My Family History
Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall and Lovie Katherine Kraushaar
were married 2-26-1921 in Alton, IL. They had 2
children-Mildred and Walter. Mildred was born
4-20-1922 in Alton. Walter was born 6-30-1943 on farm
near Fieldon. Mildred's son Russell was born
8-22-1937 on farm near Fieldon.
My father Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall (everyone called him by his
middle name Ed) was born 4-4-1897 on a farm south of
Jerseyville near McCluskey, IL. At the age of 2 his
father bought farm near Fieldon where he was raised.
My father had 3 brothers-Alonzo (Lonnie),Jasper, and Floyd and 2
sisters Laura and Anna. Also 6 half-sisters from his
fathers previous marriage.
My grandfather Jasper
Mifflin Westfall was born 2-25-1857 near Roanoke,
West Virginia and died 12-9-1934 on his farm near
Fieldon, IL. My grandfather Jasper Mifflin Westfall had a younger brother Emanuel Westfall.
My grandmother Frances McCaulley Westfall was born
11-16-1869 in W. Virginia and died 1-18-1936 on farm near Fieldon. My father Walter Edward Westfall died 3-17-1977 at hospital in
Pittsfield. My parents and my father's grandparents are buried
in Grimes-Neely Cemetery west of Jerseyville, IL.
My mother Lovie Katherine
Kraushaar was born 2-10-1904 on her father's farm
near Fieldon. Her father Charles kraushaar was born
4-4-1875 on a farm north of Fieldon. He died
11-23-1948 at his home in Jerseyville. He was the son
of Frank and Julia Albert Kraushaar.
My grandmother, my mother Lovie's mother, Caroline (Haushalter) Kraushaar daughter of John George Haushalter and Margaret (Schiller) Haushalter was born
4-14-1881. She died 4-27-1937 in Jerseyville. She was
born on a farm north of Fieldon. My grandparents are
buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Jerseville. My mother Lovie (Kraushaar) Westfall
died 3-19-1995 at nursing home in Pittsfield. My mother
had 2 older sisters-Elizabeth and Freda and a younger
brother Raymond.
My father's grandparents were Emanuel and Hannah (Kelley)
Westfall. The Westfall's originally came from
Westphalia a region of western Germany. The name
Westfall mean people of the western fields or plains.
Westfall's were a tribe of people in ancient times
who lived on the western plains of Germany. My
grandmother Frances McCaulley was of Irish descent.
My mother's grandparents were of German
descent. Her grandparents came to America in the mid 1800's
and her parents still spoke german. Her grandmother
Haushalter came from Bavaria in Germany. The name
Kraushaar in German means curly hair. The name
Haushalter means house holder.
My first recorded Westfall
ancester came to America 8-4-1642 aboard a ship
called ''The Houttuyn" which left Texal, Holland
6-6-1642. At age 13 Jurian (George) Westfall arrived
at the port of New Amsterdam (New York). He had lived
in Luydendorf, The Netherlands. His Westfall
ancestors had immigrated to Holland from Westphalia
in Germany about 1600. The name Westfall originally
was preceded by Von which indicated German nobility.
It is not known whether his parents died in Holland
or enroute, or he came with other relatives.
Jurian married Marritje (Mary) Hanson Van Nordstrand whose father was Hans Hanson Van Nordstrand who had a farm on Long Island. Hans Jansen (Hansen) Van Nordstrand was born Bet. 1600 and 1610 at Nordstrand, Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark (now Germany). He Married Rymerig Volkert (date unknown). He�died April 1, 1690 in Amersfoort, Long Island, (Flatlands) Brooklyn, NY. Maritje's mother was Rymerig Volkert, born Bet. 1600 and 1610 in Nordstrand. Maritje's father Hans Hansen Van Nordstrand (Hansen of Nordstrand) came to New Amsterdam, NY in 1639. The name Nordstrand came from the Isle of Nordstrand (translation: "north shore"�) which is in present day Germany. According to old Dutch Reformed Church records Jurian and Marritje were married in 1653 or 1654 and had 6 children: Rymerick, Johannes (our direct ancestor who married Maritje Kool), Abel, Elsjen, Symen, and Nicholas.
According to old records Jurian was a farmer, and he
was killed by indians whle acting as a guide for a
troop of soldiers in 1667.
His eldest son was Johannes born in
1659 who was our direct ancestor. Johannes moved with
his family in about 1700 on the Delaware River near
the NY/NJ line. Johannes grandson Cornelius moved
with his family to Virginia about 1770. Cornelius's
great-great grandson Jasper moved to Fieldon, IL in
1893.
My grandparents had neighboring farms and the families
visited & helped each other at harvesting and
butchering times. My parent's both worked on the
farms from an early age helping their parents.
My parents Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall and Lovie (Kraushaar) Westfall eloped because her parents didn't want
her to marry. My mother packed her clothes and slipped
from the house in the middle of the night while her
parents were asleep and met my father who was waiting with a
buggy. They went to Alton, IL that night and were married
the next day 2-26-1921. They were married by a
Justice Of The Peace. My father's oldest brother Lonnie Westfall was best
man. They boarded a train for Gibson City, IL where
my father's Uncle Emanuel Westfall and his family lived. My father worked there on a farm
for about a year before returning to Alton to run a
restaurant on Belle St. where my sister Mildred
was born 4-20-1922. Later my father worked at Shell Oil and
Tannery and He and my mother lived in Hartford,
IL.
In the late 1920's my parents and their
little daughter Mildred moved on a farm near Nutwood
along the Illinois River. It rained a lot while they
were there and the levee broke a time or two. In
about 1931 they bought a farm near my grandfather Jasper Mifflin Westfall's farm near
Fieldon, the homeplace where my father grew up. It was during The Depression and times were
hard. They had to get water from a shallow well at a
long distance from the house which often went dry.
My sister Mildred walked to same school her mother Lovie (Kraushaar) Westfall had
attended several miles away.
Mildred married
Russell Oliver Thompson (1919-2004), son of Logan and Viola (Bowers) Thompson, who
lived on a farm nearby. the marriage ended in divorce and Mildred returned to her parents farm where her
son Russell was born 8-22-1937. Her first husband Russell Thompson remarried to the former Hazel Schaaf, and they had a son Raymond Thompson of Fieldon, IL, and a daughter Verna Kay (Thompson) Ontis of Fieldon, IL, and a stepdaughter Shirley Jean Johnson of Roxana, IL. Later in the 1940's
Mildred married Joseph Alben in Alton. In about 1941
my parents bought my grandfather Jasper Mifflin Westfall's farm after he and my grandmother's
death, from T.K. Matthews who had bought the farm after their death.
There 6-30-1943 I was born, Walter Charles Westfall, the son of Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall and Lovie Katherine (Kraushaar) Westfall, near Fieldon, Otter Creek Township, Jersey County, IL. In 1973 my parents and I moved to Pearl,
IL. My father Walter Edward Westfall died 3-15-1977 in Pittsfield, Pike County, IL, and my mother Lovie (Kraushaar) Westfall died 3-17-1995 Pittsfield, Pike County, IL. My parents are buried in Grimes-Neely Cemetery 3 miles West of Jerseyville, Illinois on IL state Rt. 16.
My father Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall is a ninth generation American. 1. Jurian
Westfall (1629-1667) married Marritje (Mary) Hanson
(German descent) in 1655.
2. Their son
Johannes (John) born 1659 married Maritje Kool in
1683, later spelled Cool or Cole, of Dutch
ancestry.
3.Johannes and Maritje had a son
Jacob born 1693 who married Margrietje (Margaret)
De Duyster born 1696 of French ancestry, and Johannes
and Margrietje had another son Abel born 1696 who
married Antjen (anna) Bogaert in 1717 of Dutch
ancestry.
4.Jacob and Margrietjes daughter
Elizabeth married Abel and Antjens son Cornelius born
1721 , her cousin.
5.Cornelius and Elizabeth's son Cornelius Jr. born in 1759 married Elizabeth Helmick daughter of Jacob and Barbara Hinkle Helmick and they were the parents of Jacob C. Westfall my father Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall's greatgrandfather.
6.Jacob C. Westfall born
1797 married Elizabeth Runyon Smith born 1799. They had a son Emanuel Westfall who was my father Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall's
grandfather.
7. Emanuel Westfall (1828-1863) married
Hannah Kelley (1937-1918). She was
of Irish ancestry. Emanuel was killed while plowing
field during Civil War. His wife Hannah had to care
for the two young children Ed's father Jasper and
Emanuel Jr.
8. My father Walter Edward Westfall's father Jasper Mifflin Westfall married
Frances McCaulley (1869-1936) of Irish ancestry. My grandfather Jasper Mifflin Westfall was born in 1857 and died in 1934.
9. My father Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall
married my mother Lovie Kraushaar in 1921.
My mother Lovie (Kraushaar) Westfall is a
third
generation American.
1. My mother's grandfather Frank Kraushaar date of
birth about 1836 in Germany died about 1879. He emigrated from
Germany to America. He married Julia Anna Albert. She was born in about 1842 in Germany and died
about 1900. They are buried in Fieldon Cemetery in Fieldon, IL.
2. Charles Kraushaar my mother's father
(4-4-1875-11-23-1948) married Caroline Haushalter 4-14-1898, the daughter of John George Haushalter and Margaret (Schiller) Haushalter. John George Haushalter died in 1881, date of birth 1842 in Missouri. His parents born in France. Margaret remarried in 1885 to George Meyer.
They had no children. She was born 1844 in Bavaria,
and died 4-12-1926 in Jerseyville. She was invalid in
wheelchair in later years. 3. My mother was a third
generation American.
My mother's oldest sister Elizabeth M. Kraushaar was born 4-12-1899 near Fieldon, Jersey County, and died 9-29-1976 at Waverly Municipal Hospital in Waverly, Iowa. She married John P. Horn 1-1-1920. He was the son of Philip and Emma (Doll) Horn. John Horn was born 4-8-1896 in East Saint Louis, St. Clair County, IL. He died 2-6-1981 in Waverly, Iowa. John Horn's father Philip Horn was born in Germany 6-14-1865, and died 12-28-1927 in East Saint Louis, IL. He was a stone mason. John Horn's mother Emma (Doll) Horn was from Lebanon, IL. She died in 1898 shortly after the birth of John's brother George Horn. John and Elizabeth (Kraushaar) Horn had one daughter, Mary Alice Horn born 3-31-1929 in East St. Louis, St. Clair County, IL, and died 10-27-2008 at Allen Hospital, Waterloo, IA. Her burial was in Mount Vernon Township Cemetery, in Waterloo, IA. Mary Alice Horn married Earl H. Gibson June 13, 1947. He was born December 23, 1921, in East St. Louis, St. Clair County, Illinois, the son of Earl H. and Agnes E. (Martin) Gibson Sr. He died June 24, 1993 at Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo, IA. His burial was in Mount Vernon Township Cemetery, in Waterloo, IA. He farmed in Iowa. They had 9 children-Mona Gibson, Stuart Gibson, Laura Gibson, Duane (Buck) Gibson, Wylene Gibson, Peggy Gibson, Karen Gibson, Kent Gibson, and Brad Gibson. Uncle John and Aunt Elizabeth lived in Caseyville, IL, and he worked at a steel mill in St. Louis, MO, and they later retired in Iowa near their daughter Mary and family.
My mother's other sister Freda E. Kraushaar (1-13-1902 to 3-16-1946) died of cancer when only 44. Aunt Freda married William A. Hewitt 9-7-1922 and they had 2 children-Helen Hewitt and William Hewitt. William and Freda (Kraushaar) Hewitt's daughter Helen K. Hewitt was born 10-23-1925 in the Union Forest area, Otter Creek Township, Jersey County, IL. She died 2-22-1974 at Jersey Community Hospital, Jerseyville, IL. She married James William Wahl born 3-28-1922 in Jerseyville, Jersey County, IL. He died 9-14-1990 at his residence at Bee Creek near Pearl, Pike County, IL. He was the son of James Francis Wahl and Nora (Murphy) Wahl. They had 4 sons-James Wahl, Alan Wahl, Richard Wahl, and Robert Wahl, and a daughter Pamela Wahl. Helen's 2nd husband was E. J. Simpson. James wahl married 2nd to the former Lola I. Lowe, the daughter of Charles and Cecelia (Cope) Lowe. Lola had been married before and had a son Gene Uphold of Pittsfield, IL, and a daughter Joyce (Lowe) Herron of Mitchell, IL. William and Freda (Kraushaar) Hewitt's son William A. Hewitt Jr. died of cancer 2-10-1985 in Tampa, Florida. He was born 11-29-1930 in the Union Forest area, Otter Creek Township, Jersey County, IL. He and wife Dolores had 4 children-William (Willy) Hewitt, Robert Hewitt, Rebecca Hewitt, and Lisa Hewitt. He worked on the railroad. After William Hewitt's death his wife Dolores remarried to Rev. Patrick Malcor. He died in 2005. Dolores now lives in New Port Richey, Florida.
My mother's younger brother Raymond Charles Kraushaar (11-22-1906 to 11-15-1975) had 2 sons -Clifford Kraushaar from his first wife Evelyn Young who died in 1991, and Victor Kraushaar from his second wife Mildred Adams (1925-2009). My Uncle Raymond Kraushaar worked at a grain elevator in Jerseyville, IL. His son Clifford Kraushaar also worked there until he retired in 1995. Clifford Kraushaar married the former Marilyn Baker and has 7 children. He lives in Otterville, IL. Victor Kraushaar has 2 children. He lives in Jerseyville, IL and works at a steel mill in Alton, IL.
My mother's father Charles Kraushaar had 3 brothers and 7 sisters.-Joseph Kraushaar, Frank Kraushaar, John Kraushaar, Anna Kraushaar, Rosa Kraushaar, Mary Kraushaar, Josephine Kraushaar, Elizabeth Kraushaar, and 2 half sisters, Catherine Weisner and Lena Weisner. His brother Joseph (1866-1928) farmed in the Fieldon area. He married Christina Martin 6-22-1888 and they had 12 children-Otto, Fred, Chris, Clarence, Herbert, Charles, Elizabeth, Inas, Katie, Julia, Josephine, and Anna. Joseph is buried in the Fieldon Cemetery. His brother Frank (1865-1937) also farmed in the Fieldon area and was married first to Ida Houseman and they had 4 children-William, Lou, Edward, and Gussie, and later Frank married Nora Westfall (1-8-1887 to 4-22-1944) (my father's half sister). They married 10-13-1905 and they had 3 children-Leo, Frankie, and Frances. His other brother John (1862-1930) never married and lived in Jerseville. His sister Anna Kraushaar (1877-1960) Married John Carroll and had no children. They both worked at shoe factory in Jerseyville. His sister Rosa Kraushaar (1860-1928) married Bernard F. Freand. They had 10 children-Mena, John, Henry, Lewis, Viola, Anna, Clara, Fannie, Mary, and Elizabeth, and lived in Fieldon, IL area, and his sister Mary C. Kraushaar (1867-1956) married John H. Dunham. They lived in Jersey County area. They had no children. She previously had a daughter Lena M. Kraushaar who married Andrew A. Hetzel. His sister Josephine Kraushaar born in 1873 married Albert V. Hughes 7-10-1892, and they had 5 children-Perry, Sylvester, Anna, Frances, and Mary. His sister Elizabeth (Lizzie) Kraushaar was born in 1868. She may have never married. I don't have any other information about Elizabeth. His half sister Catherine Weisner (1881-1937) married first Asa Norris and had two daughters, Anna and Christine. After his death she married Henry Shults and had a son William. His half sister Lena Weisner married George Devening and they had a son Pearl Devening.
My mother's grandfather Frank
Kraushaar Sr. (1836-1879) committed suicide in Sept. 1879 at about age 43, when her father
Charles was only 4. His wife and
children found his body in the woods on their farm
after he had't come home for several days. My mother's
grandmother Julia (Albert) Kraushaar remarried to William Weisner 5-19-1881 in Jersey County, IL after the death of her first husband Frank Kraushaar Sr. She died about 1900
of breast cancer. My mother said her father often plowed
late into the night with a lantern tied to his horses
harness. As a girl my mother often helped her father saw
wood with a crosscut saw. Her father always wanted
her to help him saw because he said she was the
best at helping him saw.
My mother's mother Caroline Haushalter
Kraushaar had 6 brothers and 2 sisters. Her brother
John Adam (Edward) Haushalter farmed in Jerseyville area and was married to Josephine Springman. They had 7 children-George, Ernest, Carl, Lena, Edna, Clara, and Elma. Her brother George lived in
St. Louis. He was married to Sophia Schmidt and had 6 children-Edward, Buddy, Pauline, Gertrude, Irene, and Cornelia. Her brothers Fredric Haushalter, Henry Haushalter, Louis Haushalter, and William Haushalter all died young. Her sister Kate married first Henry Gropple in 1890, and they had 3 daughters-Gussie and Maggie (twins-Maggie died as a baby), and Frances. After her first husband died Kate married Phillip Horn and they had 2 sons-Arthur and Phillip. Kate's husband Phillip had been married before to Emma Doll and had 2 sons from his first wife-John who later married Lovie's sister Elizabeth and also a son George. Her other
sister Elizabeth was never married. She worked as a
housekeeper in St. Louis. She stayed with Ed and
Lovie on farm at times in later years. She was born
6-4-1875 and died 11-11-1961.
My mother's
grandfather on her mother's side George J. Haushalter, born 1842 in Missouri,
died in 1881 of pneumonia when Lovie's mother was
a baby. His parents were from France. He and Margaret got married in 1866. Margaret was born in Bavaria in 1844. 1870 census showed them living on farm in the Fieldon area. My mother's grandmother Margaret Schiller Haushalter ran farm and cared for children alone after her husband's death until in 1885
she married George Meyer and they later moved to
Jerseyville where he worked on railroad. She was
invalid in later years and George Meyer cared for her
until her death 4-12-1926. He died 1935. They are
buried in Oak Grove Cemetary in Jerseyville.
My mother said her mother told her father she couldn't
work in the house and do outside farm work too, so
Lovie and her sisters and brother Raymond helped him
with farm work. My mother said her mother did a lot of
canning of fruits and vegetables, and made their
dresses. My mother's parents moved to Jerseyville in
later years and bought several acres in NW part of
town. My mother's brother Raymond Kraushaar later built new house
on the property. My mother's mother Caroline (Haushalter) Kraushaar died first in 1937 of
heart problems, and she also had a goiter. My mother's
father Charles Kraushaar died in 1948 also of heart problems.
My grandfather Jasper Mifflin Westfall farmed near Coyville, Kansas in the 1880's
when he was married to his first wife Mary Jane
Shannon.They had 6
daughters-Eva, Nora, Stella, Mamie, Grace, and Marietta
who died when a baby.
My grandfather Jasper Mifflin Westfall was said to have went on a
cattle drive on the Chisholm Trail. An old family
story was that Jesse James once
stayed at their farm when he was wounded and gave
them a cow for helping him, and my grandfather wore 2
pearl
handled long barreled 44 caliber revolvers in those
days. In about 1890 after divorcing his first wife he
went with a team of oxen pulling his wagon from
Kansas to W. Virginia where he met and married my father's
mother Frances McCaulley. They returned and settled
in Fieldon, IL area about 1893.
My father said his
father once whipped him with a blacksnake whip until
his back was bloody. He said his father was a big man
and his mother was small with red hair. He said his
father planted an apple orchard on the hill above the
farmhouse and had a large grape arbor. He farmed
about 300 acres at one time. Ed and his brother Lon
worked in the field at a young age.
In later
years his father sold off most his land. He died in
1934 on the farm after several years of stomach
problems. The doctor thought he might have had
cancer. His wife died just a year later. In January of
1936 she went out barefooted in the middle of the
night to put some straw in a pen for a sow with some
little pigs and died several days later with
Pneumonia.
Westfall family Coat of Arms is a black
shield outlined in a wide band of gold with a silver
horse rampant on a field of black. The crest is a
white horse issuing.
Two brothers, first names
unknown, Von Westphals took part in a rebellion
against Catholic Princes in their district in Germany
in about 1600 and fled to Holland to escape reprisal.
It may or may not be true, but there were many other
Protestants-followers of Luther who did take part in
riots and many were put to death, and there was a
great emigration during the time of religious
troubles.
The Westfall name was derived from
Westphelen which means " western plains", and
Westphals were a tribe of related families who lived
in the extreme western section of Germany. The name
means people of the western plains literally.
Westfall ancestors were ancient Germanic, Teutonic
peoples-Goths,
Ostrogoths,Visigoths,Huns,Vandals,Saxons,Franks,Gauls
, and other more ancient unknown, forgotten
peoples.
My father Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall had 3 brothers and 2 sisters, and 6 half sisters.
His oldest brother Alonzo (Lonnie) Westfall was born 4-13-1895 in Jersey County, IL and died 9-20-1970 in Jersey County, IL. He had 9 children-2 from his first wife Martha Ann Thomas-Lilly Irene Westfall who married Floyd Hetzel 6-16-1935 in Jersey County, IL, the son of George and Catherine (Lenz) Hetzel, and they had one son Francis Hetzel. Lilly died in 1996 in Florida.
Lonnie Westfall Sr. and Martha (Thomas) Westfall's other daughter was Goldie Helen Westfall born 12-17-1919 in Jersey County, IL, and died 12-23-1992 at her residence in Jerseyville, Jersey County, IL. She married first John Hetzel (brother to Floyd Hetzel) 12-30-1936 in Jersey County, IL, and married second Carl Feyerabend in 1944 in St. Charles, MO. Carl Feyerabend was born 1-13-1898 in Jersey County, IL, and died 4-23-1984 at Jersey Community Hospital in Jerseyville, IL. He was the son of Henry and Mary (Elfgen) Feyerabend. Carl Feyerabend and Goldie had no children.
Lonnie Westfall Sr's first wife Martha (Thomas) Westfall married second to Richard Sprowel 6-24-1924, and Lonnie Westfall Sr. married second to Frances Thomas, Martha's sister.
Lonnie had 5 sons and 2 daughters from his second wife Frances Ellen Thomas born 5-26-1904 in Jerseyville, Jersey County, IL and died 5-6-1990 in Carrollton, Greene County, IL. Frances was Martha's sister, Frances and Martha were the daughters of Marshall and Sarah (Schmidt) Thomas.
Lonnie Westfall Sr. and Frances (Thomas) Westfall's son's were Lonnie Jr. and Donald, Phillip, Paul, and Francis. Their son Donald Leon Westfall was born 5-14-1929 in Jersey County, IL, and died 11-14-1982 at Jersey Community Hospital, in Jerseyville, IL. He married Deloris Beula Talley in 1951, the daughter of George and Gertrude (Parker) Talley, and they had a son Dewight Lee Westfall and daughter Donna Jean Westfall who live in the Alton IL area. Their son Dwight Lee Westfall born 5-6-1963 and daughter Donna Jean Westfall born 5-1-1959 who live in the Alton IL area. Their son Dwight Lee Westfall Sr. is married and has a son Dwight Lee Westfall Jr. born 5-23-1985. Dwight Lee Westfall Sr.'s son Dwight Lee Westfall Jr. and Bobbi Jo Sanders have a daughter Makaela Jean Westfall born 6-13-2003. Donald Westfall worked at the flour mill in Alton. He died suddenly of cardiac arrest. After Donald Westfall's death his wife Deloris remarried to Leon Stone in 1985. Deloris died 11-15-2001 in Alton, IL after a lengthy battle with cancer.
My Uncle Lon and Aunt Frances's oldest son Lonnie Marshall Westfall was born 5-3-1925 in Jersey County, IL, and died 9-23-2003 in Belleview, Florida. He was married to Ida Mae Pickett and they had 2 children-Joyce Ann Westfall and Terry Marshall Westfall. He later married Flossy Waters and they had 2 children-Debbie Westfall and Becky Westfall.
Lonnie and Aunt Frances (Thomas) Westfall's other sons Phillip Frank Westfall was born 9-19-1932 in Jersey County, IL and died 2-1-1947 in Jersey County, IL; and Paul Edward Westfall (born 1927 in Jersey County, IL) died when a baby; and their other son Francis Wayne Westfall born 11-26-1947, married Judy Ann (last name unknown), and they have 2 children-Wayne Westfall and Chasity Westfall.
The daughters of my Uncle Lon and Aunt Frances were Viola Mae Westfall born 3-8-1941 in Jerseyville, Jersey County, IL, died 2-14-2011 at the home of her daughter in Tampa, FL., laid to rest in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Tampa, FL., married Virgil L. Dearing born 9-12-1939 in Jerseyville, IL, the son of William and Mary Ellen (Marks) Dearing, and they had 4 children-Virgil Lee Dearing Jr., William Alan Dearing, Wendy Ann Dearing, and Wesley Leon Dearing.
Lonnie and Frances (Thomas) Westfall's other daughter Geraldine Westfall was born 12-27-1942 in Jerseyville, Jersey Co., IL. She died May 27, 2010, at her residence in Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL. Her burial was at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Sprigfield, Sangamon Co., IL. She married Gerald Hederick December 1, 1962. He was born 7-23-1937 in Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL, and died 7-6-1999 in Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL. They had no children.
For more information about my Uncle Lon's family click here My Uncle Lon's Family
My father's oldest sister Laura R. Westfall was born 9-18-1899 near Fieldon, Jersey County, IL, and died 2-26-1976 at Eunice Smith Nursing Home in Alton, Madison County, IL. She married James A. Anderson 4-19-1916 in Jersey County, IL and they had a daughter Frances (Chic) Anderson born 11-12-1916. She died Jan. 2, 2010 in Alton, IL. She married Joseph Arleigh Reed and they had a son James A. "Jim" Reed. Arleigh died in 1990. Their son Jim lives in Alton, IL.
My Aunt Laura later married Joseph I. Coleman born 12-8-1901 in Racola, MO, and died 12-21-1982 at his residence in Jerseyville, Jersey County, IL. He was the son of James and Victoria (Robart) Coleman. He had been married before and had a son Edward Coleman of Elsah, IL, and a daughter Bessie (Coleman) Randall of Panacea, Florida. After Aunt Laura's death Uncle Joe Coleman remarried to her sister Anna.
My father's youngest brother Floyd Westfall was born 4-26-1914 near Fieldon, Jersey County, IL and died 6-3-1991 in Gillespie, Macoupin County, IL. He is buried at Grimes-Neely Cemetery, English Township, Jersey County, IL. He married 6-15-1935 Bertha Wanick born 7-25-1918 near Eldred in Spankey, Jersey County, IL, the daughter of Julius and Lula (Cornelius) Wanick. She died July 28, 2008, at Heritage Manor in Gillespie, Macoupin County, IL. She is buried at Grimes-Neely Cemetery, English Township, Jersey County, IL. Floyd and Bertha (Wanick) Westfall had a son Floyd (Sonny) Westfall Jr. born 3-2-1936 in Jersey County, IL and died 10-25-1993 in Wisconsin at age 57 of a heart attack. He married 7-27-1957 Mary Rushton born 10-14-1940, the daughter of Virgil and Helen (Rybitsky) Rushton. They had 5 children-Brenda Jean Westfall, Donna Marie Westfall, Michael Brian Westfall, James Allen Westfall, and Jayson Floyd Westfall. Sonny lived in Wisconsin.
Floyd and Bertha (Wanick) Westfall's daughter JoAnn Westfall was born 5-18-1941 in Jersey County, IL. She married Clarence Lyle Brown and they had 2 sons-Daniel Eugene Brown and Randel Lyle Brown. JoAnn died 6-1-1997 in Gillespie, Macoupin County, IL of cancer at age of 56. Uncle Floyd died 6-3-1991 at age of 77. Aunt Bertha died 7-28-2008 at age 90. My Uncle Floyd Westfall worked at the steel mill in Alton, IL and farmed in the Medora, IL area. For more information about my Uncle Floyd's family click here My Uncle Floyd's Family.
My father's brother Jasper Westfall was born in April 1907 near Fieldon, Jersey County, IL, and died 10-19-1997 In Alton, Madison County, IL. He married Ruth McNish who was born 3-22-1911 in Missouri, and died 8-5-1974 at St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis, MO. She was the daughter of Michael McNish (wife's name unknown). Before her marriage to Uncle Jasper, Aunt Ruth had a daughter Marie born 12-21-1927. Marie married James Webb, and they had a son James Webb. Marie died 10-14-1946 at age 18 in childbirth. My Uncle Jasper Westfall farmed in the Fieldon, IL area. Jasper and Ruth (McNish) Westfall had 3 sons Jasper Allen Westfall Jr., Matthew Westfall, and Charles Lee Westfall. For more information about my Uncle Jasper's family click here My Uncle Jasper's Family.
Jasper and Ruth (McNish) Westfall's son Jasper Allen Westfall Jr. was born July 12, 1930 in Jersey County, IL. He died Friday, August 31, 1973 at the Wood River Township Hospital in Madison County, IL. He was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Jerseyville, Illinois. He married Frances Ethel Talley 8-1-1949 in Jersey County, IL, the daughter of George and Gertrude (Parker) Talley. After Jasper died on August 31, 1973 Frances married Bobby Crumley on January 5, 1974. Her 2nd husband Bobby Crumley died July 23, 2008. Jasper Westfall Jr. and Frances (Talley) Westfall Crumley had six children-Gloria Jean "Jeanne" Westfall, Allen Lee Westfall, Peggy Ann Westfall, Harry Jasper Westfall, Terry George Westfall, and Sandra Darlene Westfall.
Jasper and Ruth (McNish) Westfall's son Matthew Westfall was born in Jersey County, IL, and he died Sept. 5, 1988 In Jersey County, IL. He was in his 50's, and he died of a heart attack. He was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Jerseyville, IL. He married Marion Lucille Pace 3-29-1952 in Jersey County, IL. She was born 7-9-1934, and died 6-7-92. She was the daughter of Troy and Lucille (Ridenour) Pace, and they had 5 children-Karen Westfall, Mike Westfall, Jackie Westfall, Mark Westfall, and Randy Joe Westfall.
Jasper and Ruth (McNish) Westfall's son Charles Lee Westfall died in infancy 3-3-1943. He was buried at Grimes-Neely Cemetery, English Township, Jersey County, IL.
My father's brother Jasper Westfall remarried after his first wife Ruth (McNish) Westfall's death to Helen Goldia Ruckman (1907-2002) 6-23-1975 in Alton, IL, the daughter of Frank and Stella (Gelkerson) Ruckman. She was married before to Charles H. Pilger. He died in 1969. She had a son Jack Bailey of Meadowbrook, IL.
My father's sister Anna Westfall born May 19, 1904 died 10-15-1992. My Aunt Anna was married to Wesley Griffin (7-20-1873 to 5-12-1943), and they had 7 children. Wesley and Anna (Westfall) Griffin's daughter Viola Griffin (1-12-1926 to 11-11-1985) married Alfred Godar, the son of Paul and Theresa (Becker) Godar, and they had 4 children-Wanda (Godar) Groppel, Theresa (Godar) Killion, and Sylvia (Godar) Chandler, and a son Dwain Godar.
Wesley and Anna (Westfall) Griffin's son Melvin Wesley Griffin was born 11-03-1934 in Jersey County, IL, and died 11-16-1978 in Alton, Madison County, IL. He died of a Massive Coronary. He was married to Frances Elizabeth "Betty" Wilson. He worked a Owen's Illinois Glass Co. in Alton, IL. Melvin and Frances Elizabeth "Betty" (Wilson) Griffin had 4 children-James Wesley Griffin, William Michael Griffin, Susan Kay (Griffin) Brooks, and Cindy Ann Griffin.
Wesley and Anna (Westfall) Griffin's son Virgil Griffin born Nov. 5, 1943, died 1-30-1993 of lung cancer. He married Norma Herman and they had 3 children-Anna (Griffin) Bailey, Dawn (Griffin) Kellam, and Chris Griffin.
Wesley and Anna (Westfall) Griffin's daughter Eunice Marie Griffin married Lewis George Kessler and they had a daughter Carol (Eunice's daughter Carol died 2-28-02). Carol was born 8-9-1948 in Carrollton, IL. Carol was married to Roland "Ed" Essen in 1970 and lived in Brighton, IL at the time of her death. They had 3 children-Brian Essen of Carrollton, Jeanette Essen of Portland, Oregon, and Cindy (Essen) Tripp of Portland, Oregon. Lewis Kessler, Eunice's 1st husband died and Eunice is remarried to Nolan Fugitt and now lives in Oregon City, Oregon.
Wesley and Anna (Westfall) Griffin's daughter Geneva "Sissy" Ruth Griffin was born March 23, 1937, in Fieldon, Richwood Township, Jersey County, IL. She died Nov. 8, 2006, at Des Peres Hospital in St. Louis, MO. She was buried at Grimes-Neely Cemetery, English Township, Jersey County, IL. She was married to Lloyd McClintock. He died in 7-17-1995. Lloyd and Geneva (Griffin) McClintock had a son, John McClintock Sr. of Jerseyville; four grandchildren, John McClintock Jr. of Moline, Ill., and Erikia McClintock, Lance McClintock and Alex McClintock, all of Jerseyville and two great-grandchildren, Dylan Riley McClintock and Chloe McClintock.
Wesley and Anna (Westfall) Griffin's son Harold Wesley Griffin born Oct. 7, 1924, died June 17, 2002, married Wilma Talley, the daughter of George and Gertrude (Parker) Talley. Wilma was born July 31, 1930 (died 3-4-91 age 60 of breast cancer) and they had 2 sons-Ronald Griffin and David Griffin. Harold and Wilma's son Ronald Griffin married Mildred Jones, and they live in Goldbar, Washington. They have 2 children-Dale Griffin and Pamela Griffin. Harold and Wilma (Talley) Griffin's son David and his wife Virginia live in Sultan, Washington. David was married before and had a daughter Kathy. Harold's daughter Rosemary Griffin born 6-30-1963, died at age of 17 of cystic fibrosis 7-4-1980. Harold and Wilma also had a son Mitchell Griffin who died in infancy. Harold remarried and before his death lived near his sons and their families in Washington State. Harold also had a daughter Virginia Griffin from his first wife Marie Miller, the daughter of Marvin and Ruea (Evans) Miller. Marie Miller remarried to Floyd McIntire and lived in the Grafton, IL area. Virginia Griffin married Paul V. Ward May 28, 1960, in Pittsfield, IL. He was born March 3, 1941 in Jerseyville, IL, the son of Arthur and Agnes (Franz) Ward. Paul died April 16, 2010, at St. John's Mercy Health Care in St. Louis, MO. His burial was at Oak Grove Cemetery in Jerseyville, IL. Paul and Virginia (Griffin) Ward had 3 children-Martin Ward; Bonnie Ward who married Mark Helfer, the son Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Helfer; and Anna Ward who married R. Calvin Keaton. Click here for Harold's memorial notice and family information- Harold Wesley Griffin
Wesley and Anna (Westfall) Griffin also had a daughter Norma Jean Griffin who died young.
My father's sister Anna Westfall remarried after the death of her first husband Wesley Griffin to Raymond Bates who died as a result of a tragic mowing accident while working for the State Highway Department. After his death Anna married William C. Pitt (1896-1977), the son of Edward and Lucy (Black) Pitt. He had been married before and had a son Edward Pitt of Greenfield, IL and 2 daughters-Mrs. Marvell Martin of Winchester, IL, and Mrs. Orville (Wilma) Shenkel of East Alton, IL. After William Pitt's death Aunt Anna married Joseph I. Coleman after the death of his wife Laura (Westfall) Coleman, Anna's sister.
My father Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall's half sisters Eva and Nora were raised by his father on the farm at Fieldon with Ed as he grew up. The other half sisters Mamie, Stella, and Grace were raised by their mother Ed's father's first wife Mary Shannon in Kansas. Nora married Lovie's Uncle Frank Kraushaar. Eva married Mike Haag. Nora died in 1944 and Eva in 1978. Mamie married Lee Hopkins and Stella married George Beaver and later they moved to the Alton, IL area. Lee Hopkins worked at the Duncan Foundry in Alton.
Grace married Henry Lentz and stayed in the Kansas area. Her daughter Ruby Genevieve (Lentz) Wilmore researched a book about the Westfalls. For more information about the families of my father's half sister go to - Related Families-Page 1
My father Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall said his father had a
pet ferret which used to go in rabbit holes and chase
the rabbits out and he carried him around in his coat
pocket. His father also had a pet squirrel who came
in and out of the house when it pleased and would sit
on his father's shoulder.
My father Ed said when he was
a boy a turkey gobbler used to chase him when he went
to their outside toilet. He said he used to have a
pet billy goat that pulled him around in a little
cart. My mother said when she was a little girl a rabid
dog once came by their farm and bit their shepard dog
and a horse that later died. When my mother Lovie was 13 just
before she graduated from 8th grade she got pneumonia
and almost died. She got sick in Feb. or March and
was unable to finish the school year. My father came and sit
by her bedside when she was badly ill.
My father Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall was
a Mess Sergeant in the Army for 2 years during World
War 1. He was stationed at Battle Creek, Michigan,
but never went overseas. He said many men died around
him due to the flu epidemic of 1918, but he never got
sick. He also worked at a cattle ranch in Montana for
a year before he was married. My parents, Ed and Lovie (Kraushaar) Westfall both
graduated from 8th grade. They walked to little one
room school houses a couple miles from their farms.
My father used to take My mother to platform dances and my mother's
father sometimes played a violin or fiddle as they
called it at the dances.
Both my parents, Ed and Lovie (Kraushaar) Westfall, said their fathers would dress up in Santa costumes at Christmas time and pass out presents to them. My father said his father Jasper Mifflin Westfall liked to fox hunt and always had a large pack of fox hounds. He also taught my father to catch fish by hand, logging fish they called it. My mother's father chewed tobacco. My father's father never smoked or chewed. Neither drank much alcohol. Once my mother said some of her father's brothers came to visit and they went into the basement and got drunk drinking some hard cider, and her mother angered at their drinking took an axe and chopped a hole in the cider keg spilling the cider all over the basement floor. My father always liked to make his own cigarettes by rolling his own with tobacco from cans of Prince Albert tobacco he used to buy. We often used the old tobacco cans to keep nails and bolts in.
My mother Lovie could milk cows by hand faster than
anyone, and she could outhoe, shuck corn faster,
doodle hay into little stacks faster than anyone
else. She said her father taught her to work fast.
She could also, after coming in from working in the
field, cook a meal faster than anyone.
My father Walter Edward (Ed) Westfall
said when he was young he used to break horses to
ride for his father and many of the neighbors. He was
also the best in the area at shocking corn and wheat. He said him and some of the other young men used to have contests to see who could shock corn or wheat faster, and he said always won. He once
owned a very fast horse which he said outraced many
of the neighbors horses. My father was a good handler of
work horses and could get horses to work well for him
that other people couldn't handle. He also knew a lot
about timber and which trees were good for wood or
lumber or posts.
My mother Lovie often went barefooted in the summer time. Rocks or briars never seemed to bother her. She liked little chickens. She was the only one who could call the cows in from the pasture. They seemed to know her voice. They wouldn't come for my father or I. She prayed every day and read the bible. Sometimes she would sing or hum church songs. A couple of her favorite hymns were "In The Garden" and "The Lily of The Valley".
Go To My Childhood Memories Page