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Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Degener

also known as Friedrich Degener and Fred Degener (occasionally spelled as Degner)

Date of Birth January 28, 1813  
Date of Death April 7, 1897  
Place of Birth Rodewald, Germany  
Place of Burial Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery  
Known Siblings Heinrick Degener (younger brother) Born: May 30, 1819
Died: September 29, 1869 (See Heinrich Wilhelm Degener)
Father Christian Degener Born: November 22, 1782
Died: March 29, 1870
Buried in "Immanuel" Proviso Cemetery
Mother Anna Catherine Degener nee Duensing Anna Catherine may have died in Germany prior Christian's immigration to America.
Date of Parents' Marriage 1812  
Friedrich's Wife Anna Marie Degener nee Volberding  
Wife's Date of Birth September 16, 1820  
Wife's Place of Birth Rodewald, Germany  
Wife's Date of Death March 10, 1882  
Wife's Place of Burial Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery  
Marriage Date and Place November 20, 1842 At Saint Aegidien Lutheran Church, Rodewald, Germany
Wife's Bio   Anna was the daughter of Johann Jurgen Volberding and Maria Dorothea Volberding nee Krage
Occupation Farmer Listed as a farmer in the 1850 and 1860 Census
Date of US Immigration 1845  
Route of Immigration Friedrich accompanied his wife and child immigrated to America from the Kingdom of Hanover, Germany.  They sailed from Hamburg, Germany to New Orleans, Louisiana then traveled up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Dunklee's Grove.  The Dunklee's Grove site is now in the Wooddale/Addison area of Dupage County, Illinois. Approximately 1/3rd of this original site is now DuPage County Forest Preserve.
Description of Land First Owned In 1861 F. Degener owned 139 acres. The F. Degener land was a 1/4 section of Section 19 along the Cook County-DuPage County border between Roosevelt Road and 31st Street.  This land would be east of the Tri-state Tollway, I-294.

Children:

Name Date of Birth Birthplace Date of Death Other Notes
Marie Sophie Magdalene (Ahrens) December 26, 1843 Kingdom of Hanover, Germany    
Caroline Margarethe Magdalene June 24, 1846 Illinois December 17, 1916 Buried at Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery
Sophie Dorothea Louise (Winklemann) January 16, 1849 Proviso Township, Illinois March 1881 Buried in Proviso Cemetery then moved to Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
Sophia Maria Christine  (Graue) February 3, 1851 Proviso Township, Illinois October 19, 1919
Buried in Sherwood, Oregon on October 21, 1919		 Married Ludwig "Louis" H. Graue at Zion
Emilie (Amelia) Dorthea Marie (Graue) February 20, 1853 Proviso Township, Illinois January 6, 1934
Buried at Immanuel Lutheran Church		 Married Ernst A. Graue at Immanuel Lutheran Church, October 28, 1870
Mathilde Wilheima (Mueller) June 20, 1855 Proviso Township, Illinois January 6, 1934 Buried at Immanuel Lutheran Church
Emma Sophia Louise January 6, 1857 Proviso Township, Illinois    
Anna "Almira" Sophia Olwind June 27, 1858 Proviso Township, Illinois 1861, age 3  
Bertha Marie Elsie June 13, 1862 Proviso Township, Illinois October 23, 1903 Buried at Immanuel Lutheran Church

Additional Biographical Information:

To see the bibliography for this entry, click on the Founding Fathers--Bibliography

Other entries for the Degener family are at:

We welcome any comments, questions and corrections.  In accumulating this information we have found conflicting evidence.  We have endeavored to use the most reliable sources available BUT we can not be sure we have all of the facts completely accurate.  We need your help.  More information from the families of these nine "Founding Fathers" would be of great value to this ongoing project in order to maintain accuracy.  At this time, we are especially interested in photos, journals, letters, etc., which would describe the southeast corner of 22nd Street (Cermak) and Wolf Road in Hillside, prior to the 1860's. This will help us now, as we work on the restoration.

Please feel free to contact me at j.arbuthnot@sbcglobal.net.  I will route your email through our other researchers.

The primary compiler of this information was Lana Gits with:

Last Modified:  02/17/2007