| Alsace-Loraine (red arrow) and the port of Havre (green arrow) |
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Dear Nennos All ---
Finally I finished putting together what I know about the Nennos. It is not a professional job, and I'm not pretending it is. In fact, it is quite general and you will all find there are things missing that you wish were included. Feel free to ask about them. I may have them.
Thanks to all of you who have been so patient about my constant queries, and so generous with your information. It all helped a great deal and is very much appreciated.
I am enclosing a genealogy written by another branch of the Nennos. I found it through our meeting with the Beaver Dam Nennos. Part of it is my own research, so I don't feel I'm stealing anything. I sent Betty Wilson a lot of my data so I could get hers in return, and it made compiling much easier.
Let me know about mistakes, omissions, and add anything you can. After all, our goals are the same -- to record the Nennos as truthfully as is possible. I've loved doing it, and hope you enjoy it.
Be sure to continue on with the recording of your branch of the family. Your grandkids will love you for it, and who knows? -- there may be a president named Nenno one day, and we must be ready with his background!
Emily Covert Roscoe
(Mrs. W.P. Jr.)
2215 Azalea Lane
Billings, Mont 59102
Information from:
Courthhouse Records
Libraries
National Archives
State Archives
Family Records
Church records
Personal knowledge
295 Orchard Place
Lackawanna, N.Y. 14218
April 5, 1981
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Roscoe,
I am a descendant of the Mickel Nenno Immigrant Family, I have a book, around 200 pages that I wrote on the Nenno Family, of course, it was started before we knew there was another Nenno Immigrant Family, yours. Actually, we know now there were three Nenno Immigrant Familys, John, Mickel, and Joseph, of the latter, we know very little at this time.
Then it seemed that every time I paid to rent Microfilm tapes at the Mormon Library, I would find information about your father, same at County Hall, when I found their Naturalization Papers, because both familys seemed to have a private agreement to name their children the same names, I carried those big ledgers down two flights of stairs, to have them copied at $3 apiece, I found all their early real estate recards & of course the Census Records, so I wrote down every thing I found out about both familys. Since then I've been in contact with many from the John Nenno Family, one wanted a copy of my entire book, what a job, getting it copied.
However since I used some of your research, in my story about the John Nenno Family, I thought you might like my story of them, I sincerely hope you like it, it is as factual as I could do it. It will not be published, although the Mormon Library thinks my book merits publishing. I have the genealogy records, but I wrote biographys of my grandfathers & a general history of both familys. I think all Nennos should be proud of their heritage, they were great people & if we don't write it down, it will all be lost forever.
Sincerely
Elizabeth Nenno Wilson [signature]
This story and History of the John Nenno Family is dedicated to
Clyde William Nenno, Sr. my father, born 1900,
and to
Richard Nenno, his brother, 1895-1975
It was their idea to write a history of the Nenno family, not just when they were born or when they died, but to tell how they lived and what they did with their lives.
My wish is that the descendents of all the Nenno families enjoy it.
THE FIRST NENNOS IN AMERICA
THE JOHN NENNO FAMILY
| Betty Wilson writes, in October 2003, that ages below, which were assigned in 1981 to each of the following passengers were not on the original passenger list, but were calculated, and the calculations were not correct. Re-calculated ages can be seen in Betty Wilson's book. Also see Don Gentner's records |
Researched at the Mormon Library, Williamsville, NY, from the Microfilm of the ship's passenger lists for the Port of New York, by Elizabeth Nenno Wilson (May 15, 1979)
Parts of this history were copied from a history written by Elizabeth Wilson
This is the story of the John Nenno Family, one of the Nenno families that immigrated to the United States before 1850. It is written by Elizabeth Nenno Wilson of New York, a descendent of the Mickel Nenno Immigrant Family. The research for this story was done by Elizabeth Wilson and Orma Bloomingdale Carls, from the City Hall Records, Church Records, Family Bibles, The Mormon Library microfilm tapes, and the help fo many of the descendants of the John Nenno Family from all over the United States.
It was edited in 1980 by Emily Covert Roscoe, whose husband, Wm. P. Roscoe, Jr. is the son of Florence Nenno Roscoe and Wm. P. Roscoe, Sr., and edited again in 2003 by Elizabeth Nenno Wilson.
The first Nenno Family to immigrate to the United States was the John Nenno Family. The ship's Passenger List out of the Port of New York, indicates that John arrived on the boat Ange Gardien, August 21, 1833. His wife, Barbara, was with him, and seven of his children, between the ages of 20 years and 6 months. At the time John's age was listed as 51, and his wife, Barbara's, as 47. Family legend has it that they left six older children in Europe. The ship Ange Gardien was a sailing vessel, so the ocean voyage could not have been very comfortable with all those children, and one of them was only 6 months old.
On the Passenger List the names seemed to be in French, such as Jean for John, and Pierre for Peter. The name was spelled Nenne. John listed his occupation as carpenter, and stated his country of origin as Germany, exactly the same as did Mickel Nenno, one who came to this country later. Both Nenno Families later, in Census Records, stated their country of origin as Alsace-Lorraine. Both John and Mickel Nenno called themselves Prussians. It is known that Jean Nenne and his wife, Barbara, actually left Morschweiler, Alsace [ Morschwiller is 10 km west of Mulhouse = Mulhausen on map below], travelled to Havre, France, and there boarded the boat for America.
| Alsace-Loraine (red arrow) and the port of Havre (green arrow) |
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The John Nenno Family settled in Langford, Town of Collins, Erie County, NY. John Nenno applied for
naturalization on June 10,1837, at Erie County Hall, Buffalo, NY. In this document, he renounced
his allegiance to the king of Pupia (Prussia), and the name was then spelled Nenno, and his given
name, spelled John instead of Jean. His sons, Andrew and Micheal, received their naturalization
papers on March 3, 1848, having applied on May 15, 1840. John became a citizen of the United States
on 6 October 1842. The sons signed their own names, John Nenno signed with an X.
Land records in the Erie County Hall show that John bought land in the town of Collins, Erie County, NY, on March 31, 1851, from John Brown, for $1968.56. On 20 Dec 1852, he sold the land, house, barn, furniture, and all livestock, which was considerable, to his son Peter, for $1600.00. Son Mickael witnessed the deed.
According to 1855 Census, John Nenno and his wife Barbara were living with son Andrew. John was 73 and his wife was 68. The address was the same for John, 22, and Peter, 28. Place was Langford, Town of Collins, Erie County, NY.
Records show the name of Nenno with many different spellings, but the family always spelled their name "Nenno". Later the Mickel Nenno Family did the same. Another similarity in the two families is in the given names of their children. They are nearly the same, with only a few differences.
Andrew, ?John's oldest son, was born in 1813, in Alsace-Lorraine, Census records state. His wife, Magdalena Jahanssan, was born 1817, also in Prussia. Her family, too, settled in the Town of Collins area. There were eight children of Andrew and Magdalena, some of their descendants still reside in the area. Andrew died in 1863, killed by a falling tree.
Mickael was born in Prussia in 1818, married Elizabeth (maiden name unknown), also born in Prussia in 1821. In the Census of 1855 they were both listed as living in Checktowaga, NY. (along with a Mickael Nenno from another family). Mickael and Elizabeth had 11 children.
Peter, a farmer and a lumberman in his youth, was later a hotel-keeper in North Collins and in the Town of Evans. He was born in Prussia in 1827, and married Mary Ann (maiden name unknown), who was born in France in 1825. They had 5 children:
| Peter -- oldest -- born in Niagra County, where Peter was lumberman |
| Nickolas -- born Michagan, where Peter was lumberman |
| Mickael Benjamin -- born in Erie Co. |
| Nickolas later own Fish Market on Chippawa St -- Buffalo |
| Peter later owned hotel in Concord, NY. |
| Mickael Benjamin married Lydia Theurer -- 8 children -- lived most of their lives in Missouri. Were in Joliet, Ill. at one time. |
John, the youngest child of Jean Nenne, moved West and nothing more is known of him at this time.
Barbara no further record
Catherine no further record
Nickolas, was born in Prussia in 1822, and married Margaret Bauer, also born in Prussia around the same time. *[see below] They were married in Buffalo, NY in 1843 or 1844, and had seven children. Their story, as well as that of their oldest child, John Nicholas, is told elsewhere in this history.
* The 1860 Wiscinsin Census establishes Margaret Bauer's birthyear as 1822, the same as her husband's. Elizabeth Wilson gives her birthyear as 1825, and a death certificate I have for her gives her birthyear as 1820! Take your pick!
There is an interesting story about the birth of an earlier (or later) Nickolas, the son of Peter, who was a son of the original immigrant, Jean. Peter and his wife, Mary Ann were out on a lake in Michigan, when she went into labor. She promised St. Nickolas, the patron saint of the Alsatian French that if she could get back to shore safely before the baby was born, she would name the child for him. She did. (There were many Nennos named Nickolas in both the John and Mickel Nenno families).
Can't help wondering ..... I find it hard to believe that Barbara Nenne, wife of the first Nenno, Jean, was the mother of the baby she brought with her. Her age was given as 47 and the baby's as 6 months. This would be unusual. Not impossible, but unusual. Perhaps it was a child of a son they had left in Europe .... ??
Nicholas (Nick) Nenno was born in Prussia in 1822, and was brought to America by his parents, along with 6 brothers and sisters, when he was 11 years old. His father, Jean Nenne and his mother, Barbara, left Morschweiler, Germany, travelled to Havre, France, and boearded the sailing vessel, L'Ange Gardien, with their children. They arrived in the port of New York on Aug 21, 1833. Jean Nenne was a carpenter by trade. Left behind, were 6 or 7 other children, who were old enough to be on their own, or in the care of an older brother or sister. They eventually settled in the town of Collins, Erie County, NY. A few years later, Jean Nenne, and at least two of his sons, became citizens of the U.S. through naturalization.
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Nicholas Nenno married Margaret Bauer
in 1843 or 1844 in Buffalo, NY, and their first child, John Nicholas was born
there in 1845. Margaret had been born in Prussia in 1820; the daughter of John
Bower and her mother, whose name is unknown.
When Nicholas Nenno was 24 years of age, he and his family moved to what is now Nenno, Wisconsin -- this was 1846. A Town of Nenno plat map of 1859 shows him owning a 60-acre plot of land, which he later sold. (A small part of it he donated to the church.) He later owned a 5-acre tract, immediately East of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, of which he was a member. On his land he built a building that contained a store, hotel, and post-office. Earlier he had owned and operated a brewery in the area. He also built a horse-stable (lean-to style) on the north side of his building, for the convenience of the church-goers and hotel patrons. The town of Nenno was named for him after he donated the land to the church, and he lived there until he died on 22 Sept 1876, at the age of 54. He is buried in the cemetery of Sts. Peter and Paul Church, altho there is no marker there now. A daughter-in-law and Nenno infant (one of his grandchildren) are also buried there, but there are no markers. |
 From 1878 map of Addison Township |
Margaret Nenno later moved to Sleepy Eye, Minn., where she lived with her daughter Mary. She died there on 15 Mar, 1911, and is buried in the Catholic Cemetery at Sleepy Eye, Minn. Their children were:
| John Nicholas *[see below] born 6 Sept 1845 Buffalo, NY, m. 1. A. Berchler 2. M. Lynch |
| Catherine born 1847 Nenno, Wisc. |
| Mary born 1849 Nenno, Wisc. |
| Franzesca (Frances) born 1852 Nenno, Wis. |
| Ann (Annie) born 1854 Nenno, Wis. m. 1. Busch 2. Schnobrich |
| John born 1856 Nenno, Wis. |
| Adam born 1857 Nenno, Wis. |
He was born 6 Sep 1845 Buffalo, NY Erie County (no records, having been destroyed in a courthouse fire.)
To Wisconsin with his parents, when he was only a year old.
Enlisted for the Civil War duty at age 18. 7 Sep 1864. Enlisted at Beloit or Janesville, Rock county, Wisc. Volunteered for one year with 43rd Reg, Company D, Wisc. Infantry, as a Private. Gave his occupation as "clerk" upon enlistment. (Probably hotel clerk). His pay with the Army was $33 per month.
Wounded "on the picket line during action" 28 Nov 1864, just a short time prior to Sherman's March to the sea. (He had only been in the Army about 3 months). When he was wounded, he was hospitalized, and saw no action after that. Doctor's diagnosis was "Flesh wound of palm of left hand, which had induced contraction of all fingers of the hand". It resulted in permanent pain and disability, and in time the hand became quite useless, so that he "could perform no manual labor with hand and arm" (So stated in his application for a pension on grounds of permanent disability. It was granted)
He returned to Addison, (Nenno) Wisconsin at that time.
Married Agatha Berchler March 1868. A son, John J. Nenno, was born on 26 Dec 1868. The name is spelled Berchler or Bergler by JNN himself, in his own handwriting, on more than one occasion when he was applying for his pension. But Agatha's descendants say her name was Breslan. Testimony by him at the time of application for divorce, was that he and Agatha lived together about one year, in her parents home and he left not wanting to continue living with her folks. He stated that he had asked his wife repeatedly to move from the house and live with him in another house in the area, but she would not. Further, she denied him the right to visit his child.
In 1870 he purchased a farm in Minnesota. Again he asked his wife to live with him with their child, stating that he was willing and able to support them, but she refused.
In 1872 he filed for a divorce from Agatha Nenno. He was living in Minnesota at the time, but filed for the divorce in Wisconsin. She contested the divorce, as evidenced by the fact that she had an attorney, but her side of the story is not on file. He asked for the divorce on the grounds of "willful desertion and abandonment of the plaintiff, John N. Nenno by the defendant, Agatha Nenno."
19 March 1874 a divorce was granted, on the grounds stated, and the child was given to the mother, "until a further action of the court". There is no evidence that there was ever any further action by the court. In later years, in the pension applications, JNN states this was an annulment, but the court record calls it "an action by the plaintiff against the defendant for a divorce from the bonds of matrimony forever, on the grounds of willful desertion by the plaintiff".
7 July 1874 John Nicholas Nenno and Margaretha Ellen Lynch were married at New Ulm, Minn. He was 29 and she was 20, and at the time she was a chambermaid in a hotel there. They were to continue in hotel work after that -- managing and operating hotels as a team.
They resided in New Ulm until 1900 , then moved to Sandborn, Minn, Lived there until 1907. Then moved to Springfield, living there until 1910. In 1910, they moved to North Mamkato, where they lived with their daughter Lala and her husband, Chas. Seely. By this time, they were both in rather poor health.
7 Jul 1924 John Nicholas Nenno and Margaret Ellen Lynch celebrated their golden wedding Anniversary.
21 Jul 1924 John N. Nenno died at 78 years of age, two weeks after their 50th wedding anniversary. He died of cancer of the bladder.
Margaret Ellen Nenno continued to live with her daughter and husband until her death 7 Mar 1932. Her death was due to complications of heart trouble, resulting in a coronary occlusion.
Both are buried in Holy Trinity Cemetery, New Ulm, Minnesota.
Others buried in the plot, under the name "Nenno", are:
| John, a son, who died at age 32, evidently unmarried |
| Albert J., a son, and his two wives, Clara and Mae |
JNN and Ellen Lynch had 12 children, all born in New Ulm, Minn., with the exception of the last, Richard Eugene, and he was born at Sanborn, Minn.
Parents of John Nicholas Nenno were Nicholas Nenno of Wisconsin, born in Prussia, and Margaret Bauer, also born in Prussia.
Parents of Margaretha Ellen Lynch, born in Eastford Connecticut, were Thomas Lynch and Katherine Cunningham, both from Ireland.
Emily C. Roscoe
August 1981
| No. | Name | born | died | spouse | children |
| 1 | Frank J. "Cap" |
13 Nov 1874 New Ulm, Minn |
3 Apr 1947 Denver, Colo buried Denver |
Florence Runnels Sioux City, Iowa around 1902 |
Rita m. Walter Hull Gladys m. Gordon Collins both were stepdaughters |
| 2 | John N., Jr |
11 Jul 1876 New Ulm, Minn |
1918 buried New Ulm, MN |
unmarried ? | |
| 3 | Ellen E. |
22 Apr 1878 New Ulm, Minn |
6 Jun 1968 Waseca, Minn |
Clint McDonald |
Lloyd m. Angela E. Gladys |
| 4 | Albert E. |
12 Sep 1880 New Ulm, Minn |
very young | ||
| 5 | Albert J. |
16 May 1882 New Ulm, Minn |
5 May 1962 buried New Ulm, MN |
1. Clara Vogel 1886-1936 2. Mae (Leona) 1885-1967 |
none |
| 6 | Florence Mary |
22 Mar 1884 Billings, Mont. buried Billings |
19 Apr 1980 buried New Ulm, MN |
Wm.P. Roscoe, Sr. 1886-1955 |
Margarite K. (unmarried) Mary Berniece m. John Abajian d. 1981/2 baby boy stillborn William P. Roscoe, Jr., m. Emily J. Covert |
| 7 | Leo James |
23 Sep Jul 1886 New Ulm, Minn |
26 Jun 1971 Mankato, MN |
Cora Kutz |
Stanley m. Mildred "Sis" m. Spotts |
| 8 | Elsie M. |
8 May 1889 New Ulm, Minn |
William Anderson |
Donald N. m. Alene Riggs m. Marge Kathleen m. Peter Esser |
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| 9 | Lillian C. |
1 Mar 1892 New Ulm, Minn |
24 Sep 1967 buried New Ulm, MN |
James P. Saenger |
William m. daughter |
| 10 | Adele Mary |
27 Jun 1893 New Ulm, Minn |
3 Oct 1980 Wildwood, Ill buried Milwaukee |
William W. Landis |
Dorathy m. Thos. F. McFarland
m. Lou Finkelman Jeanne m. Frank Illian m. Harold Plotz |
| 11 | Eulalia B. |
8 Nov 1896 New Ulm, Minn |
10 Oct 1985 handwritten |
Charles Seely | Eileen m. A.E. Jurgenson |
| 12 | Richard Eugene |
1 Feb 1901 Sanborn, Minn |
age 2 months |
NENNO MISCELLANEOUS
Both Nicholas Nenno and his wife, Margaret Bauer, gave their place of origin as PRUSSIA in the 1860 Wisconsin Census. I was told by an historian at the Madison Library that PRUSSIA was a catch-all name for a number of locales of German and French people, but more often than not it denoted German heritage. Alsace-Lorraine was at times ruled by Germans, and at other times by the French. This domination went back and forth more than once. If the Germans were in power when a person left Alsace, that person would say he was French. It would seem they were speaking of citizenship, not of blood lines. (Certainly the blood lines must have become mixed, too).
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The Minnesota Nennos always said they were from Alsace-Lorraine, but whether they were of German, French, or a mixture, cannot be absolutely documented, because of the history of their area of origin.
The historian also mentioned that because of the unfair attitude toward German people in this country, around the time of World War I, many let Alsace-Lorraine roots stand for French. Whether they were French or German matters not -- my husband and our children are proud of their Nenno blood. The ones I know are also good-looking and full of talent and full of fun.
Re the chart I have made up and included in this packet [this probably refers to the family trees, re-configured by Tom L. McFarland in July 2000]: I hope it is clear. It starts on the first horizontal line with John Nenno (Jean Nenne) on the left, and reading to the right, m. (married) Barbara (maiden name unknown). To the right should be the names of her parents. To the left of each horizontal line are their children. Below each name, I have included the vital statistics of that person, as far as is known. We have only speculation about the Nennos in Europe, so none of that has been included. This chart shows only the Nennos in America, starting with the arrival of Jean Nenne in 1833.
There are numerous mysteries when you get researching family roots. Mistakes in recording, mistakes in dates, getting mixed up as to generations (because of the similarities in first names), and missing bits and pieces add to the confusion. Many vital facts were never recorded and many have been destroyed through the years through flood and fire. In the early days many (most) people could not even write their own name, so were at the mercy of the recorder when it was written down. So much the worse if the informant spoke with a foreign accent and was difficult to understand. Tricks of memory are also common, and many informants in genealogy are advanced in age. To the best of my knowledge, what I have put down is true. I'd rather leave something blank than to record speculation as fact.
The chart ends, of course, with the listing of the children of John Nicholas Nenno and Margaret Ellen Lynch. I leave the completion for your families up to you. I have included what Florence Nenno Roscoe told me about herself, and I would be most happy to have the story of your Nenno parent.
Please let me know of any corrections or additions to the admittedly amateurish effort herin.
Her parents, John Nicholas and Margaret Ellen Lynch Nenno, were married and lived in Minnesota, and her grandparents, Nicholas Nenno and Margaret Bauer Nenno, lived their married life in Wisconsin. Her grandmother Nenno did move to Minnesota after becoming a widow, and died there. Her father came from a family of seven children, but Florence was of a family of 12. She remembered "Aunt Maggie" who had a son with six toes on each foot and was said to be extremely smart. All of her father's sisters lived in Minnesota.
Florence was born at New Ulm, Minnesota 22 Mar 1884, the 6th born child of her family. She remembered picknicking especially, and remembered that she and her father "did not get along as well as we should have -- I sassed him". She remembered her mother as "a saint", and all her life she was extremely devoted to her brothers and sisters. They were all remembered in her daily prayers. Florence was a wonderful wife and mother, and a faithful member of the Catholic Chuirch. Family and church were her chief interests in life. She loved her home and her yard and garden. She was rather a private person. If you asked her a question she considered too personal, you might receive a polite, short, firm, answer, without giving you what you were after. At the same time, she was very considerate of your right to privacy. She was the perfect Moth-in-law! She was always cheerful -- she seldom complained about anything, and then only if she felt it was something unfair. She was a delight in her old age with sparkle in her eye, and her love of laughter. She is very much missed.
She told me the following details of her life when she was over 90 years old.
She and W.P. Roscoe, Sr. were married in New Ulm, Minnesota on June 4 1908. They were married in her parent's home, by a Justice of the Peace, with only her family present.
W.P. (William Peter) had been born near Wadena, Minnesota, 12 Feb 1886, the son of Peter Roscoe, a Frenchman, and Catherine O'Grady, an Irish girl. He left home around the age of 13, and made his own way in bridge construction.
Florence and Bill met when he was boarding at the hotel her folks were managing. He was working for a construction company, Wm S.Hewett C. that was building a bridge near where she lived. She was serving tables at the hotel. The bridge company was Minneapolis-based and W.P. had started with them when he was 17. Florence was 24 and he was 22 at the time they were married. W.P. had been promoted to the position of Superintendent in charge of the bridge construction for Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Montana, when he was incorporated as the Security Bridge Company. He had done very well for a young fellow who had started for the company in a clerical capacity, checking payrolls and tracing plans.
After their marriage, he went back to his job at Lakey, Minnesota, and she stayed home. [ The 1900 census records the family of Florence "Neno" living in Sandborn Village, Redwood county, Minnesota, about 5 miles west of Springfield. "Lakey" was the name of a US Postal and railway station in section 27 of West Albany Township, Wabasha County, in 1900 (Information from Judson Roscoe in 2007)]. After about 2 weeks, he persuaded the woman who ran his boarding house in Lakey to let Florence come and stay there while he built them a little shack to live in. He built it on the bank of the river, and the roof leaked badly. They had to hang pails in the ceiling to catch the drips. It had a pot-bellied stove for both heating and cooking. It was their first home together, and she told me that was the only reason she could put up with it.
When that job was finished, they moved to Minneapolis and set up housekeeping properly in an apartment.
But W.P. was moving from job to job, of course, and she became very lonely. She had been from a large family, and had never been alone before, so she sought out a cousin who lived in Minneapolis and stayed with them.
Later, she became pregnant, (Marguerite), and not wanting to be alone through it, returned to Mankato where her sister Elsie and her husband were living. She lived with them all through her pregnancy, and the baby was born at their home.
She went to her parent's home when she became pregnant again, (Mankato). and the baby boy was born there. He lived only an hour or so, was un-named, and was buried there. (Years later she and W.P. wanted the baby's remains transferred to Montana, but found that the cemetery had been reorganized, all bodies dug up, and many put in common graves together, so no identification could be made.)
In 1908, W.P. was sent to eastern Montana -- Terry -- and he took Florence and Marguerite with him. Again they lived in a shack close to the construction site, and Florence was lonely. She was also scared -- she remembered the country as big and wild, and she could hear the cyotes howling at night.
They moved to Billings later on, first residing in the 1000 block on North 31st Street. (The house South of SE corner of North 31st and 11th Ave. North) They lived there a year, and her first friend was Mabel Darnell, who was very helpful and friendly to her. She said she needed a friend, as she couldn't cope with a case of scarlet fever W.P. contracted, so hired a nurse to care for him. She said he would have died had he depended on her. (SAhe certainly changed later! She could and did cope with anything that came along) Mabel gave her her first setting hen and eggs, and got her started raising chickens, and she continued that for many years.
When Marguerite was 5 (1914), they bought their big home on Ave. D. 209 Avenue D. They lived there for about 45 years, until she and Marguerite built and moved into their home on Ponderosa Drive, shortly after W.P. died. (He died in 1955). The Avenue D house was practically new when they bought it -- it had been built by a Dr. who moved away from Billings. Both Mary Bernice and Bill, Jr. were born in the front upstairs bedroom.
In 1922, (W.P. Jr. was 6), they spent a year in Ogden, Utah, where Security Bridge had a large contract. Young Bill started school there. In the summer they lived in a beautiful canyon outside of town, and lived in town in the winter.
In 1923 they returned to Billings, W.P. resigned his job with Security Bridge, and on April 1, 1923, started his own company, W.P.Roscoe Co., specializing in highway bridge construction. The office was at 511 North 26th St., Billings, and the company was not dissolved until 1978.
(After his death in 1955, Marguerite, a graduate civil engineer, who had taught school for many years,joined the company, and she and Donald M. Hansen, a long-time employee, ran it, until shortly before her death in 1975) Marguerite was unmarried.
Mary Bernice taight school for many years, moved to California while still young, and married John Abajian. They now live in Las Vegas. No children.
W.P. Jr. is Pres.-owner of Roscoe Steel and Culvert Company, with plants in Billings and Missoula, Montana. They do all kinds of standard and special steel fabrication. One son, the eldest, Jim, is an officer of the company, and Bill is semi-retired. He married Emily Covert in 1942 and they had 7 children. One is deceased (Judson -- 1951)
Florence died 19 April 1980. She was 96 years old.
Would appreciate any Lynch Family information you know.
Do you know when Margaret Ellen Lynch's parents came to America?
From where in Ireland?
Her father's occupation?
She was born in Connecticut -- how did she end up in Minnesota?
Was it her mother, Katherine Cunningham who was married to a Butler?
If so, please, explain.
Would appreciate information on the brothers and sisters of John Nicholas (Nick) Nenno who was married to Margaret Ellen Lynch. Tell me thew story of your Nenno parent's life.
Would also appreciate any information you have on the brothers and sisters of the older Nick
Nenno who lived in Wisconsin. You'll find the list of those brothers and sisters in this packet.
Did Mary marry Martin Youngman?
Was John unmarried?
Did Adam go "west"? Where?
Do you know the names of the spouses of all of them? (I know Annie married a Busch and a Schnobrich)
Where did they all live? What did they do for a living? Where did they all die? Where buried?
Which one was Aunt Maggie?
P.S. I need the address of Wm. Saenger, please
| A letter emailed from Emily Covert Roscoe to Tom McFarland in October 2000 | |
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