Henry Kolm & Doris Luneburg in Middleton, Wisconsin

When Carl Heinrich Christian "Henry" Kolm arrived in America from Mecklenburg, in about 1860, he made his way from New Orleans, up the Mississippi River towards the town of Mendota, Wisconsin. (Family legend says that Henry mistakenly got off the boat at Mendota, Illinois and had to make his way north on foot). Finally, he arrived in the large community of immigrants from Mecklenburg in Middleton Township, Dane County, Wisconsin.

The town of Middleton, on the shore of Lake Mendota near Madison, was originally called Mendota, then officially changed its name to Middleton in about 1870.*

Wilhelm and Anna (Klauck) Lüneburg settled in Middleton Township, in the Pheasant Branch area, in the early or mid-1850s. They were also emigrants from Mecklenburg. The two oldest Lüneburg children, George Luneburg and Marie (Luneburg) Nortmann, lived in Milwaukee with their spouses and children. The three younger children: Friedrich "Fritz", Henry, and Maria Dorothea Caroline "Doris" Luneburg lived in Middleton with their parents.

It is not known whether Henry Kolm settled in Middleton immediately upon arriving in Wisconsin. We do know that Henry Kolm and Doris Luneburg married on June 23, 1862 in Madison. On their marriage license, Henry listed his occupation as a carpenter and joiner.

After their marriage, Henry and Doris settled in the town of Middleton, where Henry worked as a carpenter. They had six children in Middleton: Henry, August, Frank, Mary, Charles, and Anna.

The Kolms remained in Middleton until November 1879, when they joined Doris' brothers Henry and Fritz in Schuyler, Colfax County, Nebraska. (three more Kolm chilren were born in Nebraska: Fred, William and Lena).

The elder Lüneburgs both died in October 1878. Wilhelm and Anna are buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Middleton.

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Links:

• My earlier post about the 1873 Middleton Township plat map.

• History from the City of Middleton web site, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Middleton Tourism Commission.

• Photos from the Wisconsin Historical Society
--- 1873: Middleton Wisconsin Rail Crossing
--- 1876: Bird's Eye View of Middleton, Wisconsin

• Articles from the Wisconsin Historical Society
--- 3-14-1920 Wisconsin State Journal
--- 11-18-1928 Wisconsin State Journal
--- 2-5-1939 Capital Times

* This town in Middleton Township, Dane County has been called Peatville (1856), Middleton Station (Juen 1862), Mendota (July 1862) and finally Middleton (April 1870). It has always been located near the shore of Lake Mendota. (see "The Early History of the Pheasant Branch Watershed" for details)