Johann F----- Kunde(1), born August 2, 1839, probably in Stettin in the state of Pomerania in the kingdom of Prussia. His parentage has not been discovered, though it is known that both his parents were German.

He was a veteran of the Austro-Prussian War (1866-1867) and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). He served in Austro-Prussian War as a footsoldier (infantryman), and in the Franco-Prussian War as an elite mounted cuirassier (cavalryman).

Johann married, about 1870, Augusta R----- ------. She was born October --, 1847, in the state of Pomerania, Prussia. Her parentage has not been discovered, though again both parents were German. Johann and Augusta had eight children, of whom the names of three are known, and only these three were living in 1900, the other five having died of diphtheria in infancy.

Children:

  1. Albert Eduard Gustaf Kunde (Albert Edward Kunde), born September 16, 1874 or 1875 near Stettin in the state of Pomerania, Prussia, Germany.
  2. Minnie Kunde, born March --, 1877 in Pomerania, Prussia, Germany.
  3. August Kunde, born April --, 1883 in Germany.
Johann's oldest son Albert emmigrated to Canada in his late teens, during the early 1890s, and thence to the United States, where the remainder of the family joined him in 1895. It is not clear whether Johann became a citizen of the U.S.; he is called a naturalized citizen in the 1900 census, but an alien in the 1910 census. Both he and his wife were literate in their native German, but neither of them learned English.

In 1900 Johann, his wife and their younger son August were living with their daughter and son-in-law John Eckers on Eckers' farm in Union Grove Township, Meeker County, Minnesota.

In 1910 Johann and Augusta were living in a rented house adjacent to their son Albert's farm on County Road in Visalia Township, Tulare County, California.

Johann Kunde died the night of May 10, 1911, at the age of 71, at his home near Visalia in Tulare County. The funeral was held on the 11th at 1:00 in the afternoon from the Locey funeral parlors.

Augusta survived him, and reportedly spent her last years in an institution. She died October 18, 1914 in Stockton, San Joaquin County, California, at the reported age of 65 [sic: if the birthdate given in the 1900 census is correct, she should have been 67, or nearly].

From Apr. 12, 2005 revision.
Posted Jan. 22, 1998.
Updated Aug. 28, 2003, Apr. 21, Sep. 17, Nov. 15, 2004, Apr. 12, 2005.