Category:Emilie Sommerfeld

Emilie Bertha Sommerfeld
	Born:1871 - June 15th Died: 1952 - Jan. 16th Married:1888 - July 5th Spouse: Jacob Baur Children:Theodore Lydia Alfred Tabea Marie Agnes Helen Cordelia Parents: August Sommerfeld and Augusta Utecht Siblings: Emilie, Edward, Lena, Theodore, Waldemar, Anne Wilhelma (died when 2 months old) Other:	Contents 1 Short Biography 2 Wedding 3 Timeline of Life Events 4 Short Biography 5 Timeline of Life Events 6 Death 7 Notes 8 Memories 9 Related Links 9.1 Bottom of Page

Short Biography

Wedding

Emilie Sommerfeld

Timeline of Life Events

1871

Born: June 15th in Hennepin Township, Sleepy Eye, MN, USA

1876

Brother Edward Sommerfeld born

1882

Sister Lena Sommerfeld born.

1884

Brother Theodore Sommerfeld born

1885

Confirmed: March 29th at St. John’s Lutheran Church,Sleepy Eye, MN by Rev S. Deuber Text: Rom 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.”

1887

Brother Waldemar Sommerfeld born.

1888

Married Jacob Baur at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Sleepy Eye, MN by Rev S. Deuber (Jacob age 23, Emile age 17) Text Tob 7:15 (not Job, Tob)

1952

Died: January 16th in Owatonna, MN of heart failure (moved to Owatonna in 1950)
Buried: 1-19-1952 in Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Sanborn, MN.

Short Biography

Timeline of Life Events

Death

Notes

Edward H. (married Lena Vollmer)
- Born: 1876.
- Died: 1917.
- Was a farmer.

Lena A. (married Rev. Wm. F. Sauer, the step-brother of Jacob. Became SD District President)
- Born: 1882 in Sleepy Eye, MN
- Married: 1905
- Both were confirmed at Trinity Lutheran in Johnson, MN. (Lenna 1897 & William 1895).
- Buried: St. Paul’s Mound City, SD.

Theodore F. (married Olga Dittbenner)

Waldemar “Walter” (married Marie Krueger)

Anne Wilhelma (died when 2 months old)

August Sommerfeld (father of Emilie Sommerfeld)
- Born: 1840 in Posen Prussia
- Died: Dec: 15, 1916 Sleepy Eye MN
Married: 1870 to August Utecht
- Emigrated from Prussia: 1862
- Was a blacksmith by trade.

Augusta Uttecht/Kisner Sommerfeld (mother of Emilie Sommerfeld)
- Born: 1847 in Posen Prussia
- Died: Dec: 15, 1916 Sleepy Eye MN
- Married: 1870 to August Utecht
- Emigrated from Prussia: 1867

The Sommerfeld house was sold to the church to serve as a teacherage. Did Stuart live in great-grandma's house? Just another piece of trivia.
Some of us may remember Norman Burger from MLA in New Ulm. He was a member of St. John's.
The final family connection was in 2001. Amber Scharrer taught school there. She is the niece of my sister Kathryn Baur Scharrer.

Wedding license spelling is Emelia. I can't read the scan of the original.

County wedding record at https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X2BG-BTB

Baur/Sommerfeld/Uteche Family History

August Sommerfeld (father of Emilie Sommerfeld)
- Born: 1840 in Posen Prussia
- Died: Dec: 15, 1916 Sleepy Eye MN
- Married: 1870 to August Utecht
- Emigrated from Prussia: 1862
- Was a blacksmith by trade.

Augusta Uttecht/Kisner Sommerfeld (mother of Emilie Sommerfeld)
- Born: 1847 in Posen Prussia
- Died: Dec: 15, 1916 Sleepy Eye MN
- Married: 1870 to August Utecht
- Emigrated from Prussia: 1867

Children

Emilie Berthan Sommerfeld
- Married: 1888 to Jacob Baur at St. John’s Lutheran in Sleepy Eye, MN by Rev S. Deuber (Jacob age 23, Emile age 17)

Text Job 7:15 “so that I prefer strangling and death,rather than this body of mine.” Completer section: “11“Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 12Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep, that you put me under guard?13When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, 14even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions,

I been working to put out information on the Sommerfeld family. It really is intriguing. There are a lot of parallels between the Sommerfeld family and the Jaus/Lieske families. Considering how the early pastors lived, the Sommerfeld story is also the story of Paul Hinderer and Jacob Baur. Something which makes Great-grandma Emilie Sommerfeld Baur unique is she was my only great-grandmother to be born a natural citizen.

The parents of Emilie, August and Augusta Utecht Sommerfeld, emigrated from Posen Germany to the United States in the 1960s. August was 22 and Augusta was 20. They would be married and set up housekeeping in Hennepin Township, just south of Loreno (Sleepy Eye), in 1870 at the ages of 30 and 23. They were amongst some of the first settlers in the Sleepy Eye area.

The area was still reeling from the Indian uprising. Twenty-one persons in the same relationship lost their lives in one day. This is the world, the very township, into which Emilie would be born.

Emilie was born in her parent’s country house. It was most likely a dugout or sod house because this part of MN was mostly prairie in 1871. Bricks of sod were cut from the prairie. Long grass made a roof, and prairie hay was used as carpet. Six month later Chicago would be ravaged by the Great Chicago Fire. In 1872 the railroad would reach Sleepy Eye.

The religious needs of the pioneers were met by traveling preachers. Pastors from New Ulm searching for German Lutherans served the area. It is likely that Emilie was baptized by one of these traveling preachers.

Twenty families decided to establish a church. In 1876 St. John’s Lutheran of the MN Synod was established. We know that Christian Sommerfeld and August Utecht were among the first elected church officers. Rev. Simeon Deuber came to the congregation in 1880. A Christian Day School was begun in 1885. Twelve years later Jacob and Emilie were married in the 50’x28’ frame church.

Emilie was confirmed in 1885. I don’t find it surprising that her confirmation passage was Romans 8:28.“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” These were tough times. I’m sure these words came back to comfort her four years later. Her first child would die in infancy.

Emilie isn’t the only Sommerfeld connection to the Baur family. Emilie had five siblings that I know of. Her sister would marry Jacob Baur’s step-brother, Rev. Wm. F. Sauer.

The story of the Sommerfeld family is a true pioneer story. St. John’s is still active in Sleepy Eye. There are still a large number of Sommerfeld family members at St. John’s. August and Augusta left a pretty neat legacy for future generations.