2409 S. Vine Urbana, Illinois 61801 - Richard R. Grayson, MD

Franz Christoph Kunne was born July 12, 1822, to Andreas Christoph Kiinne and Sophie Christine
L Elisabeth Huse, in Hedeper, Germany, according to the old church books. He was baptised July 21, and
confirmed Sunday, April 17,1836, in Hedeper. In the old church books from Hedeper is recorded the marriage
in July, 1849, of F'ranz Christoph Kiinne to Magdaline Dorothea Henriette Ziehe.
I believe that in 1850 or 1851 he changed his name from Franz Christoph Kiinne to Heinrich Kiinne and
moved a few kilometers from Hedeper (in Braunschweig) across the border to Roklum (in Saxony, Prussia),
and of course, later, Heinrich became Henry in America. This is the only theory that is consistent with the
birth records for the children: they all mention the same mother, but the father is F'ranz Christoph Kiinne for
the first one, and Heinrich Kunne for the rest. One possibility is that he had to avoid some unpleasantness
in Hedeper connected with the revolution, which occurred in 1848. We know that the move to Roklum
occurred in 1850 or 1851 because Dorothea was born in late 1849 in Hedeper, and Wilhelmine was born in
late 1851 in Roklum.
In Germany, he is listed as a slate roofer ("Schieferdecker"), by trade. Later, he dealt in the buying and
selling of feed, grain, and other produce, which trade he followed until he emigrated.
Magdalene was not in good health and was anxious to come to America to be with her sister Johanna [4] .
They applied for emigration papers July 9, 1867, which were granted by the Prussian government in August,
1867. In August, 1867, the family sailed on the steainship Hermann from the port of Bremen, Germany,
and landed at Castle Garden, New York. They were accompanied by Henry Schmidt I2021 , and the Borcher
family of Roklum, according to the family history .
They went directly to Proviso, Illinois, (now part of Chicago) or maybe Lyons, Illinois, (just next to
Proviso); the obituary for daughter Johanna says that they stopped for two years in Lyons, Illinois. There
they stayed with Johanna.
They moved on to Dayton, Iowa, in 1868. He died in 1897, and is buried in Dayton, Iowa.
Henry Kinne told a story about walking to Dayton to mail a letter while his horses rested during the
noon hour. He took with him a basket of eggs to sell, but the storekeeper refused to buy them, so he had
6"
no money to buy the stamp for the letter, and had to return home with the eggs and the unmailed letter.
All the old church books for Hedeper are now in the church office in Semmenstedt. There are also some
older records in the State Archives in Wolfenbiittel.
Emilie [I281 remembers that Henry, her grandfather, was instrumental in founding the Trinity Lutheran
Church in Dayton Township. Here part of a newspaper article dated October 30, 1952, about the church.
"As early as 1858 services were begun among the group of German settlers who lived northwest of Dayton.
Pastor Vichensher came about once a month to some home to hold sercies. He usually walked the entire
distance from Boone where he lived, then went on to Fort Dodge for another service, making a round trip
of about 100 miles. After about four years the people wanted a permanent organization so in 1862 they
organized the first congregation, although they had no property or resident pastor for almost two decades.
Pastors came to preach from Boone and Fort Dodge during these years with services still being held in the
homes. In 1878 a decision was made to build on the southeast corner of the Charles Schramm land two miles
north and three miles west of Dayton. A frame building was erected with one end partitioned off for the
home of the pastor. Here members worshipoed until 1944 when the Swedish Methodist church in the south
part of Dayton was purchased and the congregation moved to town. Later in 1948 a house was purchased
for the Trinity parsonage. In 1950 a new organ was dedicated for the church."
Henry's descendants held annual reunions from 1931 to 1976, as described in the following newspaper
article.
newspaper article
Fort Dodge Messenger, fiiday, August 20, 1976
3-family reunion tradition of 45 years comes to an end
The Kinne, Kramer and Schram families met for ther 46th - and final - reunion in Loomis
Park Sunday.
As a special program for the final reunion, the Wilbur Schrams of Clear Lake displayed the
family tree - descendants of the August Schram family.
Recalling the days of the first reunion and history of the Kinne family by others present,
members were invited to the Robert Theiss [57] home nearby for a social afternoon and business