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Source for some of this information is the Pfleger Family tree provided by Richard Pfleger

To jump straight to photographs, click here: pics

Mentioned in the following letter: 10-21-1932 Irene

Second group of photos at Book and Piano. Click on image to enlarge. Once enlarged, to zoom, move cursor to right of image, back onto image, and click again.

Louis and Rose in Chicago (photo loaned by their granddaughter)	wedding of Henry Pfleger. Suspect one of the girls in white behind bride is Hilda. Dell Pfleger far right, Irene beside her. Rose likely there too.	1-6-1934 at wedding of Henry Pfleger. She is #43, and her daughter Hilda is #37
same as previous photo, clean copy	same occasion, slightly less blurry shot	Rose's death certificate
her obituary	Hazel, I think. Woman behind her in last frame may be Rose.	Hazel, I think
again, I think it's Hazel	Hazel, I think

book and piano shots

Hilda, I think, not looking her best--note the outfit	same outfit, at the piano with a book	same outfit, note the piano cover
book and piano--is this Rosina, Hilda's mother?	Is this Henrietta? Book and piano, and looks like Hilda's previous photo top of the piano far right edge	same piano cover, and the book again. The style looks older. Might this be Rosina as a girl? Or perhaps a Weren relative? Hazel Weren? Unknown.

Rose's granddaughter said that Hilda told her that Rose was one of 11 children, one of whom committed suicide in Germany. She was under the impression that Rosina and Johann were brother and sister, and thought Johann had gone back to Germany to fetch both his wife's brother Ludwig and his own "sister" at the same time, when Ludwig was 17 and Rose 12, so that they came over on the same boat. A romantic story, but perhaps not accurate (see ship info below). She was told that Rose was born in Metz or Schlatburg in the Alsace area.

According to Irene Pfleger Wachdorf's daughter, both Irene and Hilda thought Rosina and Johann Pfleger were brother and sister. Research by Oscar Pfleger's grandson, however, led him to conclude that Rosina was the daughter of Johann's cousin (also named Johann Pfleger). So our Johann Pfleger's Uncle Franz had a son, Johann, and it was this cousin Johann Pfleger (son of Franz) who was the father of Rosina.

If that's not complicated enough, she then came to the US and married her father's cousin's brother-in-law (Ludwig/Louis Grimm was brother of Johann's wife Maria Grimm Pfleger). She married the brother of the wife of her father's cousin.

When and where exactly they married I don't know, but by 1891 when daughter Hilda was born they were living in Chicago (and the early photo of them as a couple was taken in Chicago). Sometime in 1892, before the birth of his son on Dec. 11, 1892, Louis Grimm died, possibly of TB (though this fact, coming down through oral history, may be garbled, since Louis Grimm Jr. died of TB). After his death oral history says Rose moved back to Jackson, Michigan, to be with family. She may have moved in with the Pflegers, or her children may have (Irene Pfleger Wachdorf always said Hilda was raised like a sister to her, and Louis was still with the Pflegers in the 1900 and 1910 census, and in fact is buried beside them).

In a card rec'd June 007, Louis Grimm Jr's daughter wrote: Henrietta painted the china...that was not "Hildy's" forte, but she was a great lady. Also Hildy said that Hazel was retarded. Don't know why Aunt Irene's family raised my dad. 

Paper trail:

7-14-1881 (this may or may not be the right Rosina, but Rose repeatedly gave census takers the immigration year 1881 and told her daughter she came over at age 12): the ship Rhynland arrived in NY from Antwerp, Belgium carrying passengers from Bavaria, including passenger Rosa Pfleger, age 13. The actual list, in order, was Philip Pfleger (two digit age illegible); Charlotte, 7; Emma, 5, then Anna Rohm or Rahm, 15; Heinrich Walter, 17, farmer; Elise Wienemann or Wiesemann, 17; Rosa Pfleger, 13; Fried. Souser (hard to read, might not have been Souser), 71, farmer (nationality: US not Bavarian). Note: according to the Pfleger family tree, Rosina's grandmother was Karolina Walter, and her aunt was Katharina Walter Pfleger. Karolina died in 1864, and her husband in 1874. The tree provides no death dates for Rosina's parents. Phillip Pfleger's connection is unclear.

Note regarding the above info: Rosina was supposedly the daughter of our Johann Pfleger's cousin. Our Johann's mother's maiden name was Walter. The name is no doubt quite common, but there on the Rhynland, between other Pflegers and Rosa, was Heinrich Walter. Have no idea if they connect. Another note: the ship Noordland arrived in NY from Antwerp 4-8-1887 carrying a Ludwig Grimm, age 29, farmer, who listed his hometown as Katzenbach and his destination as Jackson, Michigan--almost certainly Rosina's husband or future husband. I could find no name resembling Rosa or Rosina Pfleger or Grimm on board the Noordland. If this was Ludwig's first arrival in the US, rather than a return from a trip home, then he and Rose definitely did not come over together.

4-3-1884: Rosina Pfleger in the wedding registry of Jackson, Michigan as witness at the marriage of Johann's sister, Lena Pfleger Philipp, to August Philipp. Her fellow witness was Charles Philipp, and both were listed as residents of Jackson

1888 Jackson Michigan directory lists Louis Grimm on 510 E. Main, occupation: meat market, and says he boards at the same address. Can't tell if it's the right Louis Grimm, but his brother Peter and his brother-in-law Johann were both butchers. Rose would've been twenty in 1888. Don't know if they were married yet, and living together above the meat market. Somehow doubt it.

1890 Jackson Michigan directory lists Louis Grimm in the city of Jackson, occupation: driver. Business name: Carl Eberle. It said he boarded at the northwest corner of Bridge and Water (Carl Eberle had a brewery on the corner of Bridge & Water). Again, can't tell if this is the right Louis Grimm, or if the right one is already in Chicago. I swear I've come across the name Carl Eberle somewhere else, just can't place it. 

Don't know when precisely Louis Grimm Sr. died, nor where he is buried.

1900 census, Chicago, Butler St. (renting):

Charles "Warren" born Nov. 1850 in PA of German parents (watch for this to change), married 10 years (!!), occupation: finisher.

Wife Rosa, born Jan. 1865 (death certificate says 1868) in Germany, married 10 years (!!), mother of three of whom three are living (it's only three if you don't count Louis, which she apparently doesn't).

daughter Hilda, born April 1891 in IL (and it says her father was from PA, which matches Charles, not Louis)

daughter Hazel born Dec. 1896 in Illinois

daughter Henrietta born Jan/June 1898

boarder Leo Dortch

(Louis Jr. is with the Pfleger's in this census, listed as born Dec. 1893 in Michigan, nephew--that 1893 becomes 1892 on all other records).

1910 census, Chicago, Prairie Ave. (renting):

Charles B. Weren, 54, married 18 years (!!), born in Germany, naturalized in 1866, occupation: finisher in furniture industry.

Wife Rosa K., 41 (yet ten years ago she was 35), immigrated 1881, married 18 years (!!), mother of four of whom four are living (again, it should be five, counting Louis).

daughter Hilda K.17, operator for telephone office

Hazel M., 14

Henrietta A., 11

Charles, 8.

(Louis is again with the Pflegers, nephew, 18, single, stockman in dry goods store).

At some point between 1910 and 1920 Charles Weren died. Rose kept the name Weren, but Hilda reverted to Grimm, and when she was named godmother of her cousin's daughter, she was listed as Hilda Grimm, which implies either that Charles was already gone or that only the census taker put her last name as Weren instead of Grimm. By 1917 Louis Grimm Jr. listed on his draft registration that his reason for exemption was support of mother and sister, and his address was on Indiana Ave, matching Rose's in 1920 and 1930.

1920 census, Chicago, Indiana Ave (transcribed as "Wesaw"):

Rose Weren, 51, widowed, immigrated 1880, naturalized 1885, no profession

Daughter Hazel Weren, 24, for some reason listed this time as born in Missouri, no profession

Daughter Henrietta Weren, 21, born in Illinois, cashier for grocery co.

Son Chas. Weren, 18, born IL, marker for St-- Co. (Steel? Stock?)

Son Louis Grimm, 27, born MI, bill clerk for express company

Son-in-law Guy Forney, 30, born IN of father from PA and mother from IN, occupation: medical examiner for st-- RR (first word not legible, by the way, he signed the death certificate for Maria Grimm Pfleger, Rose's sister-in-law)

daughter Hilda Forney, 29, born IL, supervisor for telephone co.

(Also two boarders, Benjamin and Alfred Drufuchock, 33 and 30, one a chauffeur but the other a print maker for a portrait company, which might explain all the informal photos of this family. (Looks like Louis could not come to live with his mother and sisters until Charles Weren Sr. was out of the picture.)

1930 census, Chicago, Indiana Ave. (transcribed as "Warren" again):

Rose Weren, age 62, immigrated 1881.

Daughter Hilda C. "Farney" age 37, married at 23 (but Guy is not in the house), supervisor for telephone co.

Daughter Henrietta Calahan, age 32, (back to being born in IL), married (doesn't give age at marriage), copy writer in advertising industry.

Granddaughter Marilyn Calahan, 4

granddaughter "Burnadine" Calahan, 6 (both born in IL).

letter written by Irene Pfleger Wachdorf to her daughter, 10-21-1932, said, "I think we will bring them (warm winter clothes) a week from next Sunday and bring Aunt Rose and Hilda along at the same time, as you know Aunt Rose couldn't come after it got too cold as she has never been quite the same since she had the yellow jaundice."

Regarding her children Charles Jr. and Hazel: When Louis Grimm Jr. died of TB in 1933, his obituary listed his siblings as Hilda, Henrietta and Charles. Hazel may simply have been omitted by a careless newspaper person, or may have predeceased him. If I have photographs of Charles Weren, I don't know it. The only shots I have that might be Hazel are in the gallery above, included because they were clearly taken the same day as some shots of young Hilda, with the same props.

Connection: Rose's cousin was John Pfleger, whose daughters married Wachdorfs. Also John's wife was Maria Grimm, sister of Rose's husband.