How the Magelky Family Came to America My great, great, great, great grandparents, Martin and Elisabeth Makelke, were born in Germany. They moved to Russia when Alexander I invited Germans to settle the steppes of Russia above the Black Sea. Martin and Elisabeth lived in the Beresan District located 65 miles north of Odessa. They had several children including, my great, great, great grandfather, Philippus Makelke, who married Marianna (Andreas) Makelke. Philippus and Marianna had several children including my great, great, Grandfather, Mathias Magelky. He was born in Speier, Russia on June 15, 1854, and located 75 miles north of the Dead Sea. My great, great, Grandmother, Katherine Gartner, was born in Katharinental, Russia on April 12, 1854. She was the daughter of Martin and Elisabeth (Schmidt) Gartner. Mathias and Katherine were married in Katharinental in 1872. They immigrated to the United States in 1889 with their five children: Martin, Katherine, Martha, Audina, and Rose. They departed from Bremen, Germany on or about November 13, 1889 on the S.S. Lahn. They arrived in New York City on November 22, 1889. When they arrived they were taken to Yankton, South Dakota and settled in Scotland, South Dakota, near Mitchell. There they had 4 more children: Minnie, Anton (my great grandfather), Peter, and Jacob. Mathias applied for US Citizenship on November 10, 1890. They came to North Dakota around 1906. There they homesteaded on the Southwest Quarter of Section 24, Township 142, Range 93. This is located north of Taylor, North Dakota in Dunn County. It was here that Mathias became a United States Citizen on June 15, 1909. The house and rock barn that they built still stand today. This land is still owned by the great grandchildren of Martin Magelky. Mathias died on March 30, 1926. He was 72 years old. He is buried in St. Phillip’s Cemetery, Hirshville, North Dakota. After Mathias died, Katherine continued to live on the homestead until she lost it during the Great Depression. She then lived with her son Jacob until she died on October 26, 1946. She was 92 years old. She is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Richardton, North Dakota. My great grandfather, Anton Magelky, was born on February 2, 1892 in Scotland, South Dakota. He was the seventh of 9 children. In 1906 he came to North Dakota with his family. My great grandmother, Katherine Commes, was born on March 14, 1897 in Parkston, South Dakota. She was the third child of Henry and Mary (Krantz) Commes. Her family came to North Dakota around the same time the Magelkys did. Anton and Katherine were married on November 15, 1915. They had 5 children: Donald, Bernice, Henry (my grandfather), Anton Jr. and Mary. About 1926 the family moved to Manning, North Dakota. It was there that Anton became the Dunn County Sheriff and Auditor. In 1938 Anton went out to the west coast to support his family. They never saw him again. Anton died on April 3, 1940. He was 48 years old. He is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. About the time World War II started Katherine moved to Dickinson and eventually lived with her son Henry and his family. In the 1950’s she moved to California to live with her daughter and lived there until she died on July 6, 1982. She was 85 years old. My Grandfather, Henry Magelky, was born on October 2, 1924 in Marshall, North Dakota. My Grandmother, Dorothy (Kubisiak) Magelky, was born on April 25, 1927 in Mandan, North Dakota. Henry and Dorothy were married on August 13, 1947 in Dickinson, North Dakota. They had 5 children: Bruce, David, Stephanie, Brian, and Nancy (my mother). Both Henry and Dorothy are still alive and are living in Dickinson. My mother, Nancy (Magelky) Kelly, was born on June 4, 1964 in Dickinson, North Dakota. My father, Timothy Kelly, was born on October 9, 1958 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Timothy and Nancy were married on April 5, 1991 in Dickinson, North Dakota. The have 2 children: Sean (me) and Kaitlin. We currently live in Dickinson. This is the story of one part of my family history. It is how my mother’s father’s family, the Magelkys, started in Germany, moved to the steppes of Russia in the early 1800’s, and then immigrated to the United States in the late 1800’s and prospered on the prairies of North Dakota. |
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