By Julie Huebel, Pierce County Historical Association
ELMWOOD, WI – I find people’s last names, or surnames, very interesting. Along with genetic traits, it is something we have inherited from a long line of ancestors. Some surnames are very clear where they came from, like in Scandinavian countries they would usually have taken on their father’s first name as their surname with “son” (for sons) or “dotter” (for daughters) at the end to form ‘Johnson’ for example. Growing up there was a name that I was always curious about. What exactly is an Engeldinger, anyway? Well, let’s explore that together in…E is for Engeldinger.
I found one option that was listed on multiple ancestry sites that read: “habitational name for someone from a place formerly named Engeldingen near Luxemburg”. So, it could be referring to a person from Engeldingen, an Engeldinger, if you will. I love that, I hope that is the case for our area Engeldiners! The town or area of Engeldingen seems to have been lost to time, and is no longer on current maps. However, the Institute for Luxembourgish Language and Literature has theorized the town that used to be Engeldingen is what is now Hagondange, France (in German, Hagendingen) along the Moselle River. They used the map shared here from the year 1585 in this article as proof and also referenced records from the late 1400’s and into early 1500’s that help prove this area was once Engeldingen (sometimes spelled Angeldingen). It is not known for sure if the Elmwood’s Engeldinger family’s ancestors were residents of Engeldingen on the Moselle River back in the 1400 and 1500’s, but is very interesting to ponder. Now, let’s get into what we DO know, shall we?
John Engeldinger Sr. was born in 1836 in the Alsace/Lorraine region on the border of France and Germany. An online source lists his parents as Nicolai and Maria. In 1856, he married Mary (Holbeck) in Germany and they came to the US in 1858, initially settling in Dodge County, Wisconsin. Records show that John, still going by the French version of Jean at that time, filed his naturalization declaration paperwork in Dodge County on October 11, 1860. By 1872, John and wife, Mary, came to Eau Galle Township in Dunn County and he farmed 160 acres in the NW corner of Eau Galle Township until selling the farm to his daughter and her new husband, Joseph and Mary Hofacker (how cute Mary and Joseph!). He then went to Durand and started an implement business of J. Engeldinger & Son. His namesake, John Jr. was the “& son” and took over the business after his father’s death. John Sr. died in 1903 of stomach cancer and was buried in Durand’s St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. A newspaper article said of the funeral, “The funeral took place yesterday and was the largest ever held in Durand. 1500 people are said to have been present at the cemetery. Ninety Catholic Knights were present from Menomonie and Eau Galle.” Mary lived to be 88 and died in 1926. John Sr. and Mary had at least 6 children: Ferdinand, Mary Hofacker, Margaret Oesterreicher, Kate Hofacker, and a child that passed away in 1877, Theodore.
Ferdinand was born in 1862 in Fond du Lac County to parents, John Sr. and Mary. He married Matilda (Bauer-Reisner) in 1889. Matilda died at age 68 from a stroke in 1936, Ferdinand died in 1943 and they are buried in the Elmwood Catholic Cemetery at Farm Hill. They had five children: Gertrude McCardle, Elsie Marto, Lucille Brimi, Walter, and Edward.
Walter was born in 1894 to Ferdinand and Matilda. Walter & Theresa “Racy” (Kainz) were married in 1920 in Elmwood. He was a WWI veteran, serving in France. Walter ran for Pierce County Sheriff in 1932. He and his wife, owned and operated a restaurant and tavern in Elmwood for several years. Walter died in 1980 at age 86 and Racy passed away in 1993, they are buried in Farm Hill Catholic Cemetery.
Harold Engeldinger was born to Walter and Racy in 1922, he married Ardell (Herpst) in 1951 (she was previously married to Blake Nelson). Harold served in WWII in Company A of the 788 Military Police Battalion. Harold passed away in 1971 and is buried in Farm Hill Catholic Cemetery. Ardell remarried Chris Maves in 1973. Ardell passed in 1987 and is buried in Poplar Hill Cemetery.
If someone has old photos of early generations of this family, please share!
