Surname Saturday - Niehaus

My Niehaus family came to the US from Wildeshausen, Oldenburg, Germany.  While I have some information on the names and dates in the family tree, I don't know too much about their life in Germany.  They came to the US in 1865 and settled in Mercer County, Ohio.

My 3x great-grandfather Charles (Carl Theodor Heinrich) Niehaus was born in 1831 in Wildeshausen and died in 1906 in Celina, Ohio. His occupation was listed as a Handwerker which translates to manual laborer or craftsman. His son Henry came to the US with his family at the age of 10 or 11 and lived most of his life in Mercer County, Ohio. On the 1900 census, Henry's occupation is given as Street Commissioner. A newspaper article in 1912 mentions Henry Niehaus as the Director of the County Infirmary. Henry and his wife Anna Rohrer had six daughters: Katir, Walburga, Agnes, Anna, Bertha and Caroline.

Agnes, Anna, Bertha, and Burga Niehaus in the early 1900's in Celina, OH

My great-grandmother Anna Niehaus was the first generation born in the US. She was born in Celina, Ohio on April 11, 1888 and married Charles Creeden on November 27, 1907. According to my father, Anna was the Matron of the Mercer County Jail when Charles was Sheriff in the 1920s. He also said that she was quite the sharp shooter and at one time met and did some shooting with Annie Oakley!

Anna and Charles had three children: Carl Edward (1908-1912), Robert Frank (1911-1995), and Mary Mae (1914-1999). Anna and Charles raised my father after the death of his mother in 1934.

I am lucky to have several nice pictures of my Niehaus family. Carl and Robert are pictured on the far left in my blog header. The second picture from the left is a family portrait of Anna, Carl, Robert, and Charles in 1911. Mary Mae is the young girl with the umbrella.

Once again, thanks to Marj for sharing her information on the Niehaus family. Marj is the granddaughter of Anna's sister Bertha. Thanks also to Heather of Leaves for Trees for her tip on using Excel for ancestor graphics.