Lewis Edward Winker
Cecelia Callista Feuerstein Winker
- Born: August 30, 1894 - Carthage, SD
- Died: May 18, 1949 - Randall, MN
- Parents: George F. Winker and Catherine C. Calhoun
Married: February 15, 1916 at Leshara, Nebraska.
- Born: September 21, 1895 - Leshara, NE
- Died: May 28, 1977 - Minneapolis, MN
- Parents: John N. Feuerstein and Anna M. Baus
Children:
| Kevin George B: 07 Oct 1921 / D: 16 Oct 1972 | Daniel Edward B: 29 Apr 1923 / D: 16 Sep 1997 Lewis E. Winker \ | Lewis Herbert B: 27 Nov 1924 & }---| James Anthony B: 16 Dec 1928 Cecilia Winker / | Cecilia Ann B: 06 Jan 1932 | Frederick Everet B: 08 Aug 1934 | Thomas John B: 12 Nov 1938 / D: 05 Jan 1992
Lewis and Cecelia were married at the Estina Catholic Church in Leshara, Nebraska, on February 15, 1916. They lived with John and Martha Winker (brother of Lew, sister of Cecilia) in De Smet, South Dakota, for several months after they were married. That summer they moved to central Minnesota, to a 100 acre plot about a mile west of Randall in Parker Township, purchased from Thomas Calhoun, the brother of Lew's mother Kate, in 1919. There was a house on the property, and it is believed that there had been a log house prior to that. A new house was built in 1934-35 and remains there today. The old house was moved and became a sheep shed.Lewis accepted a position as a rural mail carrier in Bowlus, Minnesota, in 1919 and the young couple moved there (they are listed on the 1920 Federal Census* as living in Bowlus). In 1920 the mail carrier job in Randall opened up and they moved back to Randall. Initially Lewis carried mail on both the Bowlus and Randall routes, but eventually kept just the Randall route. They also did some farming, but the farm was primarily to feed the family.
Map of Parker Township showing land
owned by Lewis Winker and Kate Winker.The new house was built in about 1934-35. The cost was in the $3000 to $3500 range. Many materials were purchased through Montgomery Ward mail order. REA electricity arrived in 1939.
After Lewis died in 1949, Cecilia continued to live at the farm for several years, until after Tom graduated from Little Falls High School, about 1956. She moved to Crystal, Minnesota (47th and Xenia Ave. N.), to be near her son Lewis who lived only a few blocks away. She remained there until she suffered a stroke in 1977, which led to her death a few months later at age 81.
The spelling - Cecelia or Cecilia - was apparently changed in mid-life. The first spelling was how it was given by her parents. It is thought that at the request of her only daughter, Cecelia changed the middle letter to an "i" and that is how it is spelled on Social Security and other records.
* There are errors on the 1920 Federal Census record. Lewis is spelled "Louis", and Cecelia is spelled "Cecilia". The information on where Lewis and Cecilia's parents were born is reversed. Her parents were born in Indiana, his parents were born in Wisconsin and Canada.
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Date: 15 Feb 1916
Lewis Edward Winker |
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Family Portrait Circa late 1940s: (Standing, L to R) Kevin, Cecelia Ann, Daniel, James, Lewis H. (Seated L to R) Lewis E., Thomas, Frederick, Cecelia |
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The Winker farmhouse just west of Randall. Summer 1945. |
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Lewis E. was a rural mail carrier in the Randall, Minnesota, area. This was the vehicle he used to deliver the mail during Winter in the 1920s. |