My Boevers family from Schaumburg,
in Hannover region of Germany
In the original version of my webpages, I claimed very little knowledge of my Boevers ancestry in Germany. As I had mentioned on my homepage, as time pass, more and more records will become available. Surprisingly, good things do come to those who wait. There are now digitized records from the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Germany. I now know that my Boevers and Matthies (Matthias) ancestry is from the Schaumburg region in Germany, which is now called Niedersachsen or Lower Saxony. My ancestors Johann Friedrich Bövers and his wife, Catherine Engel Sophie Hecht, left their home in Horsten, Schaumburg, and came to the United States in 1868, and settled in the Wheeling Township area of Rice County, Minnesota.
My grandmother, Malinda, is a Boevers. She was born on 25 January 1916 in Wheeling Township, Rice County, Minnesota. Malinda’s parents were Johan Christian Boevers and Emma Bertha Lick. Malinda grew up in Nerstrand, Rice County. She was an only child, as an older sister and younger sister, both died in infancy. She attended a regular public school but during the summer she went to a German school. Malinda met and married Nicholas Schmitz on 5 February 1934. They were married in Scott County, Minnesota. Nick and Malinda moved to Minneapolis shortly before my mother was born. My mother was actually born at the Faribault hospital during a really bad snowstorm. My grandfather was stuck in Minneapolis and couldn’t be there for her birth. The folklore is that once he was able to get them, there was another storm coming and they had to follow a snow plow all the way back up to the cities.
Johan Christian Boevers, John, was born in Wheeling township in the year 1885. He was the son of German immigrants Johann Frederick Boevers and Charlotte Matthies. He grew up and raised his own family in the area. In 1913 John Boevers married Emma Lick, daughter of Johann Friederich Wilhelm Lick and Friedrike Auguste Schulz. Emma was born in 1885 in Cannon City in Rice County.
Johann Friederich immigrated with his parents, Johann Friedrich Boevers and Catherine Engel Sophie Hecht, along with his younger brother, Henry Christian Boevers, in the late spring of 1868. They were aboard the sailing vessel USS New York out of Bremen and arrived at Castle Garden in New York on 25 June 1868. They were traveling with Catherine Engel Sophie's sister, Engel Marie Charlotte and her husband Johann Freiderich Christian Hecht. They too settled in Minnesota. Many other families from the Schaumburg area of Germany settled in Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota.
Charlotte Matthies arrived in the United States with her parents Johann Christian Matthies and Charlotte Kolle along with her older sister Louise. The family left out of Bremen Gremany in the spring of 1867 and sailed to South Hampton, England to pick up more passengers and arrived at Castle Garden in New York on 23 May 1867. According to the 1870 Frederal Census, there should have been two more children traveling with this family. The children would have been Christian Matthies and his younger sister Frederica, but they are not listed on the ship manifest. Charlotte Kolle’s parents also immigrated to the United States. These two children may have been traveling with them. I haven’t found a ship manifest for the Kolle’s to confirm this yet.
Here are some pictures of my Boevers ancestors and below that is an outline of my ancestors starting with my grandmother.
Malinda Schmitz nee: Boevers with her grandchildren and great grandchildren
circa 1985
Señora Malinda Boevers Schmitz in Mexico
circa 1980
Malinda with cousin Gertrude and their aunts Lorena Willie, Ella Dettmer, Sophia Dettmer
circa 1979
Malinda with her grandchildren
Lynda, Thomas, Donald, Marie,
Malinda and Michael
circa 1965
Family portrait circa 1959
Back: Juanita (Nita),Nicholas (Nick),
Kathleen (Kate),
Front: Ramona (Mona), Nicholas (Nick) and
Malinda (Linda) Boevers Schmitz
Celebrating 25 years of marriage
6 February 1934
Malinda Boevers and Nicholas Schmitz
Back: Johan and Emma Boevers, Juanita Schmitz, Ramona Schmitz,
Front: Kathleen Schmitz, Nicholas Schmitz
circa 1951
Back: Emma Lick Boevers, Malinda Boevers Schmitz, Kathleen Schmitz, John Boevers,
Front: Ramona Schmitz, Nicholas Schmitz
and Juanita Schmitz
circa 1946
Nick Schmitz, Juanita, Ramona
and Malinda Boevers
circa 1939
Sophia Louisa Maria Boevers
and Frederick H. Dettmer
circa 1936
Ramona Kathryn Schmitz, Johan Christian Boevers, Malinda Boevers Schmitz,
Johan Friedrich Boevers
circa 1935
6 February 1934
Malinda Louise Boevers
Nicholas Charles Schmitz
Malinda Louise Boevers
circa 1933
Malinda Boevers not looking too happy to be sitting in a wagon with some young children. I have no idea how the kids are, but I thought this was a fun picture.
circa 1932
Malinda Boevers
circa 1930
Malinda Louise Boevers
circa 1928
Lorena Louise Emilie Boevers
Walter Willie
22 October 1924
Ella Boevers
August William Dettmer
14 April 1921
Johan Friedrich Boevers and Friedrich Christian Boevers
circa 1920
photo courtesy: CJ Boevers
Johan Friedrich Boevers and crew.
circa 1920
Friedrich August Boevers
Emma Gemina Floren
24 October 1917
Johan Christian Boevers
Emma Bertha Lick
4 November 1914
Friedrich, Sophia, Wilhelmina
and Ella Boevers
circa 1912
Ella, Wilhelmina, Friedrich August, Sophia Louisa Maria,
Louisa Fredricka, Lorena Louisa Emilie,
Johan Friedrich Boevers and Charlotte Matthies Boevers
circa 1910
Johan Christian Boevers
circa 1910
Louisa Fredricka Boervers
Conrad Friedrich William Schwert
8 September 1904
Friedrich Christian Boevers
Maria Ableman
25 March 1897
Johan Friedrich Boevers
Charlotte Matthies
13 March 1884
First Generation
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1 Malinda Louise Boevers was born in Wheeling, Rice County, Minnesota, on 25 January 1916. At the age of 75, she died while living in Columbia Heights, Anoka County, Minnesota, on 21 August 1991.
On 6 February 1934 Malinda Louise married Nicholas Charles Schmitz in Scott County, Minnesota.
They had the following children:
i. Ramona Kathryn (1935-2006)
ii. Juanita Bertha (1937-1993)
iii. Nicholas James (1943-2001)
iv. Living
Second Generation
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2 Johan Christian Boevers was born in Wheeling, Rice County, Minnesota, on 19 March 1888. At the age of 64, he died while living in Faribault, Rice County, Minnesota, on 25 August 1952.
On 4 November 1913 Johan Christian married Emma Bertha Lick in Wheeling Township, Rice County, Minnesota.
They had the following children:
i. Leonara C. (1914-1914)
1 ii. Malinda Louise (1916-1991)
iii. Dorothea Sophia Ernestine (1918-1918)
3 Emma Bertha Lick was born in Cannon City, Rice County, Minnesota, on 12 November 1885. At the age of 79, she died while living in Columbia Heights, Anoka County, Minnesota, on 20 November 1964.
Third Generation
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4 Johan Friedrich Boevers was born in Germany, on 5 January 1861. At the age of 92, he died while living in Wheeling, Rice County, Minnesota, on 23 May 1953. Immigrated on 5 July 1868 to With parents from Germany to America.
On 13 March 1884 Johan Friedrich married Charlotte Matthies in Wheeling, Rice County, Minnesota.
They had the following children:
i. Anna Charlotta (1884-1911)
ii. Louisa Fredericka L. (1886-1977)
2 iii. Johan Christian (1888-1952)
iv. Sophia Louisa Maria (1889-1989)
v. Friedrich August (1891-1977)
vi. Wilhelmine Minnie (1893-1941)
vii. Ella (1894-1991)
viii. Lydia (1897-1900)
ix. Lorena Louise Emilie (1902-1987)
x. Emma C. (1905-1905)
5 Charlotte Matthies was born Germany. At the age of 71, she died while living in Wheeling, Rice County, Minnesota, on 16 November 1932.
Fourth Generation
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8 Johan Friedrich Boevers was born in Schaumberg, Germany. At the age of 54, he died while living in Wheeling, Rice County, Minnesota, on 29 April 1883.
Johan Friedrich married Engel Hecht.
They had the following children:
4 i. Johan Friedrich (1861-1953)
ii. Henry C. (1866-1953)
iii. William (1869-)
iv. Frederich E. Christian (1872-1959)
9 Engel Hecht was born in Schaumberg, Germany. At the age of 71, she died while living in Wheeling, Rice County, Minnesota, on 6 October 1899.
10 Johann Christian Matthies was born in Germany. At the age of 63, he died while living in Rice County, Minnesota, on 3 February 1900.
Johann Christian married Sophia Charlotte Kolle.
They had the following children:
i. Louise (~1858-)
5 ii. Charlotte (1860-1932)
iii. Christian W. (1862-)
iv. Frederica (1864-)
v. Louis (1870-)
vi. Frederick H. W. (1872-)
vii. Anna S. (1877-1877)
viii. Boy (1879-1879)
11 Sophia Charlotte Kolle was born in Germany. At the age of 57, she died while living in Cannon City, Rice County, Minnesota, on 4 September 1892.