Bremen was the most logical port of embarkation for northwest Germans seeking passage to North America. The Jefferson and the Mendora were ships sailed by the Steines and the Muenche parties in 1834 to Baltimore while the Oelbers was the ship of choice for the Follenius party in the same year to New Orleans. Many of the passangers were members of the Giessen or Solingen Societies, to become known as elite "Latin farmers" in St Charles and Warren Counties of Missouri. Emigration from Bremen to New Orleans never exceeded 1,000 passengers per year during the 1800´s. While at Bremen preparing for the long journey the Schakes, as was customary for other passengers, were likely given a copy of a U.S. map, a travel guide, a U.S. historical primer and monetary conversion tables by various German Societies and representatives of the shipping companies to encouraging immigration. Kurt and Friederike Schake and family chose to sail from Bremen on the New Orleans and arrived in the Port of New Orleans November 2, 1855. Almost certainly Kurt and Friederike had discussed their travel plans many months in advance of the voyage with Mr. Hasse of Bega who was a representative of the Norddeutscher Lloyd travel agency. Questions would include safety, cost of various travel accomodations, the length of the voyage and the opportunity to take food onboard with them to reduce cost and avoid the reputed poor food service aboard ship. Mr. Hasse could have assured them that the new 1855 ship commissioned out of New York City provided the safest and best crossing possible. Their ship was over 160 feet long, 35 feet wide and 21 feet high consisting of two decks, three masts, a square stern and round tuck and weighed 38 tons - 95 tons when fully loaded (2). The ships manifest documents that 368 passengers were onboard of which 28 were crew members. The Schakes shared an area denoted as ´Cabin II´ with 74 others and brought five trunks and/or bags with them. Apparently Cabin II was an intermediate class of travel since Cabin I had only 16 passengers with 272 passengers shown as "between-the-decks." This may reflect something of the relative financial status of the Schakes as well. One of these trunks has remained in the Schake family to this day, presently with family of Jerri, Scott and Hannah Christine Schake of Alberta, Canada. Inscribed on the front side of the trunk is "H Schake Nord Amerika 38" with the ´H´ 䙶´ designating their home address in Humfeld. The final destination listed on the 1855 ship manifest was St Louis with other details of these documents from the National Archives (3) as show below in Figure 16. Heinrich (Kurt), who listed his occupation as a ´Country-man´, was assigned number 53 with 54, 55, 56, 57 and 58 for others in the family plus their age, sex, hometown and destination.

In addition to this party of seven Schakes, 11,074 others emmigrants would depart Germany in 1855 and enter the United States of America at New Orleans´ port of call. Those traveling with the soon to become SCHAKES OF LA CHARETTE were Auguste Ehlers, a merchant; Wilhelm Grimmel, a shepherd and August Niemeyer a tailor from Lippe-Detmold.....all destined for St Louis.

Why Johann Cord ´Kurt´ Christoph Adolph Schake chose to declare himself as Heinrich here is not clear but Kamphoefner (4) documents many such occurrences in the records of this era, especially for Lippe-Detmolders, and most especially if they were wishing to change their idenity. At any rate his most commonly used names in Missouri were either John or J. Kurt. His last will and testament in 1890 shows John Schake and his tombstone in the Old Marthasville Town Cemetery carries the inscription of "J. Kurt Schake".

Before arriving at their destination of Missouri, the Schake family would pass through the port of New Orleans, Louisiana. Entering the Gulf of Mexico in late October their ship would approach the Mississippi Delta, a large expanse of many islands and shallow streams collectively composing the mouth of the Mississippi River. Here tug boats powered by the newly invented steam engine were needed to navigate their ship 100 or more miles upstream through shallow waters to wharfs at New Orleans. The ship would be docked on November 2, 1855 immediately across from what today is designated as the French Quarters. The next day the Schake family would disembark the New Orleans and walk several blocks to Canal and Decatur Streets and see the majestic granite U.S. Custom House of Greek-Corinthian design still undergoing construction. Here they would be subjected to the intimidating processes of health inspection and processing. The Schakes had heard that those found to be unhealthy or without proper documentation were detained, separated from their families or even, heaven forbid, returned to their port of origin. Twelve year old Adolph was excited, finally he had set foot upon American soil! What an adventure. After everyone passed inspection and had been processed, they would be allowed to proceed. Their baggage would need to be transfered to a Mississippi River steam boat to take them to St Louis. The Daily Picaqune (number 241) of Saturday morning, November 3, 1855 announces the ships in harbor, advertises hotels and the riverboat schedules. Many decisions would need to be made in this new land where the spoken language sounded like gibberish.

Since we do not know the specifics which transpired on this eventful Saturday in New Orleans the authors have taken liberty to suggest the following: Kurt and Friedericke were anxious to depart New Orleans as soon as possible since they wanted to save money by proceeding directly to Marthasville Landing in Charette Township, Missouri to meet their old friends, the Ritters from Lemgo. Adolph and the other children thought otherwise. To sleep in a bed in a New Orleans hotel and explore the city was an exhilerating idea to them. But as good fortune unfolded the Schakes had completed customs and were free to proceed shortly before lunch. On Canal street Kurt met a very helpful man by the name of Luther who spoke Germam and knew that a paddle wheel steam boat by the name of Elephant was scheduled to leave port at 5:00 p.m. today. Luther thought he could get them a special fare for families of four or more. Hasty plans were drafted, discussed and implemented. Kurt and the boys would return to the New Orleans for the baggage and Friedericke and the girls would go down the wharf toward the Elephant and purchase some fresh apples, cheese, bread and sausage sold by vendors on the docks (Figure 18). After a short wait on the wharf the ladies saw a little procession consisting of a hand cart managed by black men, with Kurt and boys walking along side proceeding down Decatur Street. Within minutes their tickets were purchased, their baggage loaded and among much gaiety they were both aprehensive but anxious to proceed up the mighty Mississippi River. They recalled this same mix of feelings upon boarding in Bremen. Once on board, and while gazing back toward New Orleans, the Schakes were discussing the excellent service provided by the black men handling their baggage, as these were the first people of African origin they had ever seen. Molly, as little Amelia was affectionately known, was eager too to see her first American Indians and asked Friderike if they might see some from the river boat while going up the Mississippi. Friederike seemed completely disinterested and dismissed such idle thought out-of-hand. They were also a little surprised to see Luther, standing on the wharf waving farewell to them with dollar bills in his hand, only to then recognize him for the hawker that he was. A short distance upriver they shared white bread sandwiches which everyone thought to be exceptional, not the usual dark rye bread from home but Kurt thought the sausage lacked the robust flavor of his homemade sausages from Humfeld. Once in St Louis this ordeal was to be repeated as they then transfered to a smaller craft to proceed to their final destination of Marthasville Landing. Ten days out of New Orleans Adolph would be 13 years of age and we may safely assume that November 13 was an exceptionally happy and exciting birthday for Adolph. Upon arrival at Marthasville Landing this party of seven auswanderers would spend their first days with the Ritters, perhaps Simon Ritter, this according to oral family history. Later, black slaves would again benefit these Schakes by helping build their new American home in Charette Township. Molly would not see Indians until later.

Oral family history from Amanda Louise Schake Roloff in 1962 relates that Johann Cord Christoph Adolph Schake had two (half) brothers who also came to America and settled near Cleveland, Ohio and that each had a family of two sons and three daughters. These Missouri and Ohio Schake families apparently corresponded for some time although this linkage was lost sometime around the early 1900's. However, the 1880 U.S. Census documents two Schake families living near Cleveland, Ohio. These Schake brothers, William and Henry - both carpenters - were the two youngest sons from the Drieften - Johann Kruse marriage. Three sons were born to this marriage, all of whom were christened as Schakes since their father had taken the Schake surname as result of his marriage to Anna Maria Ilsabein Driften Schake who had retained the Schake farm. These two brothers married by 1850 and 1852 when living in Cuyahoga County, Ohio and therefore left Lippe sometime before their marriages. The status of the third son, Simon Christian Ludwig remains unresolved.

The Jobst Ridder family is documented as leaving Lippe in the spring of 1856 for Missouri in the German book by Fritz Verdenhalven on die Auswanderer aus dem Furstentum Lippe (bis 1877), published in 1980. Additionally, it is documented that his son of a previous marriage, Simon Ridder, came to America in 1855. This same source further confirms the travels of the Johann Cord Christoph Adolph Schake family in 1855 and list their surname as Schwarze (O. Schake). The explanation is associated with the fact the Johann C. C. A. Schake family was living at the farm on Schwarzeschen Statte Number 38 which they purchased from Mr. Schwarze. The custom of the time dictated that their surname change to Schwarze. The ´O. Schake´ notation indicated that previously their name was Schake. Some time between obtaining permission to auswander to America and his arrival in Missouri, Johann Cord Christoph Adolph Schwarze decided to revert to his original name of Johann Cord Christoph Adolph Schake and commonly use the name of J. Kurt or John in Missouri!

The transatlantic voyage of Peter Heinrich Rocklage family was undertaken sometime in the fall of 1859 (2). For Peter and Maria the decision to leave Prussia may have been, like the Schakes, influenced by the reality of seeing only three of their nine children survive to become young adults. Karl W. Rocklage and his bride Maria Freese obviously had made their auswandering plans well in advance of their August 21, 1859 wedding as they were listed separately on the ships manifest, not as husband and wife. He was listed as Carl (not Karl) and she as M. Elis Freese, both of Oesterweg, Versmold. No other details of this voyage have been identified, but it would be safe to assume that they were delighted to have arrived in Washington, Missouri after a long, exhausting, exasperating and exciting trip.

A popular emigration folk song of the 1830´s era (5) and thereafter was likely upon the lips of our ancestors departing the Fatherland.......

Hail Columbus, praise to thee, we laud thee high eternally. thou hast shown to us the way out of our hard servitude, to save us, if we only dare to bid our Fatherland farewell..........
this verse was followed by 47 others!

Thus is a glimpse of the travels, experiences, dreams and tribulations of those leaving the Teutoburger Forest of Germany and coming to Charette Township, whose families have lived here for almost two centuries, spanning many generations. Each of our ancestorial families left Germany as peasants of some description and would come to Charette Township with certain expectations of owning land, farming, rearing their families and participating in American culture. All would acquire land and farms, have apparent success with their families, experience aspects of Missouri frontier life and participate in the cultural diversity of Charette Township in divergent ways. Collectively we are all influenced by these past happenings, a process destined to continue. In fact, their homeland history is partially recorded today for rest of the world to view on the World Wide Web at the German Genealogical home page web site under the heading of Teutoburger Wald (6). Furthermore, much of the Teutoburger Wald is now developed into a splendid national forest or nature park in Germany.

REFERENCES
1) Report on a Journey to the Western States of North America. 1980. Duden, G. University of Missouri Press, Columbia.
2) Ship Registers and Enrollments of New Orleans, Louisiana. 1942. Survey of Federal Archives in Louisiana, Service Division, Volume V, 1851-1860.
3) National Archives Immigration Document #285 (microfilm), Washington, D. C.
4) The Westfalians - from Germany to Missouri. 1987. Kamphoefner, W. D. Princeton University Press and Transplanted Westfalians: Persistence and Transformation of Socioeconomic and Cultural Patterns in the Northwest German Migration to Missouri. 1978. University of Missouri Dissertation.
5) Beitrage Zur Westfalischen Familienforschung. 1981. Frese, W. Aschendorff Munster.
6) German Genealogical Home Page -- Geographical Regions (Teutoburger Wald). 1996.Schake,L.M. (English); (German). Lippe Home Page available at same address. For comments or suggestions contact the author at {lschake@aol.com}.

[Suggested readings: Ahmann Family Tree. 1978. (unpublished); News from the Land of Freedom. 1993. Kamphoefner, W. D., W. Helbich and U. Sommer. Cornell University Press, Ithaca; The Fiftieth Anniversary and Historical Number, The Warren Banner, December 18, 1914 -- Reprinted by Warren County Historical Society, 1989; Romans and Barbarians. 1982. Thompson, E. A. The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison ; Northern Germany. 1886. Baedeker, K. Leipsic, London; The Glories of Ancient History. 1940. Dubberstein, W. H. and Peltz, J. C., University of Knowledge, Inc., Chicago; The German People. 1946. Valentin, V. Knopf, New York; Colonization and Succession: The Neolithic of Central Europe. 1985. Starling, N. J. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. 51:41; The Defeat of Varus and the German Frontier Policy of Augustus. 1915. Oldfather, W. A. and H. V. Canter. University of Illinois Studies in the Social Sciences, Vol. 4, No. 2.(Reprinted in 1967 by Johnson Reprint Corporation, New York); Early History of Washington, Missouri. 1939. McClure, E. B. The Washington Missourian, Washington; The Cambridge Ancient History. 1934. Cook, S. A., F. E. Adcock and M. P. Charlesworth, Editors. Cambridge University Press; The Middle Ages, 395- 1500. 1959. Strayer, J. R. and D. C. Munro. Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., New York; Immigrants in the Ozarks. 1976. Gerlach, R. L. University of Missouri Press, Columbia; The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World. 1969. Creasy, E. S. The Heritage Press, New York; Early Modern Europe from 1450 to about 1720. 1960. Clark, Sir G., A Galaxy Book, New York; The Story of Philosophy. 1927. Durant, W., Garden City Publishing Co. Inc., Garden City, New York; Germania Illustrated. 1992. Fix A. C. and S. C. Karant-Nunn, Editors. Sixtheenth Century Journal Publishers, Inc., Kirksville, MO; History of the German People. 1905. Jassen, J. (translated by M. A. Mitchell and A. M. Christie) Kegan Paul, London; The Germans in Missouri, 1900-1918. 1985. Detjen, J. W. University of Missouri Press, Columbia; The German Element on the Urban Frontier:St Louis, 1830-1860. 1975. Kellner, G. H. Dissertation, University of Missouri Library, Columbia; The Bog People , P. V. Clob, 1965. Cornell University Press, New York; Prussian Schoolteachers: Profession and Office, 1763-1848 , A. J. La Vopa, 1980. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill; Breaking the Silence:Women, Censorship and the Reformation , P. Matheson, 1996. Sixteenth Century Journal 27:97-109; The German Peasantry , R. J. Evans and W. R. Lee, Editors, 1986. St. Martinžs Press, New York; Germany Under the Old Regime, 1600 -1790 , J. Gagliardo, 1991. Longman, London and New York; Germany in the Eighteenth Century , W. H. Bruford. 1968. Cambridge University Press, New York; Absolutism and the Eighteenteenth-century Origins of Compulsory Schooling in Prussia and Austria , J. van Horn Melton, 1988. Cambridge University Press, New York; The German Agricultural Worker , 1815 - 1914, J. A. Perkins, 1989. The Journal of Peasant Studies,Vol 11, 3-27; Versmold , Rolf Westeheider, 1994. Verlag fur Regionalgeschichte, Bielefeld; The Fontana History of Germany, 1780 - 1918 , D. Blackbourn, 1997. Fontana Press, London (an exceptional reference work, especially for those who do not read German); and A History of Modern Germany, 1648-1840. 1959. Holborn, H. Knopf, New York.].

6. Families, Settlements, Farms and Villages (Charette Township, Warren County, Missouri)

The Missouri frontier was unfolding when Warren County was organized on January 5, 1833. The Indans, buffalo and bear were soon to be displaced by the literary works of Mark Twain and Horace Greely who would emerge to gain public acclaim. Warren County would fully share in the richness of this western frontier spirit. The first Warren County settlement was established by Frenchmen immediately west of the mouth of Charette Creek (La Charrette) in 1797, perhaps as early as 1766 or even about the time M. Liguest settled St Louis in 1763 (1). The Village of La Charette was lost to the Missouri River around 1800 (Figure 19). By 1800 David Bryan built a home on Teque Creek about 1.5 miles southeast of Marthasville. His neighbor Flanders Calaway, with help from his father-in-law Daniel Boone, built a cabin and a fort close to the Missouri River near La Charette Village. This fort was also consumed by the Missouri River but perhaps later than the Village of La Charette. From 1812 on the Calaway home was frequently referred to as Calaways Post and was used as a gathering place for protection from unfriendly Indians. Prior to 1802 the William and Robert Ramsey families settled about 2 mile northwest of present day Marthasville. By 1806 William Ramsey was deeded 748 arpents, 8 perches of land by settlement right. This property was located on Ramsey Creek. At first many of these early settlers lived in primitive flimsy housing constructed of poles and bark like the Indians who preceded them. Later log cabins would become the order of the day. A rather comprehensive listing of some 800 Warren, St Charles and Montgomery County pioneer families is presented in an 1876 book by Bryan and Rose (1) which documents that over 30% of them had 12 or more children per family. Death at birth and by typhoid fever were among the most common causes resulting in premature death of these settlers. It was reported in the September 3, 1902 issue of the Warrenton Herald that grandfather Karl Heinrich Rocklage died of typhoid fever on August 22, 1902 leaving his wife with seven small children. In the same article it is reported that Mrs. Katherine Rocklage, sister-in-law to Karl Heinrich died of typhoid fever about the same time leaving her husband, W. Henry Rockalge and five children. Both were living at Sunshine, Missouri at the time of their deaths.

The first town established in modern day Warren County was Pinckney in Pinckney Township, laid out in 1819. The town was name after Miss Attossa Pinckney Sharp. Later it too would be consumed by the Missouri River like its predecessor of La Charette Village. Additional early history of Warren County is available in an 1877 atlas (2) which chronicles the fact that Warren County has had three county seats. Pinckney was the first county seat with courthouse and jail for what was then Montgomery county from 1818 to 1824. Upon formation of Warren County in 1833 the first permanent seat of justice was New Boston in Charette Township which was northwest of Charette Creek and Kites´ Mill and bit south of Hopewell. Later New Boston would become the address for the Jobst Ritter family. But the County Commissioners allowed a committee´s recommendation of Warrenton as the county seat to come to a vote, resulting in Warrenton becoming the permanent county headquarters. David Howard, John King, John McKinney, John Wyatt and Harvey and Frederich Griswold were some of the Warren County residents who took an active part in this political struggle. Today James and Dorothy E. Schake Meyer reside in the picturesque hills of Pinckney Township near the Missouri River and close to the old town site of Pinckney. The village of New Boston is no longer in existence.

Other pioneer families would soon settled in Charette Township. David and Margaret Howard came in 1819 and Martin and Kitty Kite in 1835. Kite built a water powered saw mill on Charette Creek which provided most of the lumber for the flat boats and buildings constructed in the region. This local source of lumber must have been greatly welcomed by settlers as many of the earliest homes were of very crude construction almost unfit for humans (3). Benjamin and Nancy James came to Warren County from Kentucky in 1811, later their son John would drown in the water impounded by the Kite dam. The Kite farm was located adjacent to Cedar Grove School about 2 miles upstream from the SCHAKES OF LA CHARETTE. The dam was located close to a steel bridge which was part of Old Highway 47 west of the Kite home. Other very early settlers were Harvey and Frederick Griswold from Connecticut. Frederick purchased a $15 license to open the first tavern in Pinckney. His cousin Harvey walked from St Louis when 16 years old to join Frederick. Later these men would marry Shobe sisters. Frederick´s marriage was childless but Harvey had 16 children of which 6 survived to adulthood. The Griswolds eventually owned the land where Daniel Boone was buried and bitterly opposed the removal of Boone's remains to Kentucky.

John McKinney, the first owner of the SCHAKES OF LA CHARETTE farm, would return to Virginia with most of his family to avoid the Indian wars sometime after 1809, but son Aleck (Alexander) and his 16 year-old bride would remain in Charette Township, possibly on the SCHAKES OF LA CHARETTE farm. Aleck, a surveyor and farmer was later to become a Missouri State legislator for several sessions and accumulate a fortune before his death. On May 19, 1815 Aleck and wife Nancy (Bryan) did not continue to plow their corn near Charette Creek as intended because their two dogs seemed excited about something in the wheat fields. Living on the fringe of the dangerous frontier the McKinney family and Ranger Housley, who was assigned to, and living with the McKinneys, suspicioned Indians. Robert Ramsey was a one legged man who lived to the east of the McKinney home, on property bordering to the south of what was to become the Old Schake-Ridder Place. He and his wife had 5 children, one an adopted half Indian boy named Paul. At sunrise May 20, 1815 six Indians attacked the Ramsey family. Mrs. Ramsey was milking the cows before Robert had attached his artificial leg. Attempts by the Indians to scalp and tomahawk the Ramseys resulted in four dead children, one the result of an abortion while Mrs. Ramsey was dying. A neighbor boy by the name of Abner Bryan was herding some of his father´s horses in the woods when he came upon signs of the attack. Immediately he ran for help resulting in the sounding of trumpets as a prearranged distress call to the neighbors. Col. Boone of Calaway´s Fort was sent to dress the wounds of those injured. Mr. Ramsey was shot but recovered. Paul and another child survived along with their Uncle William. This incident and a preceding one on March 7, 1815 involving horses presumably stolen by Indians at Loutre Creek in what would become Pinkney Township resulted in the settlers engaging in Indian wars during the next several years. However, William Ramsey was yet to have other high adventures in the Missouri wilderness. He was noted for his ability to successfully hunt bear. One day he wounded a cub and soon found himself in the crushing arms of the sow bear. The bear broke several of his ribs and chewed his head as if attempting to scalp him. None-the-less, Ramsey pulls his knife, stabs the bear and manages his escape. Apparently his escape was successful as he lived to the age of 104 years (1). The Ramsey farm and the Old Schake-Ridder farm are both shown on the right-hand edge in Figure 20. The Ramsey farm is shown as owned by J.A. Howard and the Old Schake-Ritter farm of 111 acres as ´J. Scharks´ (J. Kurt Schake). In the upper left-hand corner is an 80 acre farm with C. Ridder shown as the owner. This property was home to Jobst Ritter and family and perhaps where Kurt and Friedericke Schake and family spent their first days in Warren County in 1855. The Kite farm is shown at the junction of Charette Creek and Old Highway 47.

The E. King farm (Figure 20) with the homestead indicated by a small dark square - was later to become the SCHAKES OF LA CHARETTE farm, surrounded by the Schulte, Schuster, Wyatt and Johannaber neighbors. Eventually the SCHAKES OF LA CHARETTE farm would also include the Schulte farm. Charette Creek meanders through the center of the survey with Old Highway 47 running along the northern boundary of the Old Schake-Ridder Place.

By 1817 Anthony Wyatt of North Carolina married Polly Pearle of Virginia and returned to homestead in Charette Township. Since 1803 Wyatt had returned from North Carolina by horseback each year until 1808 to stake his claim to this land. Later he and Jacob Darst would take a flat-boat to Natches, Mississippi to sell cured pork and pelts. Two of the seven Wyatt children, Frank and Joseph, would seek their fortune in the 1849 Gold Rush and record their signatures on "Register Cliffs" near Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Eventually they acquired enough gold from prospecting to take their return trip by sea via Panama. Frank Wyatt´s first wife was Eliza Anna Jones, a great granddaughter of Daniel Boone. She died in April of 1855 while delivering twins of which only one survived. Franks second wife, Maria Fausdahl gave birth to six children, but three of these teenage sons were to die during a flu epidemic. Among the surviving children was John Wyatt who was the last member of that family to live in the beautiful brick home built prior to the Civil War by his father. The first German emigrants arrived in Charette Township in 1831, the Ahmann brothers among them by 1833, and by the 1860´s the Wyatts would become neighbors with the Herman Ahmann, the Jobst Ritter and the Kurt Schake families.

Apparently the Wyatt slaves helped J. Kurt and Fredericka Schake construct the Old Schake-Ridder house circa 1856. Slavery was a divisive social issue in society that caused Wyatt family members to chose opposing sides resulting in a complete separation of family ties. As a result, John Wyatt, a bachelor, owned the family farm without family heirs. The authors remember John Wyatt, grandson of Anthony Wyatt, as a quiet elderly neighbor crossing the Ridder farms with large carp caught on cane poles in Charette Creek. He was also an excellent hunter and marksman . Glenn and Yvonne Ridder eventually acquired the Wyatt farm and related much of the Wyatt family history given above. Furthermore they explained that John Wyatt asked his friends, Ed and Agnes Ridder, parents of Glenn Ridder, to help care for him in his later years. The Ridders obliged without asking any questions. They lived together as a nuclear family for many years. Upon the death of John Wyatt, the Ridders were surprised to learn that the Wyatt farm was willed to them.

In 1833 Arnold Heinrich Oberhellman would leave Lengerich, Prussia and chose to settle on a 66 acre farm along Charette Creek west of the Schulte and McKinny-King farms. Oberhellman came to Missouri in 1833 with Ahmann brothers Friedrich and Jacob. Eventually the Oberhellman farm would be acquired through marriage by Lester Henecke (Sanders), neighbors of Lowell and Wendy Schake from 1960 to 1961 when they lived at the SCHAKES OF LA CHARETTE farm. These early German settlers would grow potatoes, corn, wheat, oats, rye and tobacco. Growing legume crops such as sweet clover and adding lime and animal manure to the land were practices employed to maintain soil fertility. Nearly every family had a milk cow or two plus additional cattle and horses. Over 90% of these German families raised swine and about half maintained sheep. Compared to the conditions they had left in Germany where a single butcher hog would last a family for one year, and a goat provided the milk, these were indeed good times. The average Warren County farm consisted of about 80 acres with a log cabin with perhaps 25 acres under cultivation valued at $5.50 per acre. Warren County was now becoming established, and growing.

The farm located to the southwest of the McKinney-King farms across Charette Creek was owned by Friedrich W. Meinershagen (Figure 19). His father, Heinrich Adolph, was the village blacksmith of Wersen, Munster, Westphalia and his mother, Christine Marie Manecken, came from nearby Lingerich before they and their family settled near Femme Osage in St Charles County in 1836. The adventures of this family of five children coming to America is told by grandson Fred H. Meinershagen in The Prosperous and Diligent Blacksmith from Wersen . Fred is Professor Emeriti of Animal Science at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Their family history records the many obstacles experienced in gaining permission to leave Prussia and that the voyage was difficult and unpleasant, including an abundance of fleas and lice. Their genealogy documents that they too participated in the clannish-like behavior of selecting their spouses from among their German neighbors in Missouri, including the surnames of Ahmann, Rocklage and Schoppenhorst, among others.

The earliest census report documents 4,253 citizens in 1840, 5,860 in 1850, 8,839 in 1860 and 13,000 in 1870 with the SCHAKES OF LA CHARETTE, the Ahmanns, Ritters and Rocklages among them. The 1880 Charette (recorded as La Charette) Township of Warren County census also shows Johann Schake and his family living in the Old Schake-Ridder house with numerous errors in spelling of names (Schaake) and listing of birth dates, a common occurrence of those times according to Kamphoefner (1987). Since 1856 Kurt and Friedericke Schake owned this farm purchased from the Wyatt family for $1750.

B. Villages in America

St. Johns or the Village of La Charette
Little of certainty is recorded of this earliest Missouri river frontier settlement at the confluence of the Missouri river and what at that time was called Charette Creek south of the present day Marthasville. Originally it was called Fort San Juan del Misuri established by the Spanish (4), later as St Johns and finally as the French Village of La Charette, thus reflecting Spanish, English and French influence before its disappearance. It was established by 1797 (1), possibly as early as 1763 (5). A small fortification built of logs, the Fort was probably first erected by a small party of militia commanded by Lieutenant Antonine Gauliter to safeguard new settlers. Later seven French families, including the families of Raymond Dubois and Joseph Chartran lived there in as many houses apparently trading with the Indians and trapping for furs. St Johns was more commonly known as the Village of La Charette which means "The Cart" and was recognized as the last white settlement on the Missouri River as late as the second Clark expedition of August 1808. By the time of the Indian Wars (1812-1814) the fort remained around the village to protect settlers which eventually included some Germans and Dutch (5). A Reverend Reimer from Halberstadt, Germany had studied theology in Leipsig under Professor Gellers arrived with his bride to farm in the fertile Charette bottoms. They built a block house, cleared land and soon were offering Sunday church services to those in this wilderness community, the earliest on record. Following the first Sunday service a suggestion was offered to consolidate the Roman Catholic, Dutch Reformed and Lutheran ideologies represented into one service. After a thorough discussion the villagers agreed to postpone this concept for later consideration. They did, however, encouraged Reimer to continue preaching, as he apparently did even though the majority of the settlers were religiously indifferent. Reverend Reimer may also be credited with displaying one of the first Christmas trees in this region of Missouri. Sometime in the early 1800´s the Missouri River adjusted its course and consumed the Village of La Charette since the village was constructed very near the banks of the river. A devastating flood was recorded in 1844 but the flood which consumed the Village of La Charette apparently occurred somewhat earlier. Flooding of these river bottoms is respected yet today as a major force of nature capable of much devastation as reenacted as recently as 1993 and 1995. We also know that this village was located close to what would become Marthasville Landing, the final point of disembarkment for Herman Ahmann, Kurt Schake and Jobst Ritter and their families. The Karl Rocklage family would first land at Washington before coming to Charette Township in the Dutzow community, probably at what was then called the North Washington Landing and Ferry while the Rudolph Hillebrands first settled in St Charles County.

Hopewell (Academy) and New Boston
The settlement of New Boston was about 2 miles northwest of the SCHAKES OF LA CHARETTE farm and west of the Charette Creek near the old one-room Hopewell School house in use there until about 1950. Hopewell Academy started with one store and a woman´s academy and by 1877 it boasted a church, a school, a post office, school and a German church. New Boston was proposed as the county seat of Warren County but lost the bid to Warrenton in 1833, although some reports indicate that New Boston actually served as the county seat for a short time. An 1877 Warren County Atlas shows present day Hopewell as Hopewell Academy, and New Boston as Charette P.O. Today only Hopewell remains although New Boston was cited as an address for church members of the Methodist Church in Hopewell into the 1880´s.

This was the home community in America for Jobst Heinrich Ritter and his wife, Sophia Justine Klemme Ritter. They were married on January 30, 1848 at Lemgo, Lippe in the Sawkt Johann Evangelisch Kirche in Lippe. Jobst´s first wife, Anna Marie Friederike Freitag, died in Lippe leaving two sons, Simon and Charles. Three children were to be born to the 1848 marriage and children from both of Jobst´s families would later come to America and marry into the Schake family. Charles Ritter would marry Marie E. Schake and Adolph Schake would marry Sophia Ritter, half sister to Charles. Yet another link to the Ritter family was established when Fritz Schake married Louise Baurichter Offel and his step-daughter, Alvina Louise Offel married William Ritter. Later Glenn Ridder, currently a neighbor of the Schakes, would become the great-grandson of Charles Ritter and the grandson of William Ridder. By 1869, when Sophia Klemme Ritter died, the three surviving Jobst Ritter children would be orphaned. Jobst Ritter had died in 1860. Nine year old Sophia then went to live with her half-brother Simon Ritter of Hopewell. Sometime between 1864 and 1869 Sophia Klemme Ritter remarried a Mr. Beining of Wellington, Missouri. They had one son, William. Apparently, as rendered via oral history and as reported in the obituary of Adolph Schake, the Kurt Schake family stayed a short while in the Hopewell community with the Jobst Ritter family before settling on the 111 acre Schake-Ridder farm near Marthasville. The Ridder and Schake families have had many close ties to one another for many generations, both in Lippe and in Missouri.

As for others living in Charette Township, travel was by horse drawn wagons, buggies or on horse back for the Schakes, Ridders, Hillebrands, Ahmanns and Rocklages. Since Old Highway 47 passed by their farms they could venture south to Marthasville and Marthasville Landing to points along the Missouri River. When traveling north on Old Highway 47 through Hopewell and on to Warrenton they could elect to either go east or west on the famous Booneslick Trail which was the most heavily traveled road in Missouri during the mid-1800´s in support of the great western migration. Stagelines were available there since 1819 to support travelers from St Louis to the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails leading to California and Oregon.

Marthasville and Holstein
Marthasville was the first town to be successfully settled in Warren County in 1818. The families of Herman Ahmann, Jobst Ritter and Kurt Schake were settled west of town after 1856 and by 1870 the town boasted a population of 200 residents which was to more than double by the 1960´s (Figure 21). Mary Rocklage would be living with her family on the western edge of town during the first half of the 20th century. The town was laid out by Dr. John Young of Virginia. He named the town after his first wife Martha Fuqua who died in Virginia in 1805. Dr. Young graduated from the Philadelphia Medical College and came to Warren County in 1816 with his second wife Sarah Scott. Sarah is credited with bringing the first piano to this region of Missouri. It was such a thing of great wonder that ladies walked from Callaway, Montgomery, Lincoln and St Charles Counties just to see the instrument (3). Young´s brother Benjamin arrived to start the first Marthasville store in 1818. A Bavarian born missionary, Pastor Joseph Rieger traveled between Pinckney and Marthasville in 1847 and was petitioned by sixty German families, mostly from Tecklenburg and Lippe-Detmold, to serve as their minister. Rieger noted that these Germans were poor, in debt, their crops were not worth much and all but one family lived in one room cabins. Yet he agreed to stay on as the pastor in Holstein -- without pay! They did offer to provide for his needs. Later the parishioners would build Rieger and his wife a home as he continued to faithfully serve them both at Holstein and Marthasville for 13 years. His efforts resulted in establishing the Missouri Evangelical College in 1850 next to the Herman and Sophia Ahmann farm, and after retirement he served as a trustee of Lincoln Institute, later to become Lincoln University for black scholars in Jefferson City. Marthasville was typical of pioneer towns with steam powered saw and flour mills, a wagon factory, some stores -- one of which was now operated by Harvey Griswold of Pinckney, several churches, separate schools for colored and whites, as well as serving as the principal Missouri River landing for the region.

The Johann Kurt Schake family worshiped in the German Methodisten Kircke of Marthasville which they joined by at least 1865, Molly and Adolph would join later as would Sophia Ritter by 1881. Schake family members continued to worship there until 1945 when the church closed because of a very small congregation. About half of the early church members chose to list themselves as coming from Lippe-Detmold. This church was served as a circuit including Pinckney, Hopewell and Marthasville. Here Martin Charles Schake was baptised on May 15, 1898, Aunt Hulda and Uncle Fred Preul were married and confirmations and funerals were conducted for the early Schakes and their church friends. While the Schakes were apparently regular participants in church activities none of the church records indicate that they were leaders within the congregation.

Holstein was named in honor of the Schleswig-Holstein region in northern Germany and was a small community several miles west the SCHAKES OF LA CHARETTE farm. The proprietor of Hotel Holstein was Louis Biesemeyer of Lippe-Detmold who came to America in 1866 and settled in Holstein in 1870. Prior to the Civil War Ernest and Charolotte Lehmberg, whose farm was mid-way between Holstein and Pinkney, were active abolitionist aiding black slaves in their escape to the freedom. Their farm was used as one of the ´stations´ of the much discussed Underground Railroad which aided some of the 50,000 black slaves relocate further north. On occasion we SCHAKES OF LA CHARETTE would trade in Holstein, especially during floods as the roads over higher land offered another route to and from the farm. Martin Schake would frequently have plow shares sharpened at the blacksmith shop there. Other communities in this region included Peers, Trealor and Concord Hill. The SCHAKES OF LA CHARETTE farm was about mid-way between Marthasville and Holstein.

Dutzow
This small town was close to the second Missouri home of Daniel Boone and to the farm of Gottfried Duden in the Lake Creek community north of Dutzow in Warren County. Dutzow was established by 14 friends and relatives referred to as the Berlin Society in 1833 when 168 building lots were laid-out and offered for sale. Wilhelm von Bock, a staunch believer in communistic ideals, named the town in honor of his Prussian hometown Mecklenburg. Later Henry Schweissguth arrived in Dutzow in 1853 to become one of the ´well-to-do Latin´ farmers and provide stone cutting services to the community. In his native Germany he studied art in Alsfeld and for nine months studied the stone cutting trade in New York City. His descendants owned and operated the John Deere farm implement dealership and blacksmith shop in Dutzow for many years. The Bank of Dutzow was one of the few small banks to survive the Great Depression which was founded by the family of Arnold Volkerding of Oldenburg, Prussia who emigrated around 1840. The Karl Wilhlem Rocklage family would settle near Dutzow after moving from Washington to farm in Charette Township during the boyhood years of Karl Heinrick Rocklage. While living near Dutzow young Karl would depart from the North Washington Landing and Ferry in a skiff with other children to attend school in Washington. By 1884 the Rocklages would purchase a 200 acre farm south of Marthasville. What would eventually become the Emmaus Home for the mentally disadvantaged was started in 1850 about mid-way between Femme Osage and Marthasville, then called the "Evangeliches Predigerseminar" to prepare young men for the Evangelical ministry. Rev. C. Schnake of Femme Osage was elected as the first superintendent of the Emmaus Asylum by 1893, a position he held until 1912. Later Aunt Martha and Aunt Anna Rocklage would work in the Emmaus Home, for Aunt Anna, a record 46 years. Today Dutzow may at the most boast a 100 inhabitants, but the Bank of Dutzow remained the financial headquarters for Martin C. Schake following the great depression until his death in 1976.

Duden was influential in attracting Germans to this area even though it was unlawful to have books of this nature in ones possession in Germany according to Martha Rocklage. Nonetheless, Jacob and Frederick Ahmann were among those lured to Amerika by their friend and author of this book which promised them the "land of the free." Today historians credit letters written to friends and relatives in Germany as the primary factor influencing subsequent migrations. The Ahmann brothers were possibly influenced both by letters and Duden, and no doubt they too influenced others with correspondence to relatives and friends in Germany.

REFERENCES
1) A History of Pioneer Families of Missouri. 1876. Bryan, W. S. and R. Rose. Bryan, Brand & Co., St. Louis.
2) An Illustrated Historical Atlas of Warren County, Missouri. 1877. Edwards Brothers of Missouri, Philadelphia, PA.
3) The Warrenton Banner. 1814, December 18. Fiftieth Anniversary and Historical Number reprinted by Warren County Historical Society (1989).
4) A Missouri History. Houck, L. 1908. Donnelley and Son Company, Chicago.
5) Early Settlers of La Charette. Undated. Irion, D. (Translated by Frank Schoppenhorst).