Kallis and Selinger Line

I haven't kept this blog up like I should. I have found quite a bit of information about the Reimel line, which I will talk about my new findings soon. For right now I will post the outline of the Kallis and Selingers lines I had sent to my Reimel cousin, who also shares the same Kallis ancestry. For obvious reasons I am living out living persons. My direct line is in bold letters. Notes and stories are in bullet points. Grandma B. is Dorothy Nelson Reimel Behnke. The following info is not set in stone. I hope to find more info to add, along with possible corrections. So keep checking and I always welcome any input.

1. Josef Kališ m. Elizabeth d. June 18, 1850

• Like I had said before, the correct spelling for the Kallis name is Kališ. I am not quite sure of Frank Kallis' father's name. I am using this as an educated guess. Since the family in Nosálov that I have been in contact with has a long line of Josefs. "Living person" thinks that the mother's name was Elizabeth.
  

1.1. Josef Kališ

• According to letter that "living person" has, Josef wrote a letter to Frank in 1850. In it, he writes that he has been traveling with a band for about a year and half, throughout Russia, Serbia and Turkey. I think it his descendants that are the people I had once been in contact. Now that I have started back to my Czech lessons, I will try to reconnect with them.
  

1.2. Frank Kallis b. 1826 m. Elizabeth Selinger d. Dec. 25, 1880

• According to "living person", Frank Kallis came from a town called Nosálov, Bohemia. Supposedly him and his brother had planned to come to America together. But Frank ended up coming w/ Elizabeth. They ended up settling in Illinois, where Frank took on many jobs. "Living person" had said that at one point Frank was working as a bartender on weeknights and organ player at a Catholic Church during the weekends. Censuses have him also as a tenant type farmer. I have a pen-pal, not related, who is also into genealogy who told me that he saw in some book that he found a František Kališ and Josef Kališ who would be about the same age as our Frank Kallis, both living in Nosálov, Bohemia at the time Frank would have been living there.
  

1.2.1. Maria Kallis

• Baby born on the way to America. Died at sea.
  

1.2.2. Joseph Kallis b. 1857 d. Dec. 28, 1903

• Born somewhere in Illinois. Never married. He worked as a miner and a tenant type farmer. If the 1900 census I found for a boarder named Joseph Kallis outside of the Will and Grundy Counties is him, he also worked as a carpenter. "Living person's" family thinks he died somewhere near Morris, Illinois. Will County Death Records have him died in Will County and buried at Sand Ridge.
  

1.2.3. Henry Kallis b. Jan. 17, 1860 d. April 18, 1943

• Born somewhere in Illinois. Never married. Died in Mitchell, South Dakota. In the Kallis family album, I have a picture of him with the picture card from a Hazeltines Studio in Baker City, Oregon. He looks dressed like a cowboy. Has one of those silk ties with a ring and then split to tuck each side under his blazer.
  

1.2.4. Mary Kallis b. April 22, 1862 m. Mortimer Powell Nov. 1885 d. June 5, 1903

• Born in Illinois. Married in Dakota Territory. Died in Anoka, Minnesota.

1.2.4.1. George Joseph Powell b. July 24, 1886 m. Madge Leora Homewood June 26, 1918 d. May 1974
1.2.4.2. Harry Powell b. Nov. 11, 1887
1.2.4.3. Kate Powell b. 1894 m. Dr. Thomas Dean

1.2.4.3.1 Carl Evan Dean
1.2.4.3.2. Dick Dean
1.2.4.3.3. Harold Dean

• I have a couple Christmas cards my mother gave me that grandma B. gave her. They are from Kate Powell Dean. It has some family info about the family in South Dakota. I will get into more of that in a later email.

1.2.4.4. Phoebe Powell b. abt. 1897 m. N. Emmet Beers

1.2.4.4.1. Mason Beers d. Sept. 1, 1980

• Died suddenly while out on the tractor.

1.2.5. Elizabeth Kallis b. Jan. 5, 1864 m. Henry H. Nelson (Nielsen) April 21, 1890 d. June 20, 1909

• Born in Diamond, Illinois. Married in Wilmington, Illinois at First Presbyterian Church in Wilmington with Rev. Thomas S. Anderson as officiating pastor. Reverend Anderson is listed on the marriage certificate as the pastor. I checked the pastor list at First Presbyterian in Wilmington. He was the pastor their at the time. So I would assume they got married in the church. Elizabeth died in Illinois. She is buried in Oakwood Cemetery of Wilmington.
  

1.2.5.1. Emma Nelson b. April 23, 1891 m. Donald Shenk Jan. 1911 d. Dec. 30, 1972

• Born in Illinois. Married in Wilmington, Illinois. I am guessing at the Presbyterian Church. Died in Durand, Michigan.
  

1.2.5.1.1. Joseph Shenk b. 1914

1.2.5.1.2. Helen Shenk b. 1915

1.2.5.1.3. Donald Shenk b. Sep. 11, 1916 m. Arloa d. July 29, 1996

1.2.5.1.4. Josephine Shenk b. 1922

• I am not sure, but as of this writing I believe Helen and Josephine are still living. *If they are living and any relatives reading this want me to take this down, please let me know.
  

1.2.5.2. Edward Nelson b. June 8, 1892 d. May 15, 1969

• Born in Illinois. He is the one who was developmentally disabled and was taken care of by Emma Nelson Shenk. Died in Durand, Michigan.
  

1.2.5.3. Charles Henry Nelson b. March 25, 1895 m. Ruth Prudence Finney Dec. 15, 1928 d. Jan 18, 1981

• Born in Illinois. Married in Ohio. Died in Durand, Michigan. I believe all his children are still living.

1.2.5.4. Clarence Nelson b. 1897

• Born in Illinois. I do not know anything more about him.

1.2.5.5. Dorothy Elizabeth Nelson b. July 26, 1900 m. William Henry Reimel April 3, 1918 d. July 5, 1995

• Born in Wilmington, Illinois. Married in Owosso. I am unsure as to what, if any, church it was at. Marriage license states that the officiating pastor was D. (can't read his full first name) Idle. Considering that they were married soon after William's draft card was issued, along with the fact that witnesses listed are Donald Shenk and Mrs. D. Idle, I think they may have been married to keep him out of the war. I have a really neat recording of grandma B. talking about growing up that I will get into in another email, about the details. She passed away at Owosso Memorial Hospital, of a stroke, after having been living at an assisted living home in Swartz Creek, Michigan.

1.2.5.5.2. Nelson H. Reimel b. 1922 m. "living person" d. Dec. 6, 2003

• This was "Uncle Tub." He was named after Grandma B's maiden name. Most likely the H. initial stands for Henry? He was born on the farm on Reimel Rd. Died in Durand.
  

1.2.5.5.6 Jerry Keith Reimel b. June 1937 m. "living person" d. Feb. 18, 1994

• First and only child of William Henry and Dorothy Elizabeth Nelson Reimel to be born at Owosso General Hospital. The other children were midwifed by a woman who lived in the woods across from the farm. Somewhere my grandmother has a picture where the older kids were outside of the hospital and Grandma B. is at the window holding up Jerry.

1.2.6. Emma Kallis b. Nov. 27, 1865 d. Dec. 23, 1933

• Born in Morris, Illinois. Never married. This is the aunt of Grandma B. who worked as a cook at a hotel in Braidwood, Illinois. And Grandma B. would visit on the weekends. The story about the "gypsies" is true. Just the story kinda got carried away. We do not have gypsy ancestors. Emma did have friends who traveled about. They could have been anyone. True gypsies are Romany persons who originally came from India into Eastern and Central Europe. Her friends may have been circus freaks, miners going to wherever there was work, or anyone who went where there was work. My grandma has a few pictures of the people, they seemed pretty decently dressed. There was men and women. They would set up camp when in Braidwood. Emma would visit them at night and they would have a big bonfire. Grandma B. was not allowed to go see them. She would watch from her aunt's bedroom at the hotel. Interestingly, in the Kallis family album is a picture of a woman in very a very fancy dress, that was taken at the P. Schneider Studio in Chicago, Illinois. Another photo is of a woman in a fancy dress, also, at the Morele or Morsele City Gallery in Bloomington, Illinois. Both these women are dressed way fancier than Mrs. Oleson on Little House on the Prairie, even on her best days. I am wondering if they were actress friends of the family. I think the album came from Kate or Phoebe Powell when Grandma B. went to South Dakota with "living person" in the 60's. So I am not sure if they had a connection to Emma Kallis. When Grandma B. would have a baby she would come up to Michigan to help out at the farm. She usually stayed at the Shenk farm. My grandma insists that Emma died in Durand, Michigan, at Emma Nelson Shenk's farm. Supposedly she was there, bedridden. When she died they shipped the body (sounds kinda cold) to Illinois, where she is buried with Henry H. and Elizabeth Kallis Nelson at Oakwood Cemetery, Lot 43. But her death certificate is filed with Will County in Joliet, Illinois. The law is that wherever a person dies, that is where the death certificate is filed, regardless of where they are buried.

1.2.7. William Kallis b. Feb. 2, 1867 d. May 9, 1962

• Born in Wilmington, Illinois. Never married. Died in Wessington Springs, South Dakota.
  

1.2.8. Anna Kallis b. Dec 3, 1869 m. Alex Vessey d. May 23, 1919

• Born in Illinois. Was a school teacher. Married later in life. Moved to Tripp, South Dakota after marrying.

1.2.9. Charles Kallis b. Oct. 26, 1870 d. May 4 1925

• Born in Morris, Illinois. Never married. Lived in St. Paul, Minnesota for most of his life. I am assuming this is also where he died.
  

1.2.10 Jennie Kallis b. 1872 d. Mar. 25, 1962

• Born near Morris, Illinois. Never married. Died in Wessington Springs, South Dakota.

1.2.11 Frank Kallis b. Nov. 11, 1875 m. Minnie Seymour Jan. 1900 d. April 4, 1948

• Born near Braidwood, Illinois. At some point he divorced Minnie. I think this would have been before 1920, as the Pleasant, South Dakota census has him living with the Kallis family, listed as single. Uncle "living person" remembers him stopping by the farm, when "living person" was a kid. Never invited. Never gave an announcement. Just showed up. I guess he would travel around a lot. Uncle "living person" recalls him talking about using "buffalo chips" as fuel for the fire. I think uncle "living person" said that Frank worked as a cowboy.
  

1.2.11.1 Frank J. Kallis

• I am not sure, but I would guess he was born around 1901-1903. According to "living person", Frank lived in Washington State. I have seen a few multiple generations of Frank J. Kallis' living in Pennsylvania, during searches. Not sure if this is related to us.
  

1.2.12. Albert Kallis b. 1877 m. Mary Freese

• Born near Braidwood, Illinois. Had one son. No grandchildren.
  

• All of the Kallis children, with the exception of Joseph, Elizabeth and Emma are buried with their mother at Hope Cemetery, 10 miles west of Wessington Springs, South Dakota. Frank Kallis Sr. is said to be buried in a small country cemetery outside of Wilmington, Illinois. But no one knows where.

Now onto the Selinger line;

1. Anton Selinger m. Lena

• "Living person" said that the mother of Elizabeth Selinger Kallis was named Lena. I found the 1880 census she was living with the Kallis family in Wilmington, Illinois, as a widow. She was born about 1802. In the census, her given name is spelled as Ellen. Last name as "Selezer." But that could have just been a mistake by the census taker, or the person he talked to. It could have been a neighbor he talked to if no one was at the Kallis home, or one of the Kallis children. Henry and Elizabeth Kallis Nelson's marriage license has "bride's mother's maiden name" as Seliger. So any of these arrays of surnames could be correct. Also, as to Lena's given name, I can not rule out Czech and German variations of the name; such as Lenka, Helena or Magdalena. Most likely, she died in Illinois and is buried there. "Living person" said that the name of the father of Elizabeth Selinger Kallis being Anton is not for sure, but most likely.

1.1. Wenzel

• Lived in Mšeno, Bohemia.

1.2. Elizabeth Selinger b. May 5, 1835 m. Frank Kallis d. April 4, 1919

• Born in Bohemia. I am guessing that since her brother lived in Mšeno, she was probably born there also. It is not far from Frank's hometown. Grandma B. thought that her grandmother had been dead most of her life. There was some sort of family feud. Grandma B. remembers when she was little asking her sister about their grandmother. Emma told her sternly, "Your grandmother is dead! Now don't ask me again." Not sure what was up with that. I have found through census searches that her cousins, Kate and Phoebe Powell, were living with the grandmother, along with many of the aunts and uncles at the time. Yet, Phoebe would come to visit Illinois. So somehow the pieces need to be put together, once all found. "Living person" also said that Elizabeth refused to leave the farmhouse and speak English while living in South Dakota. Censuses state that she spoke German. She died in Wessington Springs, South Dakota.