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Note: arger township. At the time he was born these towns were in the State of Brandenburg, County of Arnswalde, Prussia, Germany. Klein Silber was a small village called "Little Silver" near an old silver mine. In 1940 before the war it had 129 households with 499 inhabitants. Reetz had 1149 households and 3648 inhabitants. Before 1938 the towns of Klein Silber Reetz and Arnswalde were in the State of Mark Brandenburg, Province of Neumark, County of Arnswalde. After 1938 and up to sometime after the war, about 1948 or so, the State was called Pommern (many still call it Pomerania) and the province was Grenzmark Posen-Westpreussen. Franz was entered in the Klein Silber Churchbook years 1847-1903, year 1860. It is believed the first person in Silber Reetz with the name Koeppe, Koppe or Kopp was a Prussian soldier about 1770 who came from somewhere else and married a girl from Reetz. A province of the Prussian Empire, Brandenburg stretched from the Elbe River to beyond the Oder River and into Poland in the 1800s. At the time Grandpa was born in 1860, these towns were in West Prussia in the county of Arnswalde. After World War II this region was made part of Poland: Klein Silber became Suliborek Reetz became Recz. Reetz means: "By or near a stream" - Arnswalde County became Choszczno County. Arnswalde means: "Forest of Arms".
Today the country is Poland State is Szczecin (still called West Pomerania) County is Choszczno Stargard is the larger town in the area, and Arnswalde the smaller town and has a history of nearly 1,000 years.
Franz' father was a farm worker in Klein Silber, Prussia, Province of Neumark. Franz had four sisters: Frederike Wilhelmine born 4 Sep 1855; Auguste Emelie born 28 Oct 1857; Auguste Albertine born 5 Jan 1862 and Emilie Albertium born 22 Sep 1865. All the children were born in Klein Silber. Auguste Emelie died 9 Jul 1858. Franz had a stepbrother, Karl Gustav born 6 May 1868 and a stepsister, Emilie Franziske born 14 Dec 1871 in Klein Silber. Franz' mother died in childbirth in 1855 and his father remarried to Frederike Luise ZIEGENHAGEN.
In Germany the name was spelled K�PP OR K�PPE and is of locative origin deriving from the name of a signboard used to indicate a person's dwelling place or business premises. It is a modern variant of the Old Germanic surname KOPP which was a regional term for a 'raven'.
In 1815 the Kingdom of Prussia became known as the 'United Prussian States' which then included the provinces of Brandenburg, Pommern/Pomerania and areas as far west as the Rhine Province. Brandenburg was a Prussina province created in 1816 of the former Mark Brandenburg. Until 1920 the capital was Berlin, later it was Potsdam.
The state of Brandenburg rose to the fore during the reign of Frederick-William (1620-1688). He helped rebuild the state after the Thirty Years' War and allowed thousands of French Protestants into the kingdom as immigrants after they were expelled from France. In 1701 Friedrich III became King of Brandenburg, and the Duchy of Prussia united the two into the Kingdom of Prussia. From then on Brandenburg remained the seat of Prussian power, and the Neumark became part of Prussia. After WWII Brandenburg east of the Oder and Neisse Rivers was cleansed of the German population and given to Poland in 1945. The greater part of Brandenburg still remains German and is one of the states in the current Federal Republic of Germany. Brandenburg has 1,000 years of history.
In 1871 Germany as an empire was re-established with Berlin as capital of Germany and Prussia, and with the Prussian King also having the title of German Kaiser. All monarchies in Germany were abolished in 1918 and Prussia declared defunct in 1945 by the allied victors. East and West Prussia was cleansed of it's Ethnic German population and given to Poland and Russia. The Western powers were silent on the ethnic cleansing of the original Prussia and Germany resulting in 12 million German refugees.
In 1895 Pommern was a Prussian Province. Pyritz was 1 of 13 counties in Pommern and was a district court. Reetz (Klein Silber Reetz) was a small village in the county of Arnswalde where the Koepps were from. Grandma (Neeck) Koepp was from L�btow, Pyritz County, Pommern, Prussia. Frank KOEPP immigrated to America in 1883 at the age of 23. He sailed on the ship Hohenzollern, and arrived in America 18 April 1883. His manifest ID Number was 15966. His final destination was Wisconsin. Frank filed a Petition of Intent for naturalization 13 Oct 1884 in Green County, Wisconsin. Final Naturalization papers were signed and filed 8 Dec 1902 when Frank renounced allegiance to the Emperor of Prussia and Germany. Franz and Maria were married on 15 Jan 1885 in Decatur Twp., Green County, Wisconsin. Witnesses were August Neeck and Frederick Riese. August is Maria's brother. The couple farmed on Spring Brook Road north of Davis, Stephenson County, Illinois, and Spring Grove Twp., Green County, Wisconsin. He retired from farming in 1918 and bought a house in Brodhead, Wisconsin.
June 1, 1900 U.S. Census - Spring Grove Twp., Green County, Wisconsin. Frank was renting a farm. Age at last birthday is 40. Frank and Maria have been in America 17 years and married 15 years. Maria is age 35. Their 7 children, Ella, age 13, Charles 11, Dora 10, Otto 9, Albert 6, Agnes 4, and August age 2 were in this census. All were in school except Agnes and August.
1910 Thirteenth Census of U.S. Rock Grove Twp., Stephenson County, Illinois - Frank and Maria were 45 and 50 years of age, married 25 years. The family was farming on Spring Brook Road in Davis, Stephenson County, Illinois. There was a mortgage on the farm. Children at home at this census were: Agnes age 14, Albert age 15, August age 13 and Alfred age 5. They all attended school since 1909 except Alfred. They read, speak and write English.
January 7, 1920 Fourteenth Census of U.S. - Frank was retired and age 59 at his last birthday. Maria was age 55 her last birthday and has not been naturalized. One child at home, Alfred, age 15. Alfred attended school since Sept 1, 1919. He reads, writes and speaks English. Frank and Maria were members of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Brodhead, Wisconsin. They owned a large two-story white home with garage free of mortgage.
Frank and Maria lived in the house in Brodhead until 1941 when Maria died. She was 76 years old. She died at the home of her daughter, Agnes, in Footville, Wisconsin. Frank shared his time between the homes of his children after her death. Frank died in 1946 at age 86 at his daughter Agnes' home in Footville, Rock County, Wisconsin. They had been married 56 years at Maria's death in 1941. They had 22 grand children. Both are buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Brodhead, Rock County, Wisconsin. Frank and Maria were strong willed and determined to raise their family in a better place. They had strong religious beliefs and believed in discipline. They were a close family with a sense of responsibility and respect for others. Their parents were born in Germany in the early 1800s.
Note: Franz (Frank) KOEPP Fourth Generation, was born in Klein Silber near Reetz, a l
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