Ozaukee County Documents


Henry & Mary Traufler
submitted by Jan Patrick Mongoven

My name is Jan Patrick Mongoven. I am a descendant of two Ozaukee County pioneers, Henry and Mary Traufler. Both were born in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg around 1790. They emigrated with their children and settled at Belgium in what was then Washington...and later Ozaukee County, WI. Here are their bios:

Henry Traufler was born in Luxembourg in about 1792. His wife was Mary, (her maiden name remains a mystery) and the couple had three children: Nicholas, Anna, and Susanna (Susan). They emigrated from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg around the time of 1847, settling in America with many other Luxembourgers in Belgium Township, Washington (later Ozaukee) County, Wisconsin.

Henry was a farmer and is cited in the 1850 Wisconsin Census (p. 77). His name is mistakenly spelled "Trowfler." According to information from the AIS Mortality Schedule for Wisconsin, Mary Trowfler had died of fever at the age of 60 and shortly before the census was taken. She left her husband, Henry, and children, Anna, Nicholas, and Susan.

In the 1860 Wisconsin Census, Henry farmed in Belgium assisted by his son-in-law, Nicholas Thieri, daughter Susanna, and three small children, Jean, Susanna, and Peter. He continued in that occupation and was listed in both the 1870 and the 1880 Wisconsin Census, while living with Nicholas and Susanna.

Death came to this Wisconsin pioneer at the age of 90 on August 6, 1880. Henry Traufler's probate record states that he had three children: Nicolaus, residing in Stearns County, Minnesota; Anna, wife of John Mondlach, residing in Hancock, Michigan; and Susanna, wife of Nicolaus Tierrie, residing in the town of Belgium, Wisconsin. He is buried next to his wife in the Catholic Cemetery at Lake Church, just east of Belgium.

Nicholas Traufler, a son of Henry and Mary Traufler, was born in Garnich, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on February 23, 1823. In his earliest years, while attending school in Luxemburg, he met young Elizabeth (Lizzie) Koppes. The Koppes and Traufler families emigrated from Luxembourg in different years, yet were reunited in the town of Belgium, Washington (later Ozaukee) County, Wisconsin. The Traufler family arrived in America around the year 1843, while Lizzie's family arrived around 1854. Nicholas proposed to Lizzie and the couple were married on July 27, 1854.

The Nicholas Traufler family is listed in the 1860 Federal Census for Wisconsin (p. 615; Ozaukee County, WI). Nicholas worked as a blacksmith in Belgium Township. His wife, Elizabeth, and daughters Anna (3) and Maria (2) are listed. In addition, Anna Kopes (51), Elizabeth's mother, lived with the family. The family moved next to Houghton County, Michigan. After spending several years in the village of Hancock, the couple and their children moved to Minnesota.

Elizabeth Koppes Traufler was born to Mr. and Mrs. Adam Koppes in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on May 17, 1835. As a child, she attended school with Nicholas Traufler. The two families were separated for a time and, after her father died in Luxembourg, she emigrated with her mother from Luxembourg. The Koppeses and Trauflers were united once again in the town of Belgium, Wisconsin. Elizabeth (Lizzie) accepted her childhood friend's proposal of marriage and the couple were married on July 27, 1854.