Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Kallis/Selinger Family

I was just checking my stats and someone came to my blog through searching "Czech family singing 'Eva Marie'". This same reader came to my blog through searching Kallis/Selinger family. Normally I wouldn't post details about stats, but I want them to come back to this blog so that we can exchange info. This just seems like too much of a coincidence, that someone would choose to check for Czech music, plus know about a Kallis/Selinger marriage.
I will give a little bit info about my Kallis/Selinger connection. I am the great granddaughter of Dorothy Elizabeth (Nelson) Reimel Behnke. She was the daughter of Henry Nielsen/Nelson and Elizabeth (Kallis), wife and widow of William Reimel and wife and widow of Edwin Behnke. She was born in 1900, died 1995. She had one sister, Emma, and four brothers. Two of them were named Carl and Charlie. I can't remember the other names. They grew up in Wilmington, Illinois. Their mother, Elizabeth, passed away in 1909. After that the family moved to Michigan.
Elizabeth (Kallis) Nelson was born in 1864 to Frank Kallis and Elizabeth Selinger, in Diamond, Illinois. Frank and Elizabeth had a total of 12 children. One, Marie, died at sea when she was a new born. Frank (1826-1880) and Elizabeth (1835-1919) came to the US, from Nosalov, Bohemia, after 1850. Besides the younger Elizabeth, the only children to have current desendents would be Frank Jr who was married to Minnie Seymour and had one son, Frank. Mary (Kallis) Powell had four or five children. I have been in contact with one descendent of Mary.
I really hope you come back to this blog. If you have more info about Kallis/ Selinger family or would like more info, please leave a comment. If you do not want your comment published say "DO NOT PUBLISH" at the top of your comment. Give me your email in the comment or you can email me at gypzychik@yahoo.com.
Don't worry about the stats. The only thing I can read is that you are from Manchester, England and how you came to my blog.

2 comments:

cakeyes said...

I am the great grandaughter of Elizabeth Kallis and Henry Nelson. I grew up knowing most of their children as part of my everyday life. Their son Charles married my Grandmother Ruth P Finney.I, too am the child of blue collar workers and we were always surrounded by family Please feel free to contact me , I am especially interested in diaries and photographs.

Michigan Redneck said...

Hi cakeyes,

Wow! Awesome to get your comment! When I recieve a comment on Blogger it does not show me the email address of commentor. If you want to email me at gypzychik@yahoo.com or leave another comment w/ your email addy I can email back with some of the info I have. And I will never publish your email address. Or you can comment to any post I have on my new blog at michiganredneck.wordpress.com, in which only I will be able to view your addy.

I would love to exchange info. I may have info you don't have and you may have info I don't. We can compare notes and such.

I remember meeting your grandma years ago. At least once. When I was a kid my mom and grandma took my great grandma to lunch. And for some reason they wanted to visit "Aunt Ruth" in Flushing. I have heard that she knew quite a bit about some of the "family secrets" ;>)

My great grandma gave my grandma a photo album that was given to her by her cousin Pheobe. I have it now. One of the pics was Emma, Edward (Happy) and Charles. I would be glad to email a copy.

Two years ago this month, my grandma, her sister and I went down to Wilmington area and did a little research. Although I only half knew what to look for. I did manage to get copy of the Nelson/Kallis marriage certificate and license. I also got a copy of Elizabeth Nelson's death certificate and Emma Kallis' death certificate. I got a copy of one the Nelson boy's birth certificate. I can't remember which one. I will have to go through some of my stuff and find out which one.

We visited Henry and Elizabeth Nelson's and Emma Kallis' graves. I tried to find out where Frank Kallis is buried. It has to be somewhere in Illinios. I know his son is buried somewhere in Grundy County. I have to check my info to see where he is at.

We also got to attend services at First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington. That is where the family attended church. The Nelson's were married at that church. But the original building is no longer there.

I may take a trip down there in Spring or Fall of '09.

As my post says, I have been in contact with a cousin in South Dakota. He has more info about the Kallis side of the family. I can copy you in on some of the info that he told me.
Since this post, I have also found family in the Czech Republic. I had been trying to learn Czech. I haven't been doing much with that lately. So I haven't talked to them lately, they only speak Czech. I have emailed one girl who is about my age. She lives in a small town near Nosalov. I have also talked with her father, who is not a Kallis, but his wife is a Kallis. They still live in Nosalov.

HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON!