i am looking for any one related to adam and helena bong, of roxbury ,wisconsin. they had children in roxbury, and some stayed behind and some went to SD. others changed their last name from bung, to bunk, to bong. below is a write up on the family, if you are related i would love to share family history.
BUNK FAMILY STORY from Renee Meinholz
Adam and Helena Bung(Our Great-Great Grandparents) came from Rheinish
Prussia,near Koln. The death of their daughter, Catherine Bung Oberembt stated her birth place as Conradshein
Prussia. We believe they came to
America in 1853-54. They settled in
Roxbury,
Dame County,
Wisconsin by 1855. Roxbury was a predominantly German settlement. We found alot of the families in this area came from the same part of
Prussia as our ancestors.
Also settling here was their son Joseph(our Great-Grandfather) and his wife Elizabeth and two sons,
Anton and Adam. Elizabeth and Adam passed away in 1855.Joseph married again at
Roxbury on February 9,1857 to Mary Knechtges(our Great-Grandmother), daughter of
Mathias and Anna Marie(
Molitor) Knechtges (our Great- Great Grandparents). T he Knechtges owned land next door to the Bungs.(See enclosed 1873
Roxbury map). In 1858 Catherine was born to this union. Mary Magdalena(Ellen) was born on July 27, 1860.
The 1860 census of
Roxbury,
Dane County, Wiscounsin show these two children plus
Anton (age 7) living with Joseph and Mary. This is the last time we have been able to find any trace of
Anton or Catherine. We do know that in Joseph's obituary in 1904, five sons and one daughter were listed as surviving children. We can only account for four sons without
Anton.
On May 23, 1862 Joseph Bung(or Grandfather) was born in
Roxbury and baptized on May 25, 1862 at St. Norbert's Catholic Church with Joseph Oberembt and Catherine Knechtges as sponsors. The next child born was John- September 8, 1865. When John was about two years old Joseph and mary took their family and moved to
Wilton,
Monroe County ,
Wisconsin. Here
Gottlieb was born on October 19, 168. Mathew was born about 1875.
Joseph and Mary bought a farm in the town of Wellington,
Monroe County,
Wisconsin on January 17, 1879(now owned by Walter
Friske), section 12,Township 15. This farm is located a short distance from Kendal. It was owned by the Bung family until 1904 when it was sold to W.A. Heding. A copy of the land records is included which has our Great Grandmother's signature and our Great-Grandfather's mark-- from this we conclude Joseph could not write.
The Bung name is a very interesting story. When our ancestors settled in
Roxbury their name was spelled BUNG.
Records show that the spelling of the Bung name changed to
BONG. However, in the Kendall area, the spelling of the Bung name changed to
BUNK, As far as we know Joseph and Mary Bung's decendants are the only family(from Adam and Helena) using
BUNK spelling.
As young men ,John and Mathew decided to adventure out West and settled for a while in
South Dakota. John homesteaded for awhile and Mathew worked for a Russian as a farm laborer. Some of the Bongs from
Roxbury also went to
South Dakota and they still have descendants residing there. John and Mathew returned shorly to
Wisconsin and then worked as railroad laborers. Ellen married Mike
Neuhauser at St. Patrick's Catholic Church,
Elroy on February 18, 1884. A "
Landman" arranged this marriage(according to Mike and Ellen's son, Joseph). Ellen had no formal schooling-- she could not read or write. Gottlieb married Mary Saeck at St. Patrick's Catholic Church,
Elroy on April 15, 1894. Witnesses were William Saeck and Elizabeth (
Lizzie) Martin.
On November 15, 1894, Joseph C. (our Grandfather) and Anna Martin (our Grandmother) were united in marriage. Witnesses were
Gottlieb BUNK and Elizabeth (Lissie)Martin. Enclosed is their wedding picture taken at
Elroy,
Wisconsin. Joseph and Anna had four children:Louise, October 13, 1895, Edward, Jne 1, 1897, Martha, January 17, 190, Francis Bernard(our Father), September 4, 1902
hoope to hear from you
elsie