Sometimes, I come across people from Napa whether they are online, outside of Napa, or even in city limit itself. If they have lived in Napa for any decent length of time, like back to the 1970s, they usually can recall my grandfather, Richard J. Flanagan. After all, he was the Treasurer of Napa County for 20 years retiring around 1980. When I mention McLaughlin's, Borchers', and Vienop's, it always amazes me how often people say that they knew a Vienop from Napa and/or went to Napa High School with a Vienop.
To be honest with you, the Vienop name is not a very common German surname in the United States and possibly in Germany too. In Germany, the name is generally written as Vinup. My Napa Vienop's appear to have had their last name altered at their immigration into the United States. I have to really make time to sit down and review the stories and family tree for Johann Heinrich Vinup (John Henry Vienop, Sr., or actually, Henry Sr.) and Anna Marie Koch, my great great grandparents. I know that Henry Sr. visited the U.S., then returned to Germany, only to return again and take up permanently living in the U.S. I really need to get more about that story. I do have a living source or two.
Henry Sr. and Anna Marie Koch originally lived in Audrain, Missouri. A few children were born while they lived there. They moved on to Daykin, Nebraska by the mid to late 1890s. I know that there are Vienop's buried in Daykin. It is very clear and specific why the Vienop's left their harsh weather environment. Anna Marie's doctor told her that she needed to move to a better climate for health reasons. The Vienop's researched California and made their way to Napa by the beginning of the 1900s. Below are two posts from my 5 part series about my Great Grandma who was one of Henry and Anna Vienop's daughters:
Maria Luise Katharine Vienop - Part 2
Maria Luise Katharine Vienop - Part 3
Of the ten original Vienop's to move to Napa, four of them were named Ernest (Ernst) Vienop. My Mom and I have to laugh a bit because it does get confusing to talk about them. I know that all of them are buried at Tulocay Cemetery in Napa, CA. I wonder what the Vienop Family Plot headstones look like. I am assuming that there are Ernest's and Henry's when it comes to the men. I just have to note here that their full given German names probably differentiated them more. I just don't know what their full names were. That will be part of my future research.
So the weather most definitely prompted my Vienop's to move West. It's a good thing that they did!
To be continued............................
No comments:
Post a Comment