Other Events:

• Name: Sena
• : 1878
• : 29 May 1886; Castlegarden.org shows a Gesina immigrating from Lankenburg (likely Blankenburg) Germany on SS Hermann.

Notes:

Other Scherff individuals nearby:
Gired (or Jired) Scherff on 1900 Rock Rapids Census, page 38 - born 1877
John Scherff on 1900 Lyon County (Cleveland Township), page 12 - born 1877
John Scherff on 1900 census, probably Lyon county.
John Scherff on 1870 census from Polk County, IA, page 245

Gesina married Henry Hans Schlotfeldt on 3 Dec 1889 in Rock Rapids, Lyon County, Iowa, USA. Henry (son of Henry F. Schlotfeldt and Margaretha Catharina Christiana Kroeger) was born in 1864; died in 1951 in Alvord, Lyon County, Iowa, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Baby Schlotfeldt was born in Stillborn; died WFT est 1886-1910.
2. Fred H. Schlotfeldt was born on 6 Dec 1892; died on 11 Oct 1918.
3. Mabel Adelia Schlotfeldt was born on 4 Nov 1894; died on 12 Jun 1970.
4. John Jacob Schlotfeldt was born on 16 Feb 1896; died on 24 Apr 1974.
5. Albert Julius Schlotfeldt was born on 4 Oct 1898; died on 25 Feb 1974.
6. Henry William "Hy Jr" Schlotfeldt was born on 19 Nov 1900; died on 9 May 1976.
7. Walter Edward Schlotfeldt was born on 24 Jul 1903; died on 27 Jan 1995.
8. Hilda Henrietta Schlotfeldt was born on 14 May 1906; died before 1995.
9. Otto Herman Schlotfeldt was born on 21 Apr 1909; died on 17 Mar 1995.
10. Erwin Carl Schlotfeldt was born on 2 Sep 1912 in Alvord, Lyon County, Iowa, USA; died on 25 Jun 1982 in Rock Rapids, Lyon County, Iowa, USA.

Other Events:

• : 1881, Hannover, Germany; 1900 Federal Census Shows John Immigrated before Maria or children. Passenger List "Strassburg" from Bremen to Baltimore in Oct 1881 shows family immigrated together. The father may have returned for the family. They are listed with the surna

Notes:

CastleGarden.org shows a Scharff family arriving on 9 Oct 1881 with ultimate destination of Iowa. Members of the family are Gesine, Jacob, Johann (father), Johann, Johanne, Maig, Maria. Many of the birth dates match. The ship's name was the Strassburg (Bremen).

Immigrated from Hannover, Germany area to Holstein, IA. Moved to Doon, IA in 1900 and had 11 children. Hannover may have been their city of departure, not hometown. - Excellda Watke Shaw

Felix Meier Tree on Ancestry.com shows immigrated Oct 1881 on Strassburg from Bremen to Baltimore.

From http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialyon/bankingtwo.htm:
Temperatures were unseasonably cold the early months of 1907 and there was considerable fear that the crop could not be gotten into the ground soon enough. In April temperatures were dropping below freezing almost every night. Vegetables that had been planted were lying dormant. Fruits were damaged and early seeded cereals were in great danger. Some reseeding was being started.

A bad electrical storm hit the week of June 27 and many barns were struck, several destroyed. At the John Scherff farm the house and barn burned down as the result of lightning and five horses and a colt in the barn were destroyed.


John's name may have been Johann Jochim Heinrich Scharf, born in Mecklenberg to Friedrich Ludwig Scharf and Maria Dorothea Engel. The Friedrich listed as his brother may actually be his father in Wisconsin! Also possible is that he is the son of Friedrich Scherff and Maria Best of Plaggenburg Aurich, Hannover. Hannover is their likely birthplace according to most records.

me of Scharff.

John married Maria Steinke about 1869. Maria was born on 5 Apr 1848 in Hannover, Germany; died on 27 Jun 1935 in Luverne, Rock County, Minnesota, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• : 1882

Notes:

Some of the Steinke family changed their name to "Miller" because the English pronounciation sounded like "Stink Cat" or "Stinky". - email on 24, April 2002 from Fay Schlotfeldt based on information from Leona Andresen.