Streu Surname

Johann Jochim Friedrich Streu was born circa 1803 in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany ¹. He died on July 2, 1883 in Mankato, Blue Earth Co., Minnesota ².

Johann was a day laborer and was quite poor while living in Germany. He and his family apparently moved around a lot in the area of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany. They eventually decided to emigrate to the United States. They left Hamburg, Germany on May 1, 1857 on the ship "Johannes", which arrived in New York City, New York, that same year. The family immediately moved out west to Wisconsin, which had many German emigrants living there. In 1860, they were living in Raymond, Racine Co., Wisconsin and in 1870, were living near Greenfield, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin. In the 1870's, they moved to Mankato, Blue Earth Co., Minnesota, where John's daughter Sophia was living. The burial place for John or Fredericka has not been found.

They had the following children:

1	Johann Carl Christian Streu was born on September 21, 1834 in Levkendorf, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany 2. He died in 1918 in Elmwood, Cass Co., Nebraska. He married Johanna Dorothea Kupke on September 21, 1864 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin 2. (She was born in December 1844 in Germany and died in 1905 in Elmwood, Cass Co., Nebraska.) They had the following children: Amelia Streu (c. 1865-???) Emma Louise Wilhelmina Streu (1867-1882) John C. Stroy (1868-???) Charles Streu (1870-???) Mary Streu (c. 1874-???) Anna Streu (1877-???)
2	Carolina Maria Sophia Streu was born on August 22, 1836 in Levkendorf, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany 2.
3	Infant Streu was born and died on October 28, 1838 in Levkendorf, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany.
4	Sophia Maria Christina Streu
5	Bernard Johan Wilhelm Streu was born on September 4, 1842 in Levkendorf, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany 2. He may have been the Benz? Streu who married Amelia Hetzel in the early 1860's in Wisconsin. They lived in Racine Co., Wisconsin and had two children: Amelia and William. That Benz Streu died sometime between 1870 and 1880. His widow died during the 1920's.
6	Wilhelm Herman Ludwig Streu was born on February 24, 1846 in Levkendorf, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany 2.
7	Louisa Wilhelmina Christiana Streu was born on February 28, 1848 in Levkendorf, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany 2.

2nd Generation: Sophia Maria Christina Streu was born on May 29, 1840 in Levkendorf, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany 3. She died on March 23, 1922 in Mankato, Blue Earth Co., Minnesota 4. She is buried in the Glenwood Cemetery, Mankato, Blue Earth Co., Minnesota. Father: Johann Joachim Friedrich Streu Mother: Fredericke Dorothea Dethloff Sophia spent her earliest years in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, where the family was probably poor. In 1857, when she was 17 years old, she emigrated with her family from Germany to the United States, where they settled in Wisconsin. After moving with her family to Wisconsin, Sophia was hired out to work as a servant girl to a different farming family. There is a story that the family she worked for told her that if any Indians came by, she was to give them food. On one occasion, an Indian came by when she was alone, but before he would eat any of the food, he made her taste it first so that he would know that she was not poisoning him. In 1859, Sophia married Henry Hoffman, also a recent German emigrant, and the two began living near the village of Greenfield, in Franklin Township, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin. In 1870 or 1871, Sophia and her family moved to a farm near the city of Mankato, in Mankato Township, Blue Earth Co., Minnesota. Sophia and her husband were members of the Lutheran Church in Mankato. In 1876, after Jesse James and his gang robbed the Northfield bank in Northfield, Minnesota, they passed near Mankato on their way home to Nebraska. One of the Hoffman's hired hand vowed to kill Jesse James when they passed near the farm, but Sophia would not let him, for fear that they would kill the family. Sophia continued to live on the farm near Mankato, where her husband died in 1906. Sometime during the 1910's, she moved off the family farm and into a house in the city of Mankato. She is buried in the Glenwood Cemetery, Mankato, Minnesota.

For information on their children, see his page.