Christina Hoenes

This last week we lost another of my grandmother's siblings. This blog post is written in her honor.


Recently I posted a photo on Instagram of a copy of a letter that I found posted on Ancestry.com. It was shared by another user- one who's family member in Germany had kept a letter from their sister Christiane Luchsinger... my ggg grandmother! Her story is an interesting one.

*Please be aware that correct spellings of pretty much any of these names is mostly unknown and probably changed through time. Sometimes she is documented as Christiane, sometimes Christina, sometimes Christine. Also Hoenes is spelled Hanes, Hones, etc. And her married name is sometimes Luchsinger or Lucksinger. I often switch up these names. Sorry!

Christiane Hones was born on the 27th of January 1831 in Schwieberdingen, Wuttenburg, Germany to Johannes Hones and Maria Magdalena Barbara Bosch. Not much is known yet about her early life. 

On what was probably a late winter day in 1853 she set sail from Le Havre, France. A small port town which many Germany immigrants came through on their way to America.

Le Havre, France in 1856
Gustave Le Gray photo in Metropolitan Museum of Art
Found on this blog

On the 23rd of April, 1853 Christina landed in New Orleans, Louisiana. A blog post on the history of the port of New Orleans states that, "The decade of the 1850s was marred by outbreaks of yellow fever and cholera. In 1853, over eight thousand people died of yellow fever in the Port of New Orleans." This was the world that Christina Hones found herself in as a 22 year old woman with several of her siblings and nephews and nieces. New Orleans often was not the final destination for Germanic immigrants. Kathi Gosz in her blog, Village Life in Kreis Saarburg, Germany, explains, "The majority of immigrants did not remain in Louisiana, but proceeded up the Mississippi to St. Louis and Cincinatti, at least before the expansion of the U.S. railway system."

Interestingly, by the time that Christina had reached America, she was the adoptive mother of a baby born at sea. This child was named Christine after her adopted mother. 

Port of New Orleans circa 1853

Steamboat is how I assume that Christina came to Missouri. From the port of New Orleans it is entirely possible that she made her way up the Mississippi to St. Louis in the spring or early summer of 1853. 

A German youth band circa 1850

By November of that same year she married in St. Louis. Her husband, a man named Melchior Luchsinger, was a Swiss immigrant 30 years her senior. He and Christina had 12 children together and built a home for themselves outside a small town called Beaufort or Leslie in Franklin County Missouri. 2 of their children died in their youth.

Family Reunion circe 1920 or before. I believe these were 9 of her 10 children who lived beyond childhood. I also believe that Christina's adopted daughter (Christine) is front and center in the dark clothing. 

In 1867 Christina was able to send a letter back to Germany to a brother who did not immigrate with her. This letter was translated in 1966 by Fritz Wimmer.

Well beloved brother.

I can not describe my joy, which I had when your letter arrived. I have seen now fulfilled my wishes which I carried on for years. I could have written to you 8 days ago but was not quite well. I had a cold so bad that I was not nearly able to get out of bed for a week. But now, thanks to God, I am allright again and so are all of mine. I am glad that all of you are well because health is the best gift which we have on earth, when our dear Lord shares it with us. Because you wrote to me, how the country is here, it does have it's good and it's bad parts. The price for fairly good farmland around where we live is 310.00 an acre 20 miles south to St. Louis it cost 325.00 to 20.00 an acre and the farmland, which is yet virgin, you can buy for 25.00 to 3.00 an acre. We own 120 acres here which we bought during the war for $300.00. At that time the farmland was cheaper as it is now, but it was nothing as plenty woods. Now we live on it for 2 years and when the dear Lord will, we bring our wheatcrop safely in and we will have plenty then. Since we sold our other farm I thought I could put money aside but the last 2 years everything was so costly, we needed all. But we have no debts also and our farm now, we would not sell it for a $1000.00. We also have 40 acres at an other place, where we could make a small farm out of it; we keep this in our mind when our boys are grown up, so they could help us. We do have 3 boys. The oldest is 9 years old he has always to go to school. To an evangelic church, it is a Methodist Church, it is 2 miles away, not further as we had at home, when we went to church. So we became members there, but we don't like it too well, because there is not always school and so we have to bring our boys to the Evangelic School, on 2 places we can not pay for. Dear Brother we would welcome you and your wife very much if you could visit us. You could go to St. Louis and from there to Washington, it cost 260 cents by train, then there are 20 more miles to us, we could meet you there in Washington. It is a small town, where people bring their products for sale. Now they build a road with stone pavement, which will pass our home, then we can easier go to town. The fruits are about at the same price as yours. The highest price for wheat was 330 cents, now the bushel went down $1.00 for the farmer. A bushel corn also went down 80 cents, but at the mill it is $1.00 for flour. All the other prices are like yours. I also will write how much you get from 1 acre wheat: 8-10-12 bushels, corn 25-50 bushes an acre and fruits are plenty here. It is just about as it was in Germany. The big farmers make cider (apple) for the whole year. It is a healthy region, water and woods plenty, further North in Missoury it should be better, more beautiful and cheaper the farmland as it is here, every day people are moving and pass our house up the road. From peasantfarmer (germanword is: Lehnwirts) Fritz, I do know nothing about him. I have never seen or met anybody who I know from Germany around here. Only Christiane Schwahn who visit me 6 years ago. She lives in St. Louis. So soon I will write to Germany, I will write to our sister, she should give me her address. I think I will write to Germany. I must write soon, because I have to get 100 Gulden yet from the bank and that I will keep for traveling-money when one or the other of our sister's children are coming to visit me. Our sister Katherine left 3 poor kids behind (overseas) and our Gretel's Konrad, he could be here long time ago but feared always the war here. Now he's a soldier and in war and he is sorry that he did not come to America. 

I have to close and we all wish you well and luck and health and we hope for an answering letter soon.

Christiane Lucksinger

Written June the 2nd 1867 

Early Washington, Missouri

1870's Washington, Missouri

Christina (Hones) Luchsinger grew old here, on her farm in Leslie, Missouri. She raised 10 children to adulthood. One of which was my great great grandmother Magdalena (Bader) Luchsinger. Interestingly, her oldest and adopted child, Christine married Mathias Bader Sr. and her youngest biological daughter Magdalena married Mathias Bader Jr. Note that Christina is the second wife of Mathias Bader Sr. and is not Mathias Bader Jr.'s mother.

Young Magdalena Luchsinger. Circa 1880's.

Magdalena (Lena) Bader as a mature woman circa 1910's.

Magdalena (Lena) Bader circa 1920's. At their house in St. Clair, Mo. 

By the time Lena was in her 20's, Christina passed away. Her death in 1890 was well documented in a newspaper announcement and a sort of death announcement that I have archived in my collection.

My photo of the death announcement for Christina Hoenes (Lucksinger).

Death Announcement Translation done by Abagail Meyer from the Facebook group GAA (Genealogy Addicts Anonymous):

Here rests our precious mother, Christine Lucksinger, born January 27, 1831 in Schwieberdingen, Wurttemberg, died February 19, 1890 in Beaufort, Franklin Co. MO. Her spouse and two children preceded her in death. Her life was a full one and for a long time she suffered from open sores on her feet. Two years ago she suffered a whole year from dropsy, from which the Lord healed her. But four months ago she had another cross to bear, which she said, was the hardest of all. Because of a stroke, she was completely helpless on her left side. It was four long months. She often wished to be redeemed and taken home to be with the Lord. When she got pneumonia, it went quickly to the end. Two days before her passing, she asked the doctor, whether she should not be allowed to go home for the night. In turn she asked: Will we know each other personally in Heaven?" The Lord has satisfied the yearning of his Handmaid, she is at home. The three sons, seven daughters, and one brother, who stay behind.


I can only imagine the overwhelming feeling of fear, loneliness, and excitement she experienced in her very interesting life and I still have so many questions. I will update if more is ever discovered.


Love always and happy hunting!

Morgan