Kappelman(n) Migration to Lafayette County, MO
This narrative chronicles how the Kappelman branch of my family and their relatives migrated from
Germany to my birthplace in Lafayette County, Missouri. Genealogists say that one should always
trace their families from the known to the unknown, i.e. from the present day backward to earlier
times. To develop the following account, this was done to some extent but the story is best told from
the early days forward.
You will notice a number of variations in the spelling of this last name. As is typical with many
families, surnames may have various spellings due to recording errors (misunderstandings) or
possibly deliberate changes. The original spelling of the name back in Germany was ‘Kappelmann’.
In later years, many families dropped the last ‘n’ so, if an exact match is required in a search, one
must try both ‘Kappelmann’ and ‘Kappelman’. Other variations that have been noted are
Kapplemann/Kappleman, Koppelmann/Koppelman, Koppellman, Keppelmann/Keppelman,
Cappelmann/Cappelman, Cobbelman/Cobbelman, Cobbleman/Cobbleman, and even Copperman.
This requires a number of searches through some site indexes to locate the correct records.
The trace begins with the marriage records of a church in Borgholzhausen, Germany (FHL INTL
Film 1050775
)
listing:
Groom’s Name: Peter Heinrich Kappelmann
Bride’s Name: Maria Elisabeth Beste
Marriage Date: 05 Dec 1830
Marriage Place: Evangelisch, Borgholzhausen, Westfalen, Prussia
(There is another entry listing Peter Heinrich Kappelman marrying Maria Elisabeth Besten on 21
Dec 1834 but it is not clear why this very similar entry was made.)
The next significant finding was a passenger list for the 1846 voyage of the ship Mississippi that
arrived in New Orleans on Dec. 23, 1846 with the following Kappelmanns on board:
(pg 2)
The family group includes Peter (age 37), Mary Elisa (age 38), Cath. Wilhelm. (age 15), Mary
Charlot. (age 10), Catri. Mary (age 8), and John Henry (age 4). Note that there is also an older
woman, Mary Elisa Raahe (age 73), listed as part of the family. She would appear to be the mother-
in-law; however, wife Mary Elisa’s maiden name was Beste. (Did the older Mary remarry or revert
back to her maiden name?) The last young woman, Cath. Wilhelmine Nottebaum, may have been a
servant in the family. All of the family members are listed as having been born and living in
Borgholzhausen (Westphalia, Prussia).
A large number of passengers on this voyage were from Westphalia, about 85 percent of the 207
onboard. One third of them were from the village of Borgholzhausen. Many of them wound up in
Franklin Co. [Note. New Haven, MO is now a sister city to Borgholzhausen.] Another community
represented on that trip was Neuenkirchen, Hannover, including a Raahe family (perhaps related to
Peter’s mother-in-law?). The manifest includes several other families in which some of the family
members are from Neuenkirchen and others from Borgholzhausen, so there may have been
connections between these two communities. (Neuenkirchen is about 25-30 miles north of
Borgholzhausen.) There were probably various relationships or acquaintances among people on the
ship.
Knowing that my Kappelman ancestors originally settled in Franklin County, Missouri, the 1850
Franklin Co. census was then checked. The following family is listed in dwelling 1299:
Name Age Sex Place of birth
Peter Copperman 40 M Germany
Mary “ 40 F do
Charlotte “ 17 F do
Henry “ 10 M do
Catherine “ 7 M do
Lewis “ 4 M Atlantic Ocean
- Family members in this census are relatively consistent with the passenger list although the
ages do not match well. It is possible that the ages of Catri. [Catherine] and John Henry were
switched in the passenger list.
- Lewis [Louis or Ludwig] does not show up in the passenger list (possibly compiled at the
time of boarding) but the census age matches the date of the Mississippi voyage.
- Cathr[ine] Wilhelm[ina]. does not appear in the family. She would have been about 19 by
then and probably married. The Franklin Co. marriage records list a Catharine Wilhelmina
Kappelman marrying Francis Henry Hoeman on June 3, 1849.
In the 1850 census enumeration, there are other possible Kappelmans living in the area. Two houses
earlier than the Peter Kappelmann (“Copperman”) household there was another family listed as
Henry Copperman (56), Mary (60), William (20), and Frank (18). John H. Haman [Hoeman?], wife
Catherine, and infant William were living between the two “Copperman” families. Later, there is a
15 year old Henry Kappleman listed in the Casper Bolte household.
The 1843 voyage of the ship Diana (three years before the Mississippi voyage) carried a number of
people from the same area in Germany to New Orleans. There were two Kappelman families in the
manifest, one from Kleekamp and another from Casum. (Both of these two small villages are within
two miles of Borgholzhausen.) These families listed their destination as St. Louis. So it is possible
that some of them had migrated to Franklin County by 1850; however, the names and ages listed in
the Diana manifest are not a good match to the families in the 1850 census. The ship Cesar
Godeffroy that arrived on Mar. 5, 1846 included the Chr. H. Kappelmann family from Bergkamp but
their destination is not known. The names in that family also do not match the census listing.
More Kappelmans migrated from Westphalia to Franklin County in the 1850s. The various ship
manifests [with spellings as they were recorded] included the couple Johann-Heinrich and Margretha
Kappelmann from Kirchweg arriving on the Heinrich Von Gagern Oct. 6, 1852. (Their young 3
year old son died on the voyage.) A single 18 year old Heinr. Cappelman from Osnabruck arrived
on the Ernst Moritz Arndt Nov. 26, 1852. The Wilke-Friedr. Kappelmann family arrived on the
Anna Sep. 27, 1853. The H. W. and Ilse Coppelmann family from Ostbarthausen arrived on the
Herman Nov. 16, 1853. Another family with a number of similar names, that of Wm. And Cathr.
W. Cappelmann, arrived on the Ocean Nov. 4, 1857. Finally, the Johann and Margrethe
Koppelmann family from Badbergen arrived on the Heinrich Von Gagern Oct. 24, 1859. (Several
other families and individuals also appear in that decade, but are not included in this account.) It is
not clear how many of these people wound up in Franklin County. One of the better know families
that settled there was that of H. W. (Heinrich Wilhelm, 42) Kappelmann on the Herman in 1853 with
his wife Ilse (Maria Elsabein, 43), children Cath. W. (20), H. W. (18), Fr. W. (15), H. W. (13), Cath.
W. (9), Fr. W. (8), and Herm. Hein. (6), and mother Anna E. (78). You can see that the similarity in
many of the names makes it difficult to trace some of these people. In addition, ages listed in the
manifests are unreliable. The other Kappelmanns in Franklin Co. may have arrived on some of these
ships (or others not mentioned), but I have not made any other associations.
The 1860 Beouff Township, Franklin Co. census, dwelling 528, lists the following:
Name Age Sex Place of birth
Elisabeth Kappelman 54 F Prussia
John H. 23 M “
Chatheriena 18 M “
Lewis 13 M “
- Peter had apparently died by 1860.
- The mother switched her given name from Mary to Elisabeth.
- The ditto marks for Lewis’ birthplace would indicate Prussia (at least he was conceived
there).
- Charlotte was probably married by this time. The Franklin Co. marriage records list a Marie
Charlotte Kappelman marrying Johan Heinrich Lefman on Nov. 5, 1854. Entry 507 in the
1860 census (not far from the Kappelman home) lists Henry Lefmann and wife Chartlotta
with three children ages 5 to 1.
- John H.’s age 23 in this census indicates that he was born would have been born about 1837
which is consistent with my great-grandfather’s birth date of October 28, 1837. However,
another 23 year old Henry Kappelmann is listed in this same census in the family of William
Sr. and William Jr. Kappelmann (543).
Peter Kappelmann could not be located in either of the cemetery listings for Bethlehem Lutheran
Church (Boeuf Creek) or Ebenezer Lutheran Church (Port Hudson), the churches where most of the
Franklin County Kappelmanns were members. Since the Bethlehem congregation was not organized
until 1856, that may have been after he died; although Ebenezer was organized in 1846.
The next step was to try to connect the Peter Kappelmann family to my ancestors in Lafayette Co.,
MO.
Concordia, Freedom Township, Lafayette County, MO Kappelmans
Family history indicated that my great-grandfather Heinrich Johann (aka John Henry) Kappelmann
was married in Franklin County, MO on Nov. 6, 1861 and moved his family to Lafayette County
during 1878. Therefore, Franklin Co. records were checked to find any references to his family.
The 1861 marriage records include the following listing:
Franklin County - Volume B Marriage License Records Volume F 1885-1890 / 495-5
Mr. Henry Kapelman and Miss K. Elisa Kappelman (sic) both of Franklin Co., Mo., both of lawful
age; married on 6 November 1861 by William Doer, Pastor of the Evangelic Church Luth. Ebenezer
Congregation at the Beouff Church at Franklin Co., Mo.; the margin has Henry Kapelman; the hand
written index has Henry Kapelman and the consolidated hand written index has Henry Kappelmann
and Elisa Kappelmann. (Notes at the end provided by Brian Joseph Oster.)
Great-grandmother Katherine Elizabeth’s maiden name was also Kappelman(n), so they were
probably distant cousins. There were a number of Kappelmanns living in that area (particularly
Boeuf Township) at that time and still are. At least one other Kappelmann/Kappelmann marriage
can be found in those records.
By the time of the 1870 census, Henry and Katherine had a sizeable family so one should find a
family grouping with a Henry (or John) age about 33, Katherine (or Elisa) age about 29, with the
following children: Elisa M. age about 7, Maria Elise age about 6, John H. L. age about 4, Helena
(or Lina) about age 3, and possibly new-born Gustav. However, searching the 1870 census records
for Franklin Co. in 1870, I have yet been unable to find a family group close to this pattern.
In 1876, the state of Missouri conducted a special census and fortunately the records for Franklin Co.
from this enumeration have survived. The Franklin County, Township 44N, Range 3W, listing
contains the following:
Name Age group
360 John H. Kappelmann 21-45
361 Catherina “ 21-45
362 Elisa “ 10-18
363 Maria “ 10-18
364 John “ 10-18
365 Lina “ Under 10
366 Gustav “ Under 10
367 Augusta “ Under 10
368 Chas “ Under 10
- The names and age groupings match those for my great-grandparent’s family.
- Property included 2 horses, 2 mules, 9 cattle, 5 sheep, 28 hogs, 275 bu wheat, 450 bu corn,
100 bu oats, 20 lbs wool, 2 ton hay, 3 gal molasses.
Land ownership at that time can be found in an 1878 atlas of Franklin County, actually mapped in
1876 (Atlas Map of Franklin County, Missouri, The Saint Louis Atlas Publishing Company, 1878).
An interesting pattern can be seen in the following excerpt from Boeuf Township (T44N, R3W).
If the family connections noted above are correct, one can see that the property in the estate of Louis
Kappelmann’s (J. H.’s brother) was just east of John Henry’s farm. [As noted later, Louis had just
died in 1876.] North of that was land in the estate of Frank Hoemann, who is thought to be his
brother-in-law. All are just west of Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
In 1878, John Henry (or Henry) decided to move his family to Lafayette County. My mother said
she was told that great-grandfather Henry moved because people back in Franklin Co. were not
repaying the money they owed him, so he just wanted to get out of the area. (Or was it because his
brother had died recently.) For whatever reason, the family quickly established roots in the vicinity
of Concordia, MO and it is relatively easy to trace them in the census records after that point. The
1880 East Freedom Township, Lafayette Co. MO, lists the following in dwelling 158:
Name Age
Koppelmann, John 43
Cath 40
Elise 17
Maria 16
John 14
Helena 13
Gustav 10
Augusta 8
Carl 6
Oscar 11 mo.
John Henry had moved his family to a farm in Freedom Township, directly between the farms of
Adolph Frerking and Clemens Riesterer. He and his wife lived out their lives on that farm west of
Concordia. Henry died on July 28, 1891. Katherine continued to live there until her death on
October 29, 1920. The couple is shown in the following picture taken in Higginsville probably
sometime in the late 1880s.
Heinrich (John Henry) and Katherine Kappelmann
By the time of the 1900 census, Elise had married next door neighbor Richard Riesterer, son of
Clemens. Maria (my grandmother) had married Henry Frerking, son of Adolph and next door
neighbor on the other side. Augusta had married Wilhelm Deke, son of Henry Deke, another
neighbor just down the road. The 1900 Freedom Township, Lafayette Co, MO census, dwelling 346
shows mother Catherine as the head of the household (John Henry had died by then), with son
Gustav running the farm along with sister Helena, brothers Carl (Charles H.) and Oscar (Franz
Heinrich Oskar), as well as brother Otto (Christian Louis Otto) and sister Rosa who were born after
1880. [Note. Their names were recorded as Koppelman.]
In the 1910 Freedom Township census, John H. L. Kappelman, wife Laura [nee Brackman] and
children Elmer, Omar, and Verna in dwelling 77 near Aullville, MO. Brother Charles (or Carl) and
his wife Anna [nee Hartman] are living next door in dwelling 76. [Carl and Anna had no children.]
Gustav is still living on the family farm [listed as dwelling 391 in that census] along with his mother
Katherine, sisters Helena and Rosa, as well as niece Nora Riesterer and nephew Oscar Riesterer.
[Gustav, Helena, and Rosa never married.] Oscar Kappelman had married Lydia Martens and was
living with in his father-in-law’s home (listed as dwelling 54 in the 1910 Middleton Township,
Lafayette Co. census). Youngest brother Otto had moved to Anderson Co., Kansas by that year,
working as a merchant and living in a boarding house run by John Tensfeld.
In 1920, John H. L. is still living in the Aullville area with his wife Laura and three children (see
1920 Freedom Township census, dwelling 155). Locating Gustav in this census was a little more
difficult because his name is listed as ‘Koppellman’. However, he is still living on the homestead
with mother Katherine and sisters Helene and Rose (see dwelling 154 in the Freedom Township
listing, just above the listing for John. H. L.) Carl can be found in Freedom Township, dwelling 16,
with his wife Anna. [Note. His initials are reversed and shown as H. C.] He is listed as an invalid.
Carl had earlier lived in Greeley, Kansas for a while but had recently moved back to Concordia for
health reasons. Oscar is living in Alma with his wife Lydia, two children Miriam and Hosea, and
mother-in-law Mary (see 1920 Middleton Township census, dwelling 51). Otto is now in Coffey
County, with wife Erma and three young children, running a grocery store.
One would like to connect all of these family members to their roots in Germany. However it should
be pointed out that, at this point, the link between the ‘John H.’ in the Peter and Mary Elisabeth
Kappelmann family and my gr-grandfather Heinrich Johann (aka John Henry) Kappelmann has not
been definitely established. As noted earlier, he could possibly have been the ‘Henry’ in the Wm.
Kappelmann family. More research into land records, probate records, etc. could possibly resolve
the problem. Probate records might show how land was handed down from Peter/Elisabeth to the
children. When my ancestors moved to Lafayette Co., there should be some records showing which
land was sold and matching that property to the parents. If any wills are available, they might
mention family names. These sources have not as yet been researched.
Another clue might be found by tracing the other Kappelman families that moved to Lafayette
County to see if there is a possible link.
Waverly, Middleton Township, Lafayette County, MO Kappelmans
As a child, I remember visiting the Kappelman orchards in Waverly, MO. My mother said that the
Kappelmans in that area were related to us. Browsing the web, I found the website for Schreiman
Orchards in Waverly MO which lists the following historical note and photo.
“Born of rugged pioneer stock, half brothers, Ed Kappelman (1873-1954) and Herman Willer (1884-
1977) moved from Warren & Franklin counties to west of Waverly, MO. They moved with a wagon
& 2 mules.
In the true spirit of the river bluff, they decided to plant an orchard. They bought a 30 acre piece of
virgin timber and immediately began to dynamite the timber, clearing the land for orchard. Most of
the apples were sold right out of the orchard.
The orchard was then known as KAPPELMAN & WILLER-OLD BACHELOR'S ORCHARD. In
1931 Highway 24 was built cutting their orchard in half. They, like other fruit growers up and down
the road, put up small fruit stands to sell their fruit.
In 1955, the orchard was sold to their niece and husband, Ben (1923-1983) & Helen Schreiman.”
(Edward is the taller, older person on the right)
Based on this information, I checked the census records for Middleton Township, Lafayette County
MO (which includes the Waverly area) for any Kappelman families. The 1900 Middleton
Township, Lafayette Co. census, dwelling 231, lists a Jul. R. Kappelman living with his wife Clara
and his Schowe in-laws in that township, but no Edward. What is interesting, however, is that Jul
lists his father as being “born at sea”. At this same time the 1900 Boeuf Township, Franklin Co.,
dwelling 168 listing shows that 27 year old Edward Kappelman was still living with his mother
Martha Willer and half brother Herman Willer in Franklin County. He also listed his father as being
born “at sea”.
Therefore, I started checking more Franklin Co. records to pick up the trace. The Franklin Co.
marriage records have two interesting entries.
1868 Franklin County - Marriage License Records Volume C / 147-1
Heinrich Ludwig Kappelmann and Marla[Martha] Frederike Stotte [Stolte]; married on 18
September 1868 by Chr. Bock, Pastor of the Evang. Luth. Congregation, Boeuf Creek at Boeuf
Creek, Franklin Co., Mo.
1877 Franklin County - Marriage License Records Volume D / 269-3
Adolph Willer of Berger, Franklin Co., Mo. and Mrs. Martha Fredr. Kappelmann widow born Stolte
of Detmold, Franklin Co., Mo.; married on 23 May 1877 by Fr. Weining, ordained MG Evangelical
St. John Church at Berger, Franklin Co., Mo.
[Detmold is a community about 2 ½ miles west of Boeff Lutheran Rd. See map above.]
In the 1870 Lyon Township, Franklin Co. census records, the entry for dwelling 336 lists the
following:
Kappleman, Louis age 24
Martha age 19
Aug. age 1
Mary age 63
The sequence of events appears to be as follows. “Lewis” as listed in the 1850 and 1860 censuses
may have been christened Heinrich Ludwig. In 1870, he is listed with the more common spelling
“Louis”. Note that the mother was living with them and again being called by her original first name
Mary. Louis Kappelmann and family also appear in the 1876 census (entry 9, T44N, R3W), so he
must have died later that year. Martha’s marriage record for her second wedding suggests that the
family was living in the Boeuff Township area of Franklin Co. up to 1877 when Martha married
Adolph Willer and the two families were merged.
The 1880 Lyon Township census, dwelling 369, lists the following:
Willer, Adolph age 40
Martha age 30 wife
Adolph age 13 son
Fritz age 7 son
Maria 5 mo daughter
Kappelmann, Aug age 11 step son
Edward age 7 step son
Lisetta age 4 step daughter
Nine year old Julius was not living with his mother and step-father. Instead, the 1880 census for
Western Part Charrette Township, Warren Co., dwelling 145, lists a Jul Koppelman living with
William and Sarah Stolte in Warren County. [Note. This location will come up again later.] He is
listed in this entry as an orphan. Apparently he went to live with his uncle and aunt before his
mother remarried.
Because the 1890 census records were lost in a fire, it is necessary to jump to the 1900 records. The
listings for Edward and Jul. R. were noted above. According to the 1900 Charrette Township,
Warren Co. census dwelling 16, 31 year old August is now living in Warren County, just across the
Missouri River from New Haven, with his wife Lilly age 28 and son Lee age 7. [The census record
erroneously lists his birthplace as Texas, whereas that was actually the birthplace of his wife.] Sister
Lisetta may be the Lena M. Kappelmann who married G. W. Coulter in 1897. The 1900 Boeuf
Township, Gasconade Co., census listing for dwelling 113 shows a Lena born about 1877 living with
her husband George W., 9 month old daughter Naomi, and nephew John B. age 27 (?). [Gasconade
County is just west of Franklin County and was split off from Franklin Co.]
Continuing on to the 1910 census, Jul is still listed in Middleton Township, Lafayette Co., entry 210,
Jul is listed as J. R. with wife Clara. In entry 212 of that same enumeration, 40 year old August,
wife Lily age 37. and son Lee age 17 are now listed as neighbors of J. R. in Middleton Township.
Mother Martha and her younger children Mary and George Willer have now moved to Lafayette Co.
close to J. R. and August. (See entry 200 in the same Middleton Township census.) Edward
Kappelmann and half brother Herman Willer can now be found in Charrette Township, Warren Co.
where older brother August had previously lived. (Dwelling 242 in the 1910 Charrette Township
census.) There appears to have been a property shuffle by that year, with the two younger boys
moving from the former home their mother and (step)father. Interestingly, all three of the
Kappelman sons now list their father as being born in Missouri.
Finally, checking the 1920 census, J. R. and August H. are still living in Middleton Township,
Lafayette Co. (Dwellings 229 and 232) Mother Martha is still living just down the road from them
with her children Mary and George. (Dwelling 237) Edward Kappelmann and Herman Willer have
now moved back to Boeuff Township, Franklin Co. (Dwelling 251 in the 1920 Boeuf Township
census records) [The notation on the left margin lists Pells (or Peels) Rd., a short spur off of New
Haven Rd. with only two other dwellings. Whose property did they take over?] In this census, J. R.
and August again state that their father was born at sea.
The last available census, namely 1930, has not been indexed at this time so it is difficult to trace
people in the microfilm records. Scanning the films for Middleton Township, I was unable to find
Edward Kappelman and Herman Willer. So I am not sure when the two bachelors moved to
Lafayette County and started their orchard. Julius and August are still listed in the area. The graves
of Julius, August, and Edward Kappelman along with Herman Willer can all be found in the
Waverly, MO cemetery.
Conclusions
What can be concluded from all of this? The facts listed above seem to be fairly conclusive that
Julius, August, and Edward Kappelman in the Waverly area were brothers. The same given names
appear in related families, they all listed their father as being born at sea, and they seemed to move
into the same locations. So, one can fairly confidently place them in the Peter and Marie Elisabeth
Kappelmann family that immigrated to the U.S. on the 1846 voyage of the Mississippi. They would
be the sons of Heinrich Ludwig (aka Lewis or Louis) Kappelmann.
What does this mean about my ancestors? Heinrich Ludwig appears to be the brother of my great-
grandfather Heinrich Johann (aka John Henry) Kappelmann. Louis’ farm was adjacent to J. H.’s
farm in Franklin County. One must also ask why all of the Kappelmans moved to Lafayette County.
John Henry was the first to move there in 1878. It would appear that Julius Kappelman came to
Lafayette Co. because his uncle was there. By then his father was dead and, as noted above, he was
not living with his mother and step-father. He was then followed by brother August and finally by
brother Edward. My mother said that the Waverly Kappelmanns were related. They would have
been second cousins if her grandfather (John) Henry and Louis were brothers.
The other possible clue is the first names. It is quite possible that two sons of Peter and Marie
Kappelmann were both named Heinrich, namely Heinrich Johann and Heinrich Ludwig.
So, as they grew up, they would have been called John and Louis (or Lewis) to tell them apart.
However, on their marriage certificates they both used the name Heinrich. Naming several children
by the same first name and then using their middle name was relatively common among German
families at that time. In my Frerking family relations, my grandfather was christened Friedrich
Heinrich and his older brother Friedrich Ludwig. Through most of their lives they were known as
Henry F. and Louis.
If this hypothesis about Henry and Louis being brothers is correct, we can then place my great-
grandfather as well as the Waverly Kappelmans in the family of Peter and Marie Kappelmann, who
came to the U.S. from Borgholzhausen on the eastern side of Westphalia in Germany. This is
actually not that far from the Hanoverian area from where most of my other ancestors and most of
the early settlers of the Concordia area emigrated.
It should be pointed out that because great-grandmother Katherine was also a Kappelmann by birth,
there is also a connection with other Kappelman ancestors back to their German roots via Franklin
Co. However, that is a story for another day.
Roger Pape (grandson of Marie Kappelman Frerking)
