Points of Confusion in my family tree

If anyone has any information that might help me clear up any of these matters, I would appreciate you writing to me at alan@denke.org.

1. There is some question about whether Whilhelm Frederick Denke was in fact the son of Martin Denke. Gailya Logan of South Dakota has him listed as one of the children of Martin Denke in her books, but Whilhelm's descendents have only stated that this is a theoretical possibility. There are some interesting facts to note on this subject:

a. Garry Denke, who did extensive genealogical research and is a descendant of Whilhelm Denke puts the birth place of Whilhelm Frederick Denke as Essen, Germany. This is a good distance away from Danzig or Denzig, Germany, both of which are now in Poland. Also, Whilhelm Frederick was born 11-1/2 months after his possible brother, Johann Denke, who was born in Danzig (or Denzig). While not impossible, the average time between births is 18-24 months. Interestingly, in support of a possible connection, I briefly spoke to Whilhelm Frederick Denke's granddaughter, Ruth Walk, who lived across the street from him and she believed that the part of Germany he came from was now part of Poland. Essen is still in Germany today, whereas Danzig and Denzig are both in Poland.

b. Whilhelm's first name may have been spelled Wilhelm - see the family group sheet in the photos section under Whilhelm Frederick Denke.

c. I have seen Whilhelm's wifes name as Emilia Laude, Amelia Laude, and Amelia Loudy. It isn't clear exactly which one is correct, but Loudy is generally an English surname and Laude is German.

d. Garry Denke's written family history gives no specific birth date for Whilhelm Denke and says only that he was born in 1864. Gailya Logan's information has a specific birth date of 1/6/1864. The family group sheet referred to above has a birth date of January 1864. When I asked Gay where she got this birth date, she was unable to come up with an answer as a lot of her records have been destroyed. I believe that these miscellaneous versions of the birth date support the idea that Whilhelm Frederick Denke was the son of Martin Denke - but I guess we may never know for sure.

 

I have a few more items to post here, that I will put up soon.