Chart of Descendants — 3rd Generation
Gottfried Bullert (1808–1885)
Gottfried Bullert and Dorothea Elisabeth Garz (also spelled Jahns or Jans) were both born in Zempelburg, Kreis Flatow, West Prussia (now Sępólno Krajeńskie, Poland). They married on November 4, 1832 in West Prussia.
A Family Forged by Tragedy
Gottfried was the brother of Dorothea's first husband, Daniel Bullert, who died at age 31. Thus, Gottfried Bullert became the stepfather of Daniel's son, Charles "Carl" Ludwig Bullert (1831–1877).
Gottfried and Dorothea had 12 children born in West Prussia. Tragically, 7 children died at birth or within days of birth, and 1 died at age 2½ years. Only 5 children lived to adulthood: Wilhelmine "Minnie" (1835–1915), Johann "John" Adam (1838–1920), Friedrich Wilhelm (1847–1900), Daniel (1848–1936), and Bertha Elisabeth (1851–1940). Stepson Charles "Carl" Ludwig also lived to adulthood.
Emigration to America — 1856
Gottfried and Dorothea were granted permission by the Union of the Prussian Citizens, Royal Government Department of Interior, with an official document to travel to the United States with 6 children. The document indicates they were from the village of Vandsburg (Więcbork in Polish), Kreis Flatow, West Prussia — about 8 miles south of Zempelburg.
July 12, 1856
Ship "Meta" from Bremen to New York
September 29, 1856 — Port of New York City, New York
Passenger Manifest
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Gottfried Bullert | 48 |
| Dorothea Elisabeth (Jans) Bullert | 45 |
| Carl Ludwig Bullert | 24 |
| Wilhelmine Bullert | 21 |
| John Adam Bullert | 18 |
| Friedrich Bullert | 9 |
| Daniel Bullert | 7 |
| Bertha Elisabeth Bullert | 4 |
Also from Prussia, destination Minnesota, were families Schauer and Miehlke.
Settling in Minnesota
The 1860 U.S. Census lists the Gottfried Bullert family in Green Isle Township, Sibley County, Minnesota.
On August 1, 1861, Gottfried Bullert was granted 160 acres by President Abraham Lincoln: the SE ¼ of Section 35 in Township 114 North, Range 27 West in the district of lands subject to sale at Henderson, Minnesota.
Both Gottfried and Dorothea Bullert died in Green Isle, Sibley County, Minnesota, but their burial location is not known.
Children Who Survived to Adulthood
Charles "Carl" Ludwig Bullert
1831–1877Stepson (son of Daniel Bullert)
m. Louise Peplau (1836–1882)
Born 2 months after his father Daniel died. Came to America with the Gottfried Bullert family.
Wilhelmine "Minnie" Bullert
1835–1915Daughter
m. Frederick Borth (1832– ); later Gustav Friedrich Mattei (1841–1920)
Johann "John" Adam Bullert
1838–1920Son
m. Wilhelmina E. Moskop (1841–1920)
Friedrich Wilhelm Bullert
1847–1900Son
m. Elisabeth Boettcher (1846–1917); later Dorthea Boettcher
Daniel Bullert
1848–1936Son
m. Amalia Moskop (1851–1922)
Lived to age 88.
Bertha Elisabeth Bullert
1851–1940Daughter
m. August L. Quast (1838–1913)
Lived to age 89.
The Family History Book
The "gold standard" for Gottfried Bullert's family history for decades was — and still is — a 133-page family history book researched and compiled by Evelyn Anna Adeline (Wigand) Klancke Schrupp (1924–2015).
The book, entitled "The Ever-Moving Hands of Time, Family History of Mr. and Mrs. Gottfried Bullert (1808–1995)," was written to celebrate the 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary on April 30, 1936 of her grandparents, Gottfried Otto Bullert (1866–1943) and Wilhelmine Ottilie Bruch (1864–1938).
"[D]edicated to the original family [Gottfried Bullert and Dorothea Elisabeth Jans] who braved the trip across the Atlantic Ocean so long ago to start their new home here in America when all was a wilderness. Let us ever keep this in our memories."
— Evelyn (Wigand) Klancke Schrupp (1924–2015)