5a. August Nicolai Engellenner (1864–1937)

When August Nicolai attends school in Aabenraa, this Danish area has become German. Prussia has won the Second Schleswig War in 1864 and swallowed the southern part of Jutland. After August Nicolai’s confirmation on 16th March 1879, he seemingly only knows one path ahead: One year later, in 1880, he emigrates and the great-grandson of Johann Friedrich Engellenner and Dorothea Gulbrands ends up in the northern part of California, USA. It is not clear, how he arrives there. Possibly, he just entered one of the many ships sailing from Aabenraa. Five years later, he marries Ingeborg Crogh (born 30th May 1886) who also came from the Danish/German border area. He works as a labourer in a pottery, one of California’s oldest industrial companies. The couple gets at least five children:

  • Tillie Engellenner (1888–?)
  • Mabel Engellenner (1889–?)
  • Hans Engellenner (1892–?)
  • Bothilda Engellenner (after her maternal grandmother) (1896–1990)
  • Amos Engellenner (1898–1942)

Their descendants partly still live there today, in Placer, Lincoln, Roseville, all near Sacramento and the surname Engellenner is still present. When August Nicolai’s parent die (Hans Jürgen on 29th October 1891, Botilla Magdalena on 19th April 1910), they may have known through letters from their son what became of him but they most probably never saw their grandchildren. The first two, Tillie and Mabel, were born when their grandparent were still alive.