Renfandt / Wiese

Canton City Directories >>>>

Around 1891, Herman G. Renfandt and his wife Helena Peters emigrated from Markushof/Augustwalde West Prussia [Kr Marienburg] (Germany)  to Canton, Ohio with their son, August.

Around the same time, a relative of Herman,  Rudolph and his wife Caroline (Peters?) also emigrated to Canton. While in Canton, Rudolph and Caroline had 4 children, Lena, Rudolph, Edward, and Ellen.  Note:  Both Herman and Rudolph's wives were PETERS.

After 1900, Rudolph took his family to North Dakota where they spent the rest of their lives.  There are many descendents of Rudolph throughout the country today, some of whom still live in North Dakota.  (See the North Dakota page).

Helena Peters had a brother who also came to Canton. He was Friedrich Peters.  Friedrich had a daughter, Caroline.  Caroline then married Rudolph Renfandt.  Friedrich Peters also then moved to North Dakota, along with Rudolph and Caroline. He had a son, also Friedrich who remained in Canton and married there. He had a second son, Wilhelm who traveled to North Dakota and married there.

The only Renfandts in the United States today are descendents of these two families.   Searching the German white pages in 2005, I have found only 7 Renfandt families in Germany, and a family group spelling the name Renfand.  I have written to the Renfandts and Renfands. I have received some information from them, but nothing to tie our families together. (See the German Heritage Page - from the main page). Research continues.

Herman and Helena had 4 children.  None of their natural born children survived.  August was supposedly  adopted by them in Germany.  The family story is that he was an illegitimate child of an important person in Germany.

At some point around 1900, they "Americanized" their names by dropping the "t" from Renfandt making it Renfand.

August Renfandt married Minna Wiese in March of 1906.  They had 5 children, Lillian, Deloris, Walter, and twins Isabelle and Annabelle.

In the 1890s until around 1911, the Renfands were members of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canton, Ohio.  They then became members of the Grace Reformed Church in Canton. (Now Grace United Church of Christ). I have some Lutheran church records from the late 1800's to the 1900's showing births/baptisms, marriages, and deaths.  This was a "German" church where the early services were in German. The church records are also recorded in German. These church records show the true German spelling of their names and also shows maiden names of the mother of baptized children.

Around 1881, Robert Wiese and his wife Bertha (Wuske) emigrated from Neu Malzkow, Pommern, Prussia to Canton, Ohio with their children, Ida, Hulda, Minna, and Emma.

Bertha's brother Herman Wuske and his wife Johanna (Hanna) (Weichbrodt) emigrated to Canton around the same time. 

I have found two sisters and three brothers of Robert.  Sisters Adaline (Lena) [and her husband Albert Wöjandt (Wyandt)] and Henrietta [with her husband Ferdinand Wöjandt (Wyandt)]  also emmigrated to Canton.   (Note the two sisters both married Wyandt [Wöjandt] brothers). 

Robert and Bertha had 10 children, 5 of whom survived to adulthood.  These children were Hulda(Hilda), Minna(Minnie), Elizabeth(Lizzie), Lillian, and Harry.

Around 1900, Minna "Americanized" her name to Minnie.  The early church records from the First Lutheran Church in Canton also shows the Wyandt family name as Wöjandt.

Minna Wiese married August Renfandt in March of 1906.  They had 5 children, Lillian, Deloris, Walter, and twins Isabelle and Annabelle.

In the 1880's and until Bertha's death, the Wiese's and Wuske's were members of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canton, Ohio.  I have some church records from the late 1800's to the 1900's showing births/baptisms, marriages, and deaths.  This was a "German" church where the early services were in German. The church records are also recorded in German. These church records show the true German spelling of their names and also shows maiden names of the mother of baptized children. (See the Robert and Bertha Wiese page to view these old church records).

Street addresses of the Renfands and Wieses in Canton 1891 - 1979 (from Canton City Directories/Census)

Other Families (Relatives?) and Church Records

Many other families immigrated to Canton at the same time as the Wiese and Renfandt families.  I have a "Family" photo album with photos of many of these other family members.  I believe that most of these families were related in Germany.

All of these families were members of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canton. I have copies of some of the early church records. These records indicate that most of these families if not related in Germany, intermarried here is the U.S. Below is a graphic showing the interrelation of these families that I have documentation for.