors that are so surprising they make your head want to explode with all the new facts coming out of left field.

This is one of those times.

It started with an email in my box. Someone sharing some marriage information with me. It was a marriage record for J. A. Lenertz. I have one of those, but I didn't think he married again after his wife died. My grandpa never mentioned anything about having a stepmother.

The subject appeared to be my great-grandfather, but I needed to confirm this for myself before I'd buy it. So I did.

Above is a 1936 marriage record for my great-grandfather, John Lenertz...and a second wife. He remarried after my great-grandmother died, yet this is the first I've heard of it.

Who was this lady? I found her in the 1930 census. She was a waitress in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the same town where my great-grandparents lived.

In my hunting and snooping around, I revisited the death certificate of my great-grandfather. It included the name of his second wife.

How did I miss this? Well, to be fair, there are a ton of errors on most of the Lenertz death certificates I possess. Also, my great-grandmother went by many names other than her birth name. I just figured Genevieve was another one of her names. Besides, my grandfather was the informant on this certificate. Why didn't he mention a stepmother named Genevieve ever in the three decades that I knew him?

But wait...it gets better. And by better I mean worse.

My great-grandmother died December 24, 1935. My great-grandfather remarried on March 16, 1936. Yeah. Do the math on that mourning period.

This wasn't a happily ever after marriage, however. My great-grandfather died about 10 months later.

So there you go, family of mine. Sorry to stumble on this little surprise in the tree, but facts is facts. At least you have something to talk about at the next family gathering.

My question to you, family, is this: did you ever hear Buster talk about Genevieve?

Lenertz Genealogy in Beaufort, Luxembourg

I've officially crossed the pond with my Lenertz surname. My third-great grandfather, Alexander Lenertz, was born in Beaufort, Luxembourg.

I actually had this information in my files for a while, but I forgot that I had it. This is why you always go back and review your records, folks. 

Credit is given to Larry of the Hesch History blog, half of a pair of authors who are the only other people I know actively researching genealogy in Luxembourg. Several months ago, Larry sent me Alexander's birth record. 

I was so touched and thankful because the Luxembourg records set at FamilySearch that includes this image are "browse only" meaning that users have to go through each page without an index. There are almost 500,000 records and several hundred municipalities/towns:

Larry saved me a ton of time searching each and every town on this list, and for that I am grateful. Now that I know Beaufort is my go-to town, I can scan those images for other Lenertz folks. Perhaps Alex had siblings.

Also on my to-do list is a translation of this record:

Good luck with that.

So special thanks to Larry. And to new-found cousin Kathryn, whose email caused me to go back in my Lenertz files. These are your people, too.

[Note: See that title I chose for this blog post? It's intentionally boring. I could have written something catchy to get more hits, but my intent is to reach out to others who are searching for this particular subject. I am playing for the search engines this time, hoping that somewhere down the road a cousin will type the right word combo and land on my blog. Do you put that much thought into your posts? Maybe you should. --Amy]

The Cousins We Will Never Know

I use Google Alerts to track a few of my less common surnames. Any time one of these names is mentioned online, I get an email notice and a link to the piece.

Today I received a Lenertz alert in my mailbox. On top of the list was an obituary from Minnesota, where my Lenertz came from and left 100 years ago. I didn't have to check my database to know there was a connection because I recognized some of the names in the obituary.

The person in question was my third cousin, once removed. I'm not going to put his name here out respect for the family, as well as to keep the search engines away. I do not know this person or his family. I just know how we are connected.

Our common ancestor was Alexander Lenertz (1826-1879) who had many children including sons Michael and John. Michael spent his entire life in Mankato, Minnesota while John left for Oklahoma.

I read this obituary and compared our different paths in life. The subject of the obit descends from Michael, who stayed in Minnesota and worked in the quarry. I descend from John, who took his geological knowledge to Oklahoma and built a life there.

The deceased in the obituary and I experienced completely different lives in different parts of the country because of the decisions of two brothers over 100 years ago. Our paths never crossed (or did they?) but we have these people in common.

Where am I going with this? I have no idea, but I'm just fascinated with all the connections we have to people we will never know. 

One fact I did find interesting from the obituary was that the subject loved to make homemade beef jerky. My dad (his third cousin) does, too. Must be a Lenertz thing.

.

Eleanor's Story

My great-grandmother Gertrude "Eleanor" Baerecke died when she was 42. With the exception of a death certificate and some census records, I don't have much in terms of papers that describe her life.

What I do have are lots of pictures of Eleanor. Way more than any of my other ancestors from this era. These photos tell a lot about my great-grandmother.

I've gathered some of them for a slideshow, which I'm putting here. I hope you like it:

This video is also available in a bigger screen at my YouTube channel.

I hope to do more of these in the future. I think they're a great way to tell family stories to a more technically oriented audience. [And as Rootsmagic pointed out in the comments, a less technically oriented audience as well.]

What should my next subject be? I'm thinkin' RootsTech, but let's just see how it all plays out.

Thanks for watching.

Note: Someone in the comments asked which program I used to make this video. It's Roxio Creator 2011. I have included an affiliate link here:

Ancestry.com's Yearbook Collection Yields Treasure

This week (or I think it was this week. Heck, I don't even know the date) Ancestry.com rolled out a new collection of U.S. School Yearbooks.

Whenever I com across a new collection or database, I use the test surname Lenertz to see what results I get. I know where the Lenertz's are and should be, so I'm always looking for something new and surprising. I was aware of my great-grandfathers 1910 Notre Dame yearbook photo and was pleased to see it in this collection.

Among all the Lenertz results there was a surprise: a 1934 yearbook from Oklahoma A & M in Stillwater, Oklahoma. There was only one person it could be...my grandfather!

He was a member of Kappa Sigma. This I knew, I just never thought I'd see it for myself.

Then I started thinking...my grandmother was six months older, maybe she was in this yearbook, too. So I go to the search box and type in my grandmother's maiden name and see a page with this:

Isn't she the cutest? All 4'11" of her. She was a Kappa Alpha Theta and very proud of the fact. Any mention of Oklahoma State University and my grandmother would always refer to when it was called Oklahoma A & M.

One time I was talking with my grandpa. He began telling stories and started to hint that my grandma was a real social butterfly in college...always at the party. Well my grandma overheard our conversation and closed the subject on college days. I'll never know what my grandpa was going to say about my grandma's academic pursuits, but I bet it was fun.

Special thanks to Mary Neft Hurst. Ancestry lists her as the donor of this yearbook for the collection. Without her generosity, I'd never have these treasures.

Exhibit A: The Kindness of Genealogists

Do you know the value of having a genealogy blog? I know my fellow bloggers do. However, when I mention my blog outside this circle, I occasionally get blank stares, excuses, dismissal. It's very easy to blow off something one doesn't understand, so I present to you Exhibit A, the value of having a genealogy blog:

Once upon a time, I came upon a blog called Hesch History. I did a double take when I saw someone else researching Luxembourg and Minnesota just like my Lenertz ancestors' path. Like a good social blogger, I left comments and my information. Larry replied with a gold mine including the Luxembourg birth record of my third-great grandfather. Larry and I weren't ancestrally connected. He just did this to help me. He saved me hours of searching page-by-page in a foreign language, and bolstered my faith in the kindness of genealogists.

Fast forward a few months to yesterday. I decided to finally transcribe and translate the birth record written in old German. After about an hour, I knew that the document was dated 1826 and not much else. I put a call out for help, which was immediately answered by Gini of Ginisology.

Bless her heart, she got her mother on the phone who patiently guided me through the document and the nuances of the German language.

Without the generosity of others, I would still be searching blindly through Luxembourg. Now I have a town, a name, and roots across the pond. These friends asked for nothing in return, but you can bet I'll be paying it forward any way I can.

So to those who don't quite see the value of blogs and networking in research, I present Exhibit A, and Larry, Gini, her mother and all the kind folks out there willing to lend a hand.

Thank you.

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

I have an informal one-name study of sorts for the surname Lenertz. I just want to keep track of the U.S.-based clusters and see of I can connect them.

Last night I was poking around GenealogyBank.com and I found a Lenertz hit on an Oklahoma newspaper. I thought my line was the only Lenertz in Oklahoma, but apparently not. I have to idea who these people are, but I got a kick out of the article, so I'm sharing the text of it here:

(The Tulsa Daily World, Friday, July 2, 1915. Courthouse Notes.)

Harry L. Lenertz yesterday filed suit in the superior court against his wife, Emma Lenertz, alleging that she had neglected her duty as a wife. The petition shows that on numerous occasions Mrs. Lenertz failed to leave the meals prepared when he returned from his work, and that sometimes it would require thirty minutes for her to cook the meal. This all helped to make life unpleasant, says the action, and together with her apparent lack of affection for him made his domestic life unbearable.

Hmm....there's more to this story than what is told in this blurb. I might be Team Emma here.

You know what I like? Harry's main complaint is that she won't cook his meals. The "apparent lack of affection" is secondary.

I thought I knew all the Lenertz's but apparently not. If I had all the money and time in the world, I'd research this case and find out what happened. Did Harry find a new woman who would put up with him? What happened to Emma? Maybe the answer will come out in time. Until then, I better get my hiney in the kitchen so I don't meet a similar fate.

Surname Saturday: Lenertz

Saturday posts are rare at the ol' blog because I like to take the day off. However, my blog friends are starting to post the surnames in their trees on Saturdays (hence the theme Surname Saturday) and I thought I'd play along.

My first surname for a Saturday is the one that started it all: Lenertz. It's rather uncommon and one of the reasons I started blogging in the first place. I wanted to learn more about it and meet others who had an interest in the name's history and genealogy.

Here's what I know so far about my Lenertz line. My ancestor came from Luxembourg to Iowa, perhaps in the 1850's. He later moved to Minnesota.

There are other pockets of Lenertz folk out there. I've been browsing late 19th century census records. So far, I've found a clump (is that a proper genealogical term?) in Iowa, one in Minnesota and one in North Dakota (later Montana). In the 20th century, Lenertz families spread out to other states. I don't know if they're connected, but I've been doing an informal one-name study to see if that's the case.

If you are a Lenertz, or have an interest in your family tree, please contact me so we can compare notes.

[Edit] I forgot to mention that there's a group of Lenertz folk in Australia. It seems that from Luxembourg, some went to America and some to Australia. So far, I've found no connection, but I'd like to keep tabs on the Lenertz name Down Under as well.

Wordless Wednesday: Summer Camp Edition

Late 1920's. My grandfather is on the left.

Another Rung on the ProGen Ladder

Today was monthly chat day for my Pro Gen 3 peer group. On the first Monday of each month, we get together in a closed chat room and talk about the assignment we worked on for the month.

September's assignment was on the transcribing (fancy genealogy talk for copying something word-for-word) and abstracting (fancy genealogy talk for copying only certain important parts) of wills. I don't have a lot of experience in these areas. I do transcribe documents when necessary, especially for this blog. Abstracting, though, I just don't do unless asked to for an assignment. I prefer the whole document, and am too afraid I'll leave out something important.

My assignment turned out ok. I transcribed the will of my great-great-great grandfather, Alexander Lenertz.** The handwriting on this document is easy easy easy to read, so transcribing was a breeze. Peer feedback on my abstract for the most part was pretty good, but it's clear this task wasn't my most shining moment in genealogy to date.

In chat, while everyone else talked about the different ways they abstracted wills, the symbols the used, etc., I just sat there. Since I don't have a big ol' client base that demands this service, and since I just make photocopies/scans of handwritten wills, I didn't have a lot to add to the conversation. I kind of felt like a doofus. Oh well, next month I'll have more to say.

Why am I telling you this? Because I know there is at least one blog reader out there that would love to advance his/her genealogy education (through ProGen, the NGS course, institutes, etc), but is worried that he or she doesn't know enough. My answer is this: you know plenty. And what you don't know, you'll learn through the process.

In ProGen, nobody fails. Everyone in the group moves together. Nobody gets left behind. This was my month to learn while others led the way. Another time, I'll do the leading. To the person(s) that are on the fence about your qualifications for ProGen--or any other genealogy education opportunity, your times to shine and learn will come as well. You just need to take the first step and sign up.


[**I have digital images of the will of Alexander Lenertz. Family members / descendants who want a copy, just email me and I'll get it to you.]

Carnival of Genealogy 74: Swimsuit Edition

The 74th Carnival of Genealogy is back in town. This time it's the Swimsuit Edition! Here's the challenge as it was issued to us bathing beauties:

Why should Sports Illustrated have all the fun? This is your chance to show off the bathing beauties in your family. Pull out the old photos of Grandma Moses in her seaside bloomers, Auntie Mae in her pin-up girl suit from the 1940s or 50s, cousin Paula in her psychedelic bikini from the 1970s, or even yourself in your Speedo! Let's have some fun here! Memorial Weekend is behind us and that means the start of the summer sun, sand, and lakeside season so let's get in the mood with summer fun photos.

For my entry, I present my great-grandmother. Sometimes she was known as Gertrude. Sometimes Eleanor. Occasionally, I find a Genevieve in one of her records.

She's a mystery to me. She died on Christmas Eve, 1935 at just 43 years old. Her only child, my grandfather, never spoke of her. All I have are a handful of photos. In each, she has a subtle smile that gives few hints of her life or personality. We just have to guess. Heck, I don't even know her given birth name. Maybe it's Gertrude. Maybe Eleanor. Maybe Genevieve. I've seen 'em all. In the few records of her life, she never tells. She just smiles that smile and makes us wonder.

I can only guess about the bathing beauty modeling below. These pictures were taken on a beach in Los Angeles, likely in the early 1930's. My great-grandmother lived in Oklahoma at the time. She (and probably her son / my grandfather) would have visited her half-sister or sister-in-law in Los Angeles.

Would she have been mad to know she's now on the Internet in her bathing suit? I don't know...

...but she seems very happy here.

Gertrude Eleanor Baerecke Lenertz (1892-1935).

Then and Now

This is the home where my great-grandparents (John Arthur Lenertz 1889-1937, Gertrude Eleanor Barecke / Baerecke 1892-1935) and their only child lived in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. That's my great-grandmother in the front. This picture was probably taken in the last half of the 1920's or first half of the 1930's.

This is the same house as it was when I took the picture in 2008:

In the first picture, you can see there is no house to the right. Today, there are houses all around. It is an established neighborhood.

Alex Lenertz in the 1880 Mortality Schedule

Mortality schedules were included in the federal censuses for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Questions were asked regarding people who died in the last 12 months prior to enumeration. Information on these schedules includes a person's name, age, sex, color, marital status, place of birth of subject/father/mother, profession, month of death and cause of death.

My great-great-great grandfather, Alex Lenertz (indexed as Alexr Lenertz), is listed in the 1880 mortality schedule for Mankato, Minnesota:




Here is his name (Lenertz, Alex), age (56), sex (M) and color (W). Place of birth for Alex and his parents is blank. He was actually born in Luxembourg.

His occupation is listed as "stone mason." The quotes indicate he died in the same month as the person above him on the list, which was August (meaning August 1879). Cause of death is "gangrene."

At the time of Alex's death, six of his nine children were minors, ranging in age from about 17 to 3 years of age. John Lenertz, my great-great grandfather, is listed as 19 in the 1880 census, likely assuming the role of man of the house for his widowed mother.

I accessed this mortality schedule page via Ancestry.com. If you have a subscription go to the search page and follow the path: Search > Census > U.S. Census > U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 > Minnesota > Blue Earth > Mankato Ward 3 and 4.

(Cliff's notes for my family readers who need help keeping all these people straight: Alex Lenertz > John B. > John A. > Buster)

Christmas in March

I received a package in the mail last week. It contained two notebooks full of Lenertz genealogy information. I cannot even describe how much this bolsters my Lenertz research. Mine is a small branch, with a very uncommon name, removed from the rest of the group when my ancestor went to Oklahoma. To have these details, two notebooks full...it's better than presents.

But wait, it gets better. My great-great grandfather had 9 siblings. There was one elusive sister about which I knew next to nothing. She was in a couple of censuses as a child and then she was gone. These notebooks came from someone married to a descendant of that mystery sister. She's not a mystery anymore! She went on to get married and have many children.

And...it gets even better! These notebooks include articles and obituaries of Lenertz ancestors from Minnesota newspapers. They are about my great-great grandfather's siblings and offspring. There are even some newspaper photos.

Thanks to the generosity of Dan in Minnesota, the pieces of my Lenertz puzzle are starting to fit together and reveal the picture of a family history about which I used to know nothing.

Share and Share Alike: The Will of Alexander Lenertz

Below is the will of Alexander Lenertz (d. 1879). It can be accessed or copied from the Blue Earth County Historical Society, file #588.

In the name of God, amen. Alexander Lenertz, of the city of Mankato, in the County of Blue Earth, + State of Minnesota, of the age 51 years, being of sound mind + memory + considering the uncertainty of this frail + transitory life, do therefore make, ordain, publish + declare, this to be my last will + testament: That is to say, first, after all my lawful debts are paid + discharged, the residue of my estate, real + personal, I give, bequeath, devise + dispose of as follows, to wit:

First, to my daughter Catharine I give + bequeath five dollars.

Second, to my beloved wife Margaret Lenertz, I give, bequeath + devise all the residue of my estate, both real + personal, to have to her use during the time of her natural life, + after her death the same to be divided between my children, John, Michael, Joseph, Alexander, William, Henry, Frank, Mary + Margaret equally, share + share alike; provided however, if my said wife shall marry after my decease, then + in that case, she shall have only such share of my said estate as is or shall at the time of my death be allowed to her by the laws of this State, + the balance shall then, at the time of her marriage, be divided between my said children, John, Michael, Joseph, Alexander, William, Henry, Frank, Mary + Margaret, share + share alike.

Likewise I make, constitute and appoint my wife Margaret Lenertz sole executrix of this my last will and testament, hereby revoking all former wills by me made.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name + affixed my seal the 23d day of September in the year of our lord, one thousand eight hundred + seventy eight –

Alexander Lenertz (seal)

The above written instrument was subscribed by the said Alexander Lenertz in our presence + acknowledged by him to each of us: and he at the same time published + declared the above instrument so subscribed to be his last will + testament; and we at the testators request, + in his presence, have signed our names as witnesses hereto, and written opposite our names our respective places of residence.

Qui-inus [Quivinus? Or Quirinus?] Leonard, of the city of Mankato
County of Blue Earth, State of Minnesota
Henry Willesheim, of the city of Mankato
County of Blue Earth, State of
Minnesota

Filed Sept 9th 1879
J. E. Porter
Probate Judge