Johann Born in 1743

Elspe, 1743-1776. Johann Drüecke was born January 18, 1843, in Elspe, in the county of Olpe, or Kreis Olpe, 64 miles east of Cologne, or Köln.

St. Jakobus Church, Elspe, Kreis Olpe, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Elspe, which is in postal code 57368, is 2 miles east of the Lenne River, just south of the Ebbe mountains, or Ebbegebirge, in a chain of hills called the Sauerland. The county of Olpe is in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, or Nordrhein-Westfalen. North Rhine and Westphalia were combined into one state after World War II. Prussia did not acquire Westphalia until the Congress of Vienna in 1815.

The Catholic Church in Elspe is St. Jakobus.

Elisabeth Kramer Born in 1755

Anton Krämer

Elisabeth

Theodor Kallenstein 1665-1745

Anna Maria d. 1729

Ostentrop, 1755-1776. Maria Elisabeth Krämer was born December 1, 1755, in Ostentrop.

Ostentrop is in the county of Olpe, or Kreis Olpe. The postal code is 57413.

Elizabeth's parents were Heinrich and Anna Margarethe Kallenstein Krämer. Her paternal grandparents were Anton and Elisabeth Krämer. Her maternal grandparents were Theodor and Anna Maria Kallenstein. Theodor was born in Schnellenberg (Schmallenberg?) in 1665.

Mariä Himmelfahrt Church, Schönholthausen, Kreis Olpe, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Ostentrop is part of the parish of Mariä Himmelfahrt in Schönholthausen and information about the Krämer family is included in the Schönholthausen Parish Register Pastor Franz Rinschen has provided for the Web site of the nearby Finnentrop Historical Society.

The Kremer family lived in a house in Ostentrop built around 1740 at the intersection of Mittelweg and St. Lucia Straße.

Johann and Elisabeth Kramer Marry in 1776

Johann Drüecke, 33, and Elisabeth Krämer, 20, were married on June 10, 1776.

Ostentrop, 1776-1790. After the wedding, Johann and Elisabeth Krämer Drüecke lived in one of the two houses Johann owned in Ostentrop.

173-mile trade route of Johann Drüecke superimposed on 2007 Michelin map showing from north to south: Münster, Ostentrop, Selters, and Frankfurt.

Pastor Franz Rinschen of Mariä Himmelfahrt Church in Schönholthausen has a copy of handwritten book of accounts of Johann Drüecke that indicates that Johann was a trader. He bought cured hams from processors in the Ostentrop area and transported them by horse and wagon to Münster, 66 miles to the north, and to Frankfurt, 107 miles to the south. He also dealt in mineral water from the town of Selters (where the name seltzer water originated). Selters is on the route between Ostentrop and Frankfurt, 68 miles from Ostentrop. According to a modern-day ham processor by the name of Abraham, "The production of ham has scarcely changed over the centuries. Westphalian ham has its very own typical shape and flavour. It is salted on the bone for five weeks, then smoked for another four to five weeks over beech wood and juniper twigs. The bone is only removed after a total maturing period of two to three months: only then does the ham achieve its typically seasoned Westphalian flavor."

Johann and Elisabeth had no children.

In 1786, Johann Drüecke built a half-timbered house next to his wife's family's house in Ostentrop. Elisabeth Krämer had five siblings. They were all older but died at a young age. Her father Heinrich Krämer died November 18, 1786 at age 71. As a result, Elisabeth Krämer Drüecke inherited her father's house in Ostentrop even though her mother Anna Margarethe Kallenstein Krämer was still alive. The two houses are still standing and are owned by two brothers, Markus and Andre Eckert, who are renovating the houses for use as their own residences.

2007 photo of home built by Johann Drüecke in Ostentrop in 1786. A larger view shows the words on the third horizontal timber from the top are in Latin and German and in English read "All for the Honor and Glory of God."

Oil painting of an idyllic scene in Ostentrop, Germany, just to the north of the intersection of Mittelweg and St. Lucia Straße. To the right is a house built around 1740, which was the home of Johann and Elisabeth Bitter Drüecke from 1790 to 1798. To the left is a half-timbered structure built by Johann Drüeke in 1786, prior to their marriage. The structures are now owned by two brothers, Andre and Markus Eckert, who are renovating them for use as their own homes. Between the two structures in the background is St. Lucia Chapel. Source: Stefan Schröder.

Johann Widowed at Age 47

On April 1, 1790, Johann's wife, Maria Elisabeth Kremer Drüecke, died after 13 years of marriage. They had no children. Johann, 47, became a widower with two houses in Ostentrop.

Elisabeth Krämer Dies in 1790

On April 1, 1790, Maria Elisabeth Kremer Drüecke died. She was age 34. They had no children.

Elisabeth Bitter Born in 1770

Johann Eberhard Bitter 1712-1783

Maria Margarethe Elisabeth Seller 1709-1769

Philipp Kallenstein 1700-1777

Anna Gertrud Korte 1705-1769

Fretter, 1770-1790. Maria Elisabeth Bitter was born December 12, 1770, in Fretter.

Fretter is in the county of Olpe, or Kreis Olpe, 1.3 miles east of Ostentrop. The postal code is 57413, the same as Ostentrop.

Elizabeth's parents were Johann Peter and Maria Elisabeth Kallenstein Bitter. Her paternal grandparents were from Fetter: Johann Eberhard and Maria Margarethe Elisabeth Seller. Her maternal grandparents were from Fretter: Philipp and Anna Gertrud Korte Kallenstein.

Mariä Himmelfahrt Church, Schönholthausen, Kreis Olpe, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Fretter is part of the parish of Mariä Himmelfahrt in Schönholthausen and information about the Bitter family is included in the Schönholthausen Parish Register Pastor Franz Rinschen has provided for the Web site of the nearby Finnentrop Historical Society.

Johann and Elisabeth Bitter Marry in 1790, Have 4 Children

Johann Drüecke, 47, and Elisabeth Bitter, 19, were married on May 23, 1790.

Ostentrop, 1790-1798. After the wedding, Johann and Elisabeth Bitter Drüecke lived in one of the two houses Johann owned in Ostentrop.

On July 24, 1791, Johann and Elisabeth had the first of their four children, Johann Joseph.

On April 17, 1793, Johann and Elisabeth had the second of their four children, Johann Wilhelm.

Anna Margarethe Kallenstein Kremer, mother of Johann Drüecke's first wife, Maria Elisabeth Kremer Drüecke, died on February 23, 1795.

On November 8, 1795, Johann and Elisabeth had the third of their four children, Franz Anton.

On July 1, 1797, Johann and Elisabeth had the last of their four children, Maria Katharina.

Johann Dies in 1798 at Age 55

On May 4, 1798, Johann Drüecke died at age 55. He was survived by his wife Elisabeth Bitter and their four children.

* * *

Johann and Elisabeth Bitter Drüecke eventually had 18 grandchildren. From 1852 to 1883, seven of these 18 grandchildren emigrated to the United States:

• 1852 to Chanhassen, Minnesota: Franz Carl Drüecke (Carl Drucke) 1826-1911  m. Appolonia 1837-1893
• 1853 to Chanhassen, Minnesota: Peter Drüecke 1829-1907  m. 1862 Anna Saber 1839-1912
• 1857 to Grand Rapids, Michigan; ca. 1860 to Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Everhard Drüeke (Eberhard Druecke) 1835-1900s  m. Caroline 1843-1910s
• 1871 to New York, New York; 1873 to Grand Rapids, Michigan: Anna Sophia Drüeke 1846-1884   m. 1871 Frederick William Wurzburg 1833-1924
• 1871 to New York, New York; 1873 to Grand Rapids, Michigan: Peter Wilhelm Drüeke (William Peter Drueke) 1853-1926  m. 1882 Elizabeth Berles 1858-1941
• 1880 to Grand Rapids, Michigan: Carl Ferdinand Drüecke (Charles Drueke) 1857-1928  m. 1887 Josephine Berles 1866-1945
• 1883 to Grand Rapids, Michigan: Charlotte Drüeke 1837-1921   m. 1862 Joseph Vogt 1827-1910

Elisabeth Bitter Widowed at Age 27

Ostentrop, 1798-1798. With Johann's death in 1798, Elisabeth Bitter was widowed after seven years of marriage.

On December 27, 1798, Maria Elisabeth Bitter Drüecke married Ferdinand Wortmann from Lenhausen.

Binolen, 1798-1835. Following their marriage, Ferdinand and Elisabeth Bitter Drüecke Wortmann and their family moved to Binolen, which is on the Hönne River 23 miles north northwest of Ostentrop, near Balve. Ferdinand and Elisabeth had two children of their own.

In 1821, two of Johann and Elisabeth's children married into the Gottschalk family. On June 25, Maria Katharina Drüecke, 23, married Franz Anton Gottschalk. On November 6, Johann Joseph Drüecke, 30, married Antonette Margarethe Gottschalk. Johann Joseph and Antonette Margarethe had nine children.

On October 30, 1827, Johann and Elisabeth's second child, Johann Wilhelm Drüeke, 34, married Anna Maria Struck, 28, from Niederhelden. They lived in Niederhelden and in 1828 had a daughter, Maria Elisabeth Margaretta, whose godfather was Ferdinand Wortmann. They had a second daughter who died at birth in 1831.

Anna Maria Struck Drüeke died in Niederhelden on December 6, 1831. She was 33 years old. Their daughter Maria Elisabeth Margaretta was 4.

On February 12, 1833, Johann Wilhelm Drüeke married Bernardina Josephina Heller from Rieflinghausen. They had seven children. Their first child, Klemens Franz Wilhelm Anton Drüeke, was born December 4, 1833. Maria Katharina Drüecke Gottschalk was godmother.

Elisabeth Bitter Dies in 1835 at Age 64

On May 2, 1835, Elisabeth Bitter Drüecke Wortmann died. She was 64 years old.

Johann and Elisabeth Bitter Drüecke: 4 children, 18 grandchildren, 56 great grandchildren