Strouse Family

Lester, also shown as Leslie, was born October 11, 1872 in Laketon, Wabash, Indiana and died November 13, 1943 in Anoka, Anoka, Minnesota.

At some point Lester changed his name from Strauss to Strouse. Lester was a producer, director and actor in Chicago for twenty years. Family legend has it that he even booked Charlie Chaplin. He was married on August 22, 1894 in Wabash, Wabash, Indiana to Stella B. Durbin. They were not able to have their own children so they adopted two daughters, one named Lulu who married a Hedstrom and lived in Duluth, St. Louis, Minnesota. They later divorced and his ex-wife took the other daughter and Lester raised Lulu. While in Browns Valley, Traverse, Minnesota he met Rosia Lavina Maricle who did cooking and laundry for the troupe while they were in town. They married December 24, 1913 in Graceville, Big Stone, Minnesota. Rosia was born March 21, 1896 in Browns Valley, Traverse, Minnesota and died July 23, 1984 in Anoka, Anoka, Minnesota.

Lester worked for the City of Anoka, Anoka, Minnesota, the last 15 years of his life but he also owned and operated a lumber and coal business for some years.

Lester and Rosia’s family

They had three children:

Clayton James Strouse was born October 25, 1914 in Graceville, Big Stone, Minnesota and died December 4, 1988 in Anoka, Anoka County, Minnesota. He married on October 30, 1939 in Anoka to Marie Woznick. Marie was born November 10, 1913 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota and died March 11, 2005 in Coon Rapids, Anoka, Minnesota. She was the daughter of Michael Dimitri Wasnick (1886-1958) and Lena O. (1891-1959). Clayton and Marie had three children.

Marion Elizabeth Strouse was born April 7, 1919 in Browns Valley, Minnesota and died April 23, 2011 in Anoka, Anoka, Minnesota. She married November 22, 1937 in Anoka, Anoka, Minnesota to Clarence Raymond Scott (1910-1970) and had one son. She married to Vince May and had one son.

Jacob Justus Strouse BG Bvt (Ret.) was born December 27, 1924 in Little Falls, Morrison, Minnesota, died June 27, 2006 in St. Cloud, Stearns, Minnesota. He was married first on August 3, 1949 in Anoka, Minnesota to Norma Jean Duclos (see Duclos family) and they had three children. He then married Marjorie May Hanft- Soderquist in 1986.

Jake enlisted in 1943 in the Army Air Force. During WWII he served in Europe as a Radio-Operator Gunner on a B-17 and participated in 32 combat missions over Germany. He was shot down, crashed once and had to parachute from his burning aircraft on another mission. In 1947 he joined the Minnesota National Guard and was called to active duty during the Korean Conflict in 1951 where he completed over 200 combat missions as an artillery observer flying behind enemy lines in an unarmed aircraft. He received numerous medals for his service to this country.

He retired after suffering a severe heart attack at the Pentagon in 1978 while on special assignment with the National Guard Bureau. At the age of 22 Jake joined the Anoka Fire Department. He served as the Anoka-Champlin Fire Chief from 1980 to 1987. Jake retired from the Department in 1987.

Jake served in a number of key assignments during his career with the National Guard culminating his career as the Division Chief of Staff. He was memorialized in the “Court of Honor” at Camp Ripley, Minnesota.

When Jake was young, he was a school patrol and he was mentioned in the local American Legion history.

Clarence was born in 1874 and died in Laketon, Wabash, Indiana on September 17, 1874 same place.

Orra was born September 23, 1875 in Wabash County, Indiana and died December 9, 1959 in Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana. She was married on June 30, 1896 to George Franklin Ogden (1864-1957). Their children:

• Kenneth G. Ogden was born April 1, 1897 and died May 1, 1897.
• Hale S. Ogden was born November 24, 1898 and died September 23, 1899
• Mark Ogden was born and died September 28, 1993 in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
• Luke Edgar Ogden was born November 24, 1907 in Wabash, Wabash, Indiana and died January 26, 1931 in Peru, Miami, Indiana.
• Sumner Wayne Ogden was born December 25, 1909 and died February 17, 1995 in Oak Park, Cook, Illinois. He married January 31, 1930 in Lake, Wabash, Indiana to Dorothy Carter. They divorced in 1932
• Elizabeth “Betty” Ogden was born February 19, 1912 in Wabash County, Indiana and died December 28, 1997 in Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana. She married September 25, 1937 in Marion County, Indiana to William C. Kraft (1901-1946) and second to Thomas Judge (1916-1998)

Hermann was born July 3, 1879 in Wabash, Indiana and died May 3, 1959 in Los Angeles, California. Hermann was a corporal in the Army in the 16th Balloon Company during World War I and served time in France.

On June 1, 1905 in Burleigh County, North Dakota he married Ella Alida Evans (1885-1946). and they lived in California. They had 5 children:

• Howard Lester (or LeRoy) Strauss was born October 11, 1906 in Washburn, Illinois and died December 13, 1976 in Moses Lake, Grant, Washington. He married October 1, 1929 in Great Falls, Cascade, Montana to Mable Hopkins (1908-1987).
• Lawrence Earl Strauss was born March 25, 1907 in Mitchell, Davison, South Dakota and died January 31, 1969 in Spokane, Washington. He married June 26, 1928 in Davison County, South Dakota to Florence Frances Drewer (1910-1999). She also married Leland R. Benton.
• Herman Elmer Strauss born September 26, 1910 in Grand Junction, Colorado and died December 31, 1940 in Polson, Lake, Montana. He married April 30, 1938 in District of Columbia to Kathryn Amanda Pagenkopf (1915-)
• Infant Strauss
• Vernon P. Strauss was born September 9,1920 in Wyoming and died May 23, 1930.

Ella and Hermann must have divorced as she remarried to Thomas G. Torgeson.

Lizzie or Betty was born May 7, 1880 and died February 14, 1961 in Laketon, Wabash, Indiana. She married twice. First to someone named Bill and then to Edward R. Holman (1869-1945).

Johann Nickel (Nicolaus) Brill was born May 4, 1731 in Rehweiler, Kusel, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He married Maria Catharina (Catharina) Ohliger born January 6, 1740 in Rehweiler, Kusel, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany and died April 20, 1812 same place. Their children:

• Jacob Brill was born December 30, 1771 in Rehweiler, Kusel, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany and died June 4, 1843 same place. He married Wilhelmina Deklar (1775-1840), daughter of Jacob Decklar and Margaretha Klein. Their children: Johann Jacob Brill, Maria Elisabetha Brill, Elisabeth Catherine Brill, and Phillipine Brill.
• Anna Charlotta Brill was born September 15, 1777 in Konken, Pfalz, Germany and died April 6, 1828 in Spesbach, Bayern, Germany. Anna married Johann Adam Strauss. See more about “Charlotta’s” family above.

John Adam Wüertemberger immigrated from what is now southern West Germany. He was a Palatine and migrated in the 1750’s. In 1758 he and wife, Anna Maria (she died between 1764 and 1782), were living in or near Reading, Cumru Township, Pennsylvania. They were Lutherans and attended the Trinity Lutheran Church in Reading. Their children (probably others existed):

John Jacob Wüertemberger born March 1757

John Adam Wüertemberger, Jr. born February 22, 1760

John George Wüertemberger born May 4, 1762

• Philip Wertenberger born June 1, 1810 Stark County, Ohio, died April 6, 1873 in Laketon, Wabash County, Indiana. He was married twice. His first wife, Susann Harter was born April 1, 1812 or March 31, 1811 in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. They married April 19, 1832 in Stark County. She died February 17, 1848 in Laketon. Her parents were Christian Harter, born about 1775 in Pennsylvania and died prior to 1828 in Pennsylvania. His first wife, Elizabethth Musser who was the daughter of Adam Musser of Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Philip and Susanna were first cousins, his mother and her father having been brother and sister. They moved to Wabash County, Indiana in 1837. He and Susanna had the following children:
  • Isaac Wertenberger born May 6, 1833 Stark County, Ohio
  • Mary Ann Wertenberger born August 28, 1835, died August 28, 1857 in Laketon, Indiana
  • Lydia Wertenberger born July 7, 1838 in Stark County.
  • William Wertenberger born June 19, 1840 in Stark County.
  • Levi Wertenberger born March 30, 1843 in Stark County.
  • Eliza J. Wertenberger born September 1, 1847 in Wabash County, Indiana
• Abi Wertenberger born May 12, 1850. See her family above.
• Benjamin Wertenberger born September 15, 1851
• John Wertenberger born March 3, 1853
• Sarah Wertenberger born February 23, 1855, died April 26, 1857
• Philip Wertenberger, Jr. born October 20, 1859
• Anna Maria Wertenberger born November 20, 1764
• Maria Rosina Wertenberger

The 1870 U.S. Census shows Daniel Wertenberger, age 35, a farmer living in Pleasant Twp, and born in Ohio. His wife, Delilah was 30 and born in Ohio, three children: Albert 7, Milton 4, and Sarah 1 all born in Indiana. Daniel’s worth was $8.600 in real estate and $270 personal. For the same year, George Wertenberger was age 72, born in Pennsylvania and worth $2000 real estate and $8000 personal. This census shows Elizabeth was 60 and she too was born in Pennsylvania (this would be a second wife to George as his first wife, Christina, died in 1863).

At the Pleasant Township cemeteries there are 37 listings for Wertenbergers. At the Laketon cemetery the following are found:

Daniel Wertenberger 7-31-1834 to 5-12-1903
M.H. son (Milton) 5-16-1865 to 4-19-1919
Delilah Rhodes, wife 2-5-1841 to 5-121931
George died 8-8-1877 age 78y 2 m 26?d
Christina, w. of George 1-16-1863 aged 69y 9m 15d

Wertenberger History (PDF) Some Wertenberger, Whittenberger and Wattenbarger descendants of John Adam Wuertemberger This gives a terrific historical introduction. North Manchester, Ind.: L.H. Binnie, 1983. Summary: John Adam Wu¨ertemberger immigrated from Germany to Reading, Pennsylvania in the 1750s, and he died after 1782. Descendants lived in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan and elsewhere.