In the early days when Coalinga was just starting, a family with the surname of Kreyenhagen homesteaded and ranched not far that town -- in the vicinity of the Coalinga Mineral Springs. The following is a census record for the first generation of Kreyenhagens who lived near Coalinga. Please note, Mr. and Mrs. Gust Kreyenhagen were immigrants from Germany. Their first child was born in Missouri about eight years before the Homestead Act of 1862. At that time, Indians still roamed the plains, and very few white people managed to establish and maintain farms or ranches there. Surviving the unpredictable weather patterns and hazardous conditions of that region proved extremely difficult, so many people just gave up and moved elsewhere. Perhaps the great hardships of trying to survive out on the arid plains prompted the Kreyenhagen family to move to California. It would be interesting to learn how Gust Kreyenhagen heard about ranch land being sold near Coalinga, and what made him decide to move his family there. I assume they travelled to California in a covered wagon. The R.C. Baker Museum in Coalinga probably has some information on these early settlers. Gust Kreyenhagen and his household United States Census, 1880 Name: Gust Kreyenhagen Event Type: Census Event Year: 1880 Event Place: , Fresno, California, United States Gender: Male Age: 60 Marital Status: Married Race: White Race (Original): W Occupation: Stock Raiser Relationship to Head of Household: Self Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Self Birth Year (Estimated): 1820 Birthplace: Germany Fathers Birthplace: Germany Mothers Birthplace: Germany Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Affiliate Publication Number: T9 Affiliate Film Number: 0065 Household Role Gender Age Birthplace Gust Kreyenhagen Self M 60 Germany Julia Kreyenhagen Wife F 57 Germany Emil Kreyenhagen Son M 26 Missouri, United States Hugo Kreyenhagen Son M 24 California, United States Bertha Kreyenhagen Daughter F 18 California, United States Adolphus Kreyenhagen Son M 16 California, United States Charles Kreyenhagen Son M 14 California, United States Thomas Harvy Other M 49 --- District: 9 , Sheet Number and Letter: 274A , GS Film Number: 1254065 , Digital Folder Number: 004239977 , Image Number: 00554 Adolphus and Elizabeth Kreyenhagen, in the second generation, had at least three children named Edna, Theodore, and Viola. Then in the third generation, Theo Kreyenhagen married Olive Childers and they had two daughters named Thea and Verna Kreyenhagen. Verna married John Den Hartog, and they had three children (in the fourth generation) including: Martha Jean, Ruthie, and Teddy. That family lived on Yale Street in Coalinga during the 1950s through at least the 1980s. Martha Jean graduated from Coalinga High School in 1968, and Ruthie and Teddy graduated just a few years after that. Teddy belongs to You Know Youre From Coalinga When, so maybe he will comment on this post, too. The attached photo was probably taken in the 1980s. It shows Dorothy (Lindorf) Kreyenhagen (b. 1904 and d. 1991) and her husband, Carl E. Kreyenhagen (b. 1898 and d. 1988). Those people were Ed Kreyenhagens parents, and they lived in Coalinga. Ed Kreyenhagen taught math for years at Coalinga Junior High School. I think Eds grandfather might have been Charles Kreyenhagen who is listed in the 1880s Federal Census above. However, I havent verified that information yet.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 00:14:24 +0000
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