Merkle-Knoos Family
Wilhelm & Caroline
Married 14 September 1874
Wilhelm was the brother of Caroline's first husband.
Our Family's Journey Through Time
We are so excited that you found our site! This is a culmination of decades of research, puzzle piece by piece, brick wall by brick wall. It's finally time to share what we know with you. What fun it is to get to know our ancestors as real persons who lived in a particular time and place! Perhaps you will discover a connection to your ancestors! If you have something you would like to add, please contact us.
George's genealogy explores the ancestors of Lindsey Bentley Pike & Agnes Bethany Pike. These two Pike branches both descend from James Pike who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony from England by 1641. Agnes's Pike line also descends from Mayflower ancestor George Soule. The Pike branches migrated from Massachusetts to New York (where they picked up some Dutch connections) and then on to Iowa by the 1880s.
Alice's genealogy explores the mingling of two predominantly German branches who emigrated from Württemberg at different times, some of whom passed through Pennsylvania and Illinois before settling in Iowa. Along the way, they picked up an Irish family.
Harry's genealogy presents another very German group of ancestors, picking up a Swiss connection in Illinois. Then there was a Scotsman thrown into the mix when they reached Iowa. It is in Harry's family that we discovered not only a black sheep, but two condemned witches.
Alice often told me stories about her parents and grandparents. I took notes, and while at first I was doubtful about her information, I eventually validated what she had told me. So, for 30 years I happily researched the Pike-Pike and Merkle-Schriver family lines. Then came the day she told me that George was not my father. Fortunately she knew exactly who my biological father was...yes, it was Harry! She told me the whole story (no, I'm not sharing it) right at the time DNA was becoming popular. This explained a lot of things in hindsight, and it gave me the Eiler-Liddick genealogy to research! DNA validated that my brother was now my half brother and I also had two half sisters I didn't know about.
While I gathered the usual birth, marriage, and death dates of our ancestors, as a historian, I also wanted to know more about their times and places. Genealogical context involves placing ancestors' lives within their specific historical, social, and geographical environments to transform names and dates into narratives. It bridges the gap between basic facts—birth, marriage, death—and understanding the motivations, challenges, and daily experiences that shaped an ancestor's life. I hope you find the genealogical data useful and the histories interesting.
Wilhelm was the brother of Caroline's first husband.
Children of Lindsey & Agnes Pike. Zella died 1902 at age 14
Stock mixer, Red Oak Stock Powder Co. makers of medicines and powders for livestock.
Parents of Lindsey Bentley Pike who is standing tall in the picture.
Henry Baker has illusive origins, but his marriage to Bethany Irish, a Mayflower descendant, is significant.
We Hope You Enjoy Them
Our family lines migrated over time, all merging in this small Iowa town.
We strive to document all of our sources in this family tree. If you have something to add, please let us know.