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Note: John Senn of Jefferson Township, Dickinson County, Kansas, by Tom Branigar.
This research was undertaken to sort out the family of John Senn, an early settler of Dickinson County, Kansas. He arrived in DKCO in the early 1860's and settled near New Basel in what is no Jefferson Township. He appears in the 1865 census (age 31 years, b. Switz) with wife Margaret (age 22 y, b. Switz) and two daughters, Barbara (4 y) and Margaret (2 y), both born in Wisconsin. The 1870 census of Newbern Twp (which at that time included the New Basel area) lists a Michael Senn (probably an error for John); (age 28 yrs, b. Switz) with wife Margaret (age 26 yrs, b Switzer) and three daughters, Barbara (9 yrs, b Wisc), Hannah (2 yrs, b. Kan) and an infant daughter (b Apr 1870 Kan). the 1875 census of Jefferson twp Lists John Senn (33 yrs), wife Margaret (32 yrs) and four children, Anna M. (7 yrs), Jane (5 yrs), John (3 yrs), and Jacobina (1 yr). The 1880 census of Jefferson Twp lists John Senn (38 yrs), wife Margaret (36 yrs) and seven children, the oldest of whom were Maggie (12 years) and Johanna (10 years). The 1885 Census of Jefferson Twp lists John Senn (42 years), wife Margaret (40 years), and eight children, the oldest of whom were Maggie (17 years) and Joanna (15 years). The correspondence of the names and ages of the wife and children shows these were all the same family , although the age of John Senn in 1865 was about eight years older than in later censuses. The DKCO marriage records include an entry for John Senn (27 years) and Margaret Schlegel (25 years) who were married 1 Jan 1869. The names and ages show this was the same couple that appear in the 1870 and later censuses.
Based on this information, it has long been assumed that John Senn was twice married. His frist wife Margaret probably died ca. 1868, around the time of the birth of the daughter Margaret, and he married to Margaret Schlegel who was the same age as his first wife. In 1964 Harvey Bross of Manhattan, Kansas, who was born and raised at New Basel, compiled a brief outline of the early New Basel families (copy at Riley Co. Genealogical Society). Bross listed John Senn as having two wives and five children by the first wife, and Anna, Rosa, Christian, and Elizabeth by the second wife. Bross reported that John Senn was the son of Leonard Senn and Barbara Hoffman of Rafis in Buchs parish, Canton St. Gallen, Switzerland. His parents had also settled near New Basel, along with several other children including Elsbeth (1830 - 1886), the wife of Christian Hoffman, Michael Senn (1840 - 1923), and Barbara (1843 - 1924), the wife of Jacob Ehrsam.
A Hoffman descendant, Clinton Rohrer of Woodburn, Oregon, also did research on the Senn family. He checked the Buchs parish registers and found the birth records of the children of Leonhard and Barbara Senn. These included a son Johannes who was born 3 June 1834 (see Hoffman-Senn genealogy by Clinton Rohrer, copy at DKCO Historical Society). This is the correct age for the John Senn who appears in the 1865 census, and Rohrer followed Bross in crediting this John Senn with two wives and the children as listed in the census records.
Recent research followed shown, however, that the structure of the John Senn family as proposed by Bross and Rohrer is not correct. While searching for DKCO legal notices in the early area newspapers, it was found that there was a second John Senn in DKCO. This John Senn had died shortly before 21 Oct 1867 when Christian Hoffman was appointed administrator of his estate (legal notice Junction City Union 16 Nov 1867). The probate records from this period were destroyed in a court house fire in 1882 so it seemed unlikely that more information could be found on this John Senn. Fortunately, two probate files were found for his daughters that enabled the family to be reconstructed. One was a guardianship file for his daughter Margaret (DKCO probate file S-39) and one was an estate file for his daughter Barbara who died 10 Aug 1871 (DKCO probate file S-72). These proved that the John Senn who died in 1867 was the father of the two oldest daughters who appear with John and Margaret Senn in the 1870 and later censuses.
The earliest documents were in Margaret's guardianship file. A guardian was first appointed for her in May 1869. At the time of the courthouse file in 1882 she was still a minor and the file was still active, so the court made an attempt to reconstruct the original file that had been destroyed. This appears to have been done by copying legal documents in the possession of courthouse lawyers and families involved. According to the reconstructed documents, Mrs. Margaret Senn was appointed guardian of her daughters Barbara and Margaret Senn on 27 May 1869. Margaret resigned as guardian shortly before 24 Feb 1870 when Leonard Schlegel was appointed to replace her. On 20 Apr 1883, Margaret Senn, then aged over 14 years, asked that her mother Margaret Senn be appointed guardian in place of Leonard Schlegel. This was never done and Schlegel remained as guardian. On 4 April 1885 Schlegel resigned as guardian courthouse he was planning to move to CA, and was replaced by Michael Hoffman. On 13 Mar 1886 Michael Hoffman asked to be discharged as guardian courthouse Margaret had become 18 years old on 28 June 1886.
The key file, however, was the probate file for Barbara Senn. On 4 Mar 1882 Margaret Senn asked to be appointed administrator of the estate of her daughter Barbara who had died 10 Aug 1871. She then filed a claim against Leonard Schlegel who had been Barbara's guardian. According to Margaret's claim, Schlegel was guardian for Barbara and Margaret Senn, minor heirs of John Senn, deceased. When Barbara died, her share of the estate should have reverted to her mother Margaret Sr. However, Leonard Schlegel never gave Barbara's share to her mother, and instead kept the property mixed together with that of Margaret, Jr. Margaret Sr. asked that the court order Schlegel to give an accounting of the two halves of the estate so that Margaret Sr. could obtain her daughter's share.
On 27 Mar 1882 Schlegel filed a petition denying Margaret's claim. He said that he made a settlement with Margaret Senn Sr after the death of Barbara. According to the settlement, Margaret Sr. should have use of money that was given by John Senn to C. Hoffman, administrator of the estate of John Senn, deceased, being another John Senn, for the maintenance of Margaret Jr., and in return the property held by Schlegel as guardian should all be considered as belonging to Margaret Jr. Schlegel also stated that Margaret Sr had been taking care of Margaret Jr. up to the present time. The court accepted Schlegel's version of events and did not order the estate divided.
These files prove that there were actually two men named John Senn in Jefferson Township. The first died in 1867, leaving a wife Margaret and two daughters, Barbara and Margaret. His widow was still living in DKCO in 1882 and 1883. The census shows that the only Mrs. Margaret Senn in DKCO at this time was the wife of the second John Senn, with whom the children were living in the 1870 and later census. Since Leonard Schlegel's deposition stated that Margaret Senn Jr was in the care of her mother, this proves that the widow of the first John Senn married second John Senn. The marriage record gives Margaret's name as Schlegel. This suggests she may have been a sister of Leonard Schlegel and reverted her maiden name after the death of her first husband. Such a practice has been document among the Irish families on Chapman Creek (for example, see the history of Bridget Boland Shea Kinnelay in the Nov 1998 issue of Kansas Kin) but has not hitherto been known among the Swiss-German families of New Basel.
This interpretation would explain why there was a change of guardians for the Senn girls in 1870. this was shortly before the birth of a daughter to the second John Senn and his wife Margaret in April 1870. If the two Margarets were the same person, the Margaret, mother of Barbara and Margaret Jr, would have been pregnant and approaching confinement in Feb 1870, and probably arranged to have her bother Leonard Schlegel appointed guardian in her place.
The youngest Margaret Senn married 26 May 1887 to Fredolin Gatnebein. An account of the marriage appeared in the 2 June 1887 issue of the Enterprise Anti-Monopolist. This stated that Margaret was teh last surviving daughter of her deceased father, who was a brother of Mrs. Ehrsam and M. Senn of Enterprise. This proves that the John Senn who died in 1867 was the child born in 1834 in Buchs parish, Switzerland, so of Leonhard and Barbara Senn. The second John Senn was not a member of this family, although her may have been a cousin or more distant relative of the first John Senn. Based on this interpretation, the following revised account of the two John Senn families as been prepared (instead of typing this info here and then into each individual's record, please note that I have entered the individuals directly. MLD 12-27-09)
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