Pioneer Emma Flueckiger—and, in general, women having many children

     I’ve been doing lots of research concerning the saga of the Jenni family of Central Montana. Here's a little bit of it. It’s pretty eye-opening.
     Feminists will be interested, I think.
     From

Emma Flueckiger—and, in general, women having many children 

     on the Jenni Family Blog:

Fred Jenni (1856-1944)

     FIRST, some (brief) background: Fred Jenni (aka Friedrich) immigrated with his family to the US from Switzerland in 1869, when he was 13 years old. The family settled in Amazonia, Missouri, where they farmed.

     By 1881, Fred—aged 25—struck out on his own, soon settling in central Montana, where he established his Beaver Creek homestead. His younger brother John (b. 1863) soon joined him. The two “Jenni boys” worked hard and gradually became highly regarded ranchers/farmers in central Montana.
     When their father, Samuel Jenni, died of yellow fever in 1884, their mother, Anna Segesseman (b. 1820) came out; they built her a big house (shared with Fred), but she soon died of pneumonia (in 1885 or 1886). Still, the Jenni Bros persevered and prospered, their brother Gottlieb (b. 1859) joining them.
     In 1890, John married Swiss immigrant Albertena Dieziger; the two eventually had five children. In 1891, Fred met another Swiss immigrant—Emma, also from a family in Amazonia. They married—Charlie Russell was among their wedding guests—and commenced building a large family.

* * *

Frieda Flueckiger

     OK, here’s the thing. Emma’s folks were Fredrich “Fritz” Flueckiger (1845-1924) and Anna Maria Scheidegger (1856–1886). They lived in a small town outside of Bern, Switzerland (about 20 miles from the Jennis' hometown).
     They had lots of kids. Friedrich (“Fritz”) came in 1870; Emma: 1873; Bertha: 1875 (she died in ’83); Alfred: 1876; Frieda: 1879; Johannes: 1881 (he died in 1897).
     In 1883, the family emigrated. They ended up in Amazonia, Missouri.
     In 1885, Carl (aka “Charlie”), child No. 7, arrived. Anna died soon thereafter, in 1886.
     She died in Missouri, though she seemed to be buried in Ohio (Navarre, Stark County). There’s a family portrait, c. 1893, evidently taken in Cleveland, Ohio, so maybe their base was Ohio. Not sure.
     Near as I can tell, after Anna’s death, the Flueckigers continued to live in Missouri (or Ohio?), but, in 1891, Emma, then 18, traveled to the wilds of central Montana, and soon married 35-year-old Fred(erick) Jenni—most of whose family were also living in Amazonia. I suspect the two families knew each other.

John Jenni (1863-1939)

      Meanwhile, in 1890, procreation-wise, Herr Flueckiger wasn’t done yet; he now married Rosina Heck (1846-1940), a German woman who already had at least one child, Louis (b. 1884), from her marriage with Christopher Grossman, who died in 1884. So Fritz Flueckiger added two more to his herd of seven: Rosa (1891) and Walter (1893). That's a total of nine, not even including the step-son, Louis.
     Not to be outdone, Emma—and Fred, of course—took up where Anna had left off. They produced Anna Friedalena (’93), Louise Margaret (’94), Maria Emma (’95), Frederick John (’97), Hulda C (’98), Clara Elizabeth (’00), Lena Lillian (’03), and finally Samuel Gottlieb in ’06. That’s eight.

Charlie Russell

     Emma died two months after Samuel’s birth—during minor surgery, which was somehow accompanied by an epileptic fit. She was thirty-three years old. Naturally, Fred was overwhelmed. He gave the infant, Samuel, to a local couple (who eventually adopted him). Emma’s younger sister, Frieda (b. 1879; by then married to a Mr. Charles White, b. 1855!), came to help out. All the kids took up the slack created by mom’s death....

See also

• 1906: the sudden and tragic death of Mrs. Fred Jenni (Emma Fleuckeger)—a "good and true woman"
• 1899: The killing of "Panhandle Bob" Thornton at Gilt Edge: putting stop to a "carnival of crime"

     Here’s a picture of Fred and Emma's family. Assuming that the young boy is Samuel, and given that he's about ten years old here, I figure the picture was taken in about 1916—ten years after Emma's death.

The Fred Jenni family - 1916?

     Here's a contemporary photo of John and Albertena's family:

     Here are some other photos, mostly of the Flueckingers.

Friedrich J. Flueckinger (b. 1845), wife Rosina (b. 1846), daughter,
Rosa (b. 1891) on his lap; step-son Louis Grossman standing;
daughter Frieda (b. 1879) standing with arm on Rosina; baby
Walter Eugene Flueckinger (b. 1893) on Rosina's lap. I'm guessing
this photo was taken in 1893 or 1894.

C. 1898: Herr Flueckiger and sons.
Left to right: Fred Jr. (b. 1870), Frederick (b. 1845),
Alfred (b. 1876)—and Charlie (b. 1885) in front.

1918?
Carl (Charlie) Flueckinger, b. 1885 (d. 1956)
I believe Charlie married and became a minister.

Walter Eugene Flueckinger (b. 1893), 10 Sept 1919, Rushville, Nebraska.
Wedding photo of Walter and Esther Marie Jungck (b. 1899)

1929: Alfred Flueckinger (1876-1942), wife Helen Tonn (1880-1966), and Louis Grossman (b. 1884).
Grossman was Frederick Flueckinger's stepson.

Elsie Marie Flueckinger (1916–2011), daughter of Alfred and Helen

1902: Alfred Flueckinger & Helen Tonn, Rushville, Nebraska

I think that's Frederick Flueckinger at right.
Not sure about the cat.

From Ancestry.com