150th brings Pfaenders to town

By KEVIN SWEENEY

Journal Editor

NEW ULM -- New Ulm's 150th anniversary celebration served as the perfect opportunity for descendants of one of the town's founders to gather.

Descendants of Wilhelm Pfaender gathered this week in New Ulm. About 114 in all were here Wednesday and Thursday for a family reunion and the celebration of Marion Pfaender Downs' 90th birthday this year. She is the last surviving grandchild of Wilhelm and Katherine Pfaender. A majority of them were on hand Saturday for the dedication of a historic marker at German Park that tells the story of Wilhelm Pfaender and Frederick Beinhorn.

Family members from Iowa, California, Arizona and Denver were all on hand. this week, descendants of the Pfaender's seven children. Twenty-eight came from Albert Pfaender's side of the family; 26 were descendants of daughter Molly, 24 from William Junior, five from Kate's side of the family, six from Hermann Pfaender's, eight from Frederick, seven from daughter Emma, and seven from Molly. Two cousins from the Pfau side of the family were also represented.

Planning for the reunion began about a year ago at Marion's 89th birthday. She decided a family reunion in New Ulm for her 90th would be a good idea. The invitation list grew, and the 150th anniversary made a perfect setting for the reunion.

Roylin Downs of La Cañada, Calif., one of Albert's descendants, organized the reunion, working closely with Ruthie Stoll, a descendant of William, who still lives in New Ulm.

The family spent Wednesday and Thursday touring the city. Turner Hall's Rich Runck took them on a bus tour of historic sites, and the family spent a lot of time touring on their own. They held a barbecue at Hermann Heights Park and a banquet at Turner Hall.

At the dedication of the Pioneer Founders marker, James Leighton, a descendant of Frederick Beinhorn, thanked the Junior Pioneers, who donated the marker to the city, and talked about his interest in the genealogy of his family and the history of New Ulm.

Marion Downs said that as the last surviving grandchild of the Pfaenders, "I'm grateful for the surviving part, believe me. But I mourn for my dear cousin, Dr. Ted Fritsche (who died this past year), who should be here doing this. He truly was the grand old man of the 20th century of New Ulm."

Downs said she learned of the pioneers' foresight in planning the town after she graduated from New Ulm High School and went to work in the office of the City Engineer. He showed her the original plat of the city hanging on the wall. "He showed me that not only did (my grandfather) provide for public school lands at that time, but he also provided for public school lands that would reach through the 20th century. So you can see, these were men of real vision who saw into the future and provided for that."

She also asked everyone to remember the women behind the men, who cooked, cleaned the house, helped work the land and raised the children.

She recalled how her grandmother told her that Indians would often come into her house, and she learned to have bread and pastries available for them. She grew to consider the Indians her friends, and refused to believe they would harm her when the Dakota Conflict started. When Captain Nix warned her to come into town, she had to be forced, with her children, into a buckboard and driven to town. As they looked back, they could see their homestead burning.

Her grandmother also kept the farm going while her husband was away during the Civil War, said Downs. "These were strong women."