The
Effinger Family
The
Effinger Coat of Arms, above right, was photographed on
the wall of a roadside inn in Brigachtal Germany by a friend. The inn was named
"Landgashof Kranz" formerly, "Landgasthaus F. Effinger."
The menu has a pen and ink drawing of the inn dated 1903, which was reproduced
and is shown below.
The
German surname Effinger belongs to the category of names based on the locality
of where the original bearer of the name lived or held land. This surname can
be traced to the townships of Effingen, situated in the medieval Germanic states.
There is a town named Effingen located in Switzerland, and there is also a medieval
parish in the German region of Lorach named Efringen.
The
first recorded instance of the surname Effinger, occurs in the ‘Freiburger Diozesanarchiv’
wherein Cunrad Dictus Efinger is registered in the year 1324.
The
‘Wurttembergische Viertelsjahrhefte’ lists Hienrich Effinger as being the ‘Ratsherr
au Zurich’ (The Alderman of Zurich) in 1463.
We
believe the home of the Effingers was the village Aixheim in the district of
Tuttlingen. Aixheim is an area comprising about 1300 inhabitants and is incorporated
into the municipality of Aldingen. Aixheim
is located about 60 miles south of Stuttgart, on the eastern border of the Black
Forest. Through the years 1820 to 1930 about 300 persons emigrated from Aixheim
most of them to the United States.
Until
approximately 1860, all Aixheimers of this lineage wrote their name as Effinger,
and later on Efinger only. This explains why today 65 families with the name
Efinger are existing in the United States and about 550 families named Effinger.
As
early as 1930, Eugen Efinger wrote a book about Aixheim and established genealogical
trees of all the families from Aixheim. This was also included in the 5 Effinger/Efinger
lines, starting around 1650. These genealogical trees are available in GERMANY.
I
have been able to trace my Effinger line to Weber, Germany in 1754 with the
birth of Hyppolyt Efinger. From Hippolyt came Johann Effinger, Born
May 27, 1791 in Blumberg, Germany. Johann married Theresia Faller in Germany
on October 19, 1818 and together they had ten children: Kasper, born January
4 1820; Johann, born December 29 1820 and died in 1850; M. Anna, born June 30
1822; Northburga, born October 8 1823; Mathias, born February 1825 and died
June 8 1825; Philipp, born April 26 1826; Beata, born May 6 1828 and died on
May 25 1828; a male child born on November 4 1829 and died November 5, 1829;
Clemens --my grt grt grt grandfather, born on November 23 1830 and
died September 6 1902; and Johanna, born March 9 1833. Their father, Johann,
died on July 27, 1853.
CLEMENS
EFFINGER was born in Blumberg, Germany. Clemens married a 16-year old Katherina
Gilles on August 22, 1859 in Germany. Katherina was born on June 02, 1843 in
Mannebach, Rheinland, Germany. Katherina's parents, Nickolaus Gilles and Anna
Maria Beirebath, were also born in Mannebach, Rheinland, Germany. We assume
that Katherina's parents and two younger brothers, Mathias and John, came to
America with Clemens and Katherina. They lived in Mt Calvary, Wisconsin; Marquette,
Michigan and Belgrade, Minnesota. Both of Katherina's parents died in Spring
Hill, Stearns County, Minnesota.
Clemens
and Katherina had six children, five of whom survived to adulthood:
•
1. FRED EFFINGER , born March
06, 1862 in Marquette, Michigan. Fred never married and he died in Duluth, Minnesota,
on January 04, 1947. Fred had no children.
•
2. JOHN CLEMENS EFFINGER
, born March 16, 1865 in Spring Hill, Stearns County, Minnesota. (John is
my grt grt grandfather.) John married Katherine Braun on March 04, 1889 in Spring
Hill. John and Katherine had eight children, whom I describe further down on
this page. It is curious that John was born in Spring Hill, since both his older
brother and the next two children were born in Marquette. Perhaps John was born
in Spring Hill while the family was visiting Katherina's parents?
•
3. MARIE EFFINGER, born August 19, 1868 in Marquette, Michigan. Marie died about
1872, only four years old.
•
4. KATHERINE EFFINGER, born August 15, 1871 in Marquette, Michigan. Katherine
married John Schomisch and they settled in Wisconsin. Katherine died in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, on May 16, 1928. There are still many Schomisches living in Wisconsin,
I'm a few are descendents of John and Katherine Schomisch.
•
5. FRANZ XAVIER EFFINGER ,
(Whose picture appears on this page, along with his two
sisters, Theresa and Katherine) born January 16, 1877 in LeSueur, LeSueur
County, Minnesota. Frank married Florence
Marie Granstrand on November 21, 1896 in Wisconsin and they had eleven children.
Frank died in Duluth, Minnesota, on July 20, 1944. Many of Frank's descendents
still live in Minnesota. Look below for more info on Frank and Florence's children.
Click on Florence's name for a detailed personal account of the first 20 years
of Frank and Florence's marriage!
•
6. THERESIA EFFINGER, born February 23, 1883 in LeSueur, LeSueur County, Minnesota.
Theresia married Michael Och and they had (we believe) four children: Michael,
Margarite, Wanda and Valeria. Theresia passed away on March 22, 1948.
2.
Children of John Clemens Effinger and Katherine Braun:
•
2a. JOHN CLEMENS EFFINGER ,
born October 28, 1890 in Spring Hill, Stearns County, Minnesota. John, known
as "Jack," married Christine Margaret Loretz on November 19, 1912
in North St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota. Jack and Christine had nine children.
Jack worked for the First State
Bank in North St. Paul, starting out as a cashier and later became one
of the banks investors and directors. John died on February 19, 1955.
•
2b. BENEDICT JOHN EFFINGER
, born February 29, 1892 in Spring Hill, Stearns County, Minnesota and was
baptised on March 3, 1982 at St. Michael's Parrish in Spring Hill, Minnesota.
Ben married Anna Pauline Loretz on April 11, 1916 at the Cathedral in St. Paul,
Ramsey County, Minnesota. Ben and older brother Jack married sisters Christine
and Anna. Benedict died at the farm of his great aunt, Theresia Effinger Och,
in Westby, Montana. His grandmother, Katharina Gilles Effinger, also died in
Theresia's home, six days after Benedict. This occured during the great flu
epidemic of 1918. Tony Schomish, Ben's first cousin, also died there at the
same time. Benedict is buried in Parshall Cemetary, Parshall, North Dakota,
in an unmarked grave. (Parshall is located in the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.)
After Benedict died, Anna and children Benedictine
and Kathryn went to live with Ben's parents, John Clemens Effinger and
Katherine Braun in Devils Lake, North Dakota for a short while. Then they went
to live with Ben's brother Jack and his family in Newburgh, Indiana, for a while.
After that they lived in Nelson, Wisconsin, and Alma, Wisconsin, for about three
years. When Benedictine (she preferred "Benedine") was four years
old, they moved to North St. Paul and lived in various places while Anna worked
for people. During this time, Kathryn had been sent to live with her Aunt
Isabelle in Lancaster, Minnesota and stayed there until 1925 when Anna
married Gustav Edward King-Ellison
.
•
2c. ROSE THERESA EFFINGER ,
born November 16, 1893 in Belgrade, Stearns County, Minnesota. Rose
married Severt Karl Hovland
on January 15, 1917. They had three children: Dorothy, Roberta, and Jerome.
Rose died on September 29, 1978 in Long Beach, California.
•
2d. ISABELLE MARY EFFINGER
, born September 14, 1895 in Belgrade, Stearns County, Minnesota. Isabelle
married Edward Johnson
on July 02, 1914 in Lancaster, Kittson County, Minnesota. Isabelle and Edward
had no children other than Mary, whom they adopted in 1926. Isabelle died in
Lancaster on December 10, 1932.
•
2e. HILDEGARD EFFINGER ,
born January 03, 1897 in Belgrade, Stearns County, Minnesota. Hildegarde married
Jake Goehring and they moved out west. Hilde died October 29, 1977 in Portland,
Oregon.
•
2f. ERWIN WILLIAM EFFINGER, born April 17, 1899 in Belgrade, Stearns County,
Minnesota. Erwin married a woman named "Oringa" (how uncommon is that
name?) and they lived out in Montana. They had three children: Glenn,
Erwin and Clarence. Erwin died in Havre, Montana, on June 13, 1981.
•
2g. CLARENCE MICHAEL EFFINGER
was born on April 18, 1902 in South Haven, Wright County, Minnesota. Clarence
Effinger and Florence Murray were married on August 09, 1924, and they
had one child, Richard, born in Hallock Minnesota on January 17, 1933. They
were members of the St. Patrick's Church in Hallock. Later they lived in Lancaster,
Minnesota, where Clarence worked with Edward Johnson in the Farmer's Hardware
Store. (Edward Johnson was his sister's husband.) Florence taught grade school
while in Lancaster for about eight years. In 1948, Clarence, Florence and Richard
moved to Hingham, Montana where they owned and operated the Effinger Hardware
Store. Florence continued to teach while in Montana and Clarence's ran the store
until his death in September of 1964. Florence retired from teaching in 1966.
Richard served honorably in the United States Army in the Korean War. After
Richard's return to civilian life, he worked in the construction industry until
his death in August 1977. Richard's children Michelle and Barbara were honor
students in high school in Colstrip, Montana.
5.
Children of Frank and Florence Effinger:
•
5a. EARL JOHN EFFINGER was born on January 16, 1898 in South haven, Minnesota,
and he married Agnes Lonson on August 12, 1922. Agnes and Earl had two children,
Jean and George. Earl died on October 15, 1943 in Thief River Falls, Minnesota.
•
5b. CLEMENS ALLEN EFFINGER was born on December 21, 1900 in Belgrade, Minnesota.
Clemens married Ruth Gunder on July 8, 1925. Clem and Ruth had no children.
Clem died on January 18, 1977.
•
5c. LEON ERWIN EFFINGER was born in Thief River Falls on September 9, 1902.
On April 16, 1927, Leon married Alice Stockwell in Duluth. Alice and Leon had
four children: Erwin, Robert, Francine and Dean. Leon died on November 3, 1970.
•
5d. MARIE FLORENCE EFFINGER was born on July 8, 1904 in Thief River Falls. Marie
married Peter Gortz in Duluth on October 5, 1924. Peter and Marie had six children:
Donald, Richard, Janice, Joan, Gerald, Catherine and Gordon. Marie Died on November
26, 1943.
•
5e. FRANCIS WILLIAM
EFFINGER, the fifth child of Frank and Florence, was born on
June 16, 1906 in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Francis married Myrtle Arseneau
in Duluth on May 1, 1928. They had two children--William Robert and James Francis.
Francis was killed in a hunting accident on November 21, 1943.
•
5f. ELVA FRANCES EFFINGER was born April 14, 1908 in Thief River Falls. She
married Art Grietan on May 1, 1928 in Duluth. They had Four children: Jacquie
and Patty (twins), Barbara and Allen. Elva died on July 8, 1955.
•
5g. NEOME STEPHANIE EFFINGER was born on January 23, 1910 in Thief River Falls,
married Russell Hom, and she died on October 6, 1991 in Vancouver, Washington.
I do not know if Neome and Russell had any children.
•
5h. LAWRENCE FREDERICK EFFINGER was born on October 14, 1911 in Thief River
Falls. He married Angeline Koscielak in Duluth on June 13, 1942. They had six
children: Jane, Patricia (Buffy), Gerald, Timothy, Mary, Gregory and Margaret.
Lawrence died in Duluth on May 30, 2001.
•
5i. PAUL JACOB EFFINGER was born on October 15, 1913 in Thief River Falls. Paul
married Eleanora Schwandt on September 13, 1933 in Duluth. Paul and Eleanora
had five children--Richard, Carol, Thomas, Charles and Steven. Paul died May
15, 1990 in Vancouver, Washington.
•
5j. VERONICA MARY EFFINGER, also born in Thief River Falls, was Florence and
Frank's tenth child. Veronica married Pat Boyer on August 24, 1935, and they
had three children: Mike, Diana and Joe. Veronica died on November 3, 1986,
also in Vancouver, Washington.
5k.
ROBERT GLENN EFFINGER was Frank and Florence's last child. He was born in Stillwater,
Minnesota, on August 2, 1917. He married Emma Florabell (Betty) Burns on April
17, 1944. Robert and Betty had ten children: Sharon, Francis, Edward, John,
Theresa, Benedict, David, Anthony, Vincent and Roberta.
The
William Robert Effinger Family: William
(Bill) was born August, 1930. Kirk was born August 1949; Lynn was born November,
1950; Brian was born October 1956; Valerie was born November, 1961.
Much
of the original research for the Effinger Family page was assembled by
others in the extended family. I acknowledge Jim Ericson for his efforts in
that regard. Jim can be reached at:
Jim Ericson 3541 Benjamin Street
Ne, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55418 (ph) 612.781.8254 or his web page at:
http://www.cpinternet.com/~jime/effinger.htm
I welcome
your comments
You can
reach me at bill@billeffinger.com
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