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LANDWER (LANDWEHR) & RIEKE

ROOTS & BRANCHES

>>Updated 12-28-1998<<

Yes, another genealogy page - but I hope this one is somewhat unique.  There don't seem to be many Landwers or Riekes represented on the net.

These aren't the only names, of course.  Farther down this page are links to the lists of my ancestors in Germany, & their descendants here in the states.

Please bear with me - this is my first attempt at a web page, so I have to keep it simple.

SCHALE, SONNEBORN

& the BARRINGTON connection

Schale, Westphalia (Nordhein-Westfalen), Germany, is the home of my Landwer ancestors.  It lies in the far northern part of Westphalia, about 50km north of Münster.  The population of Schale in 1977 was 1,179.

Sonneborn is in Lippe (Lippe-Detmold), about 75km east of Bielefeld, & is the home of my Rieke ancestors.  I think it's about the same size as Schale.

Barrington, Illinois, is the American nexus of my Landwer family. My great-great-grandfather Bernhard Henry (B.H.) Landwer settled there along with his brother, 2 sisters, a widowed brother-in-law, & 2 male cousins.

Also making Barrington their new home were the Riekes of Sonneborn, & other families from both Schale & Sonneborn whose names appear in the descendant charts of the 2 main Landwer families.

The Landwer & Rieke families came together when great-great-grandpa B.H. Landwer married Friederike "Rieka" Rieke in Barrington in 1855.

Barrington lies northwest of Chicago on the northern edge of Cook County.  In fact, half the town is in Lake County, the dividing line running through the downtown area.

B.H. Landwer's farm was south of town way back then.  He settled there in 1850, & was very active in the Evangelical Church. He & Rieka donated part of their land to the church for a "camp meeting" ground.  The property is now a city park bordering Baker's Lake, in a residential area.

Please check out the more detailed family info.....
The Landwer Family of Schale
The Rieke Family of Sonneborn
American Landwers     UPDATED!!
American Riekes     NEW!!
The Descendant Surname Lists    UPDATED!!
More links.....
Barrington Historical Society  Address, etc.
Barrington Area Library  Check the "local history" page.
Germany Genealogy  Many helpful things here.
Rootsweb  Want to join a mail list? This is the place!
Cyndi's List  All sorts of genealogy links.
Parson's Genealogy Registry  Searchable.
IIGS Links  Lots of databases to search.
MapQuest  Find towns all over the world.
About Me  The "required" page, & more links.