The Collection of John Parker Clark - the Wittkopf part

John P. Clark (1929-1993), son of Robert Otto & Sadie (Robinson) Clark and grandson of Robert & Adeline (Wittkopf) Clark, was intensely interested in his Clark and Wittkopf family history.  His stories, The Clarks and The Wittkopf Family History, sum up what he had learned by the late 1980’s, perhaps; but he learned more after that.  Some of this has been passed along to us by George J. Clark, who worked with John from time to time.  The rest has been contributed by John’s widow, Christine, and daughter Karen.  A wealth of Wittkopf and Hellwig family information is contained in a number of letters which John inherited, to and from August and Eleanor (Hellwig) Wittkopf, all but one of which John had had translated from the original German by one or more unknown translators.  John was also able to make contact with Hannelore (Wittkopf) Bauer, a descendant of August’s nephew Fritz Wittkopf (much mentioned in the letters to August from his parents).  Hannelore, whom John and Christine visited in Germany around 1990, had traced her Wittkopf family history much further back than any of us in the U.S. could ever have hoped to do.  This work has been passed along to us, via George.  The Clark part of John's collection may be found in our Clark project pages.

Family history by John P. Clark  (probably written in the 1980’s)

The Wittkopf Family History (PDF, 5.7 MB)

Translations of letters to August & Eleanor Wittkopf

(August & Eleanor lived near Detroit, Michigan, during this period,  August’s parents lived in Altenwalde, Hanover, Germany.  Eleanor’s parents lived in Melsungen, Hesse, Germany.  Eleanor’s brother, Justus W. Hellwig, lived in Baltimore, Maryland.)

To August from his parents, 18 June 1865 (PDF, 754 KB)

From August to his parents, 6 Aug. 1865 *

To August from his parents, 18 Mar. 1866 (PDF, 486 KB)

To August from his parents, 2 Nov. 1866 (PDF, 400 KB)

To August from his parents, 20 Oct. 1867 (PDF, 569 KB)

To August from his parents, 14 Apr. 1868 (PDF, 918 KB)

To August from his parents, 22 Nov. 1868 (PDF, 568 KB)

To Eleanor from Justus, 19 Mar. 1869 (PDF, 677 KB)

To Eleanor from her parents, 14 Jun. 1869 (PDF, 287 KB)

To August from his parents, 6 Nov. 1869 (PDF, 563 KB)

To Eleanor from Justus, 19 Feb. 1871 (PDF, 146 KB)

To August from his parents, 26 Mar. 1871 (PDF, 405 KB)

(* John surely had this letter translated, but we were not able to find the translation, so we have had this letter transcribed and translated by Marion Wolfert, of the LDS Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT.  It appears to be a partial draft of a letter which August never actually sent.)

The original letters to and from August & Eleanor Wittkopf

(All in German, all PDF, ~1 MB apiece)

To August from his parents, 18 June 1865:  Page 1, 2, 3, 4

From August to his parents, 6 Aug. 1865:  Page 1, 2

To August from his parents, 18 Mar. 1866:  Page 1, 2, 3, 4

To August from his parents, 2 Nov. 1866:  Page 1, 2

To August from his parents, 20 Oct. 1867:  Page 1, 2, 3

To August from his parents, 14 Apr. 1868:  Page 1, 2, 3, 4

To August from his parents, 22 Nov. 1868:  Page 1, 2, 3

To Eleanor from Justus, 19 Mar. 1869:  Page 1, 2, 3, 4

To Eleanor from her parents, 14 June 1869:  Page 1, 2

To August from his parents, 6 Nov. 1869:  Page 1, 2, 3, 4

To Eleanor from Justus, 19 Feb. 1871:  Page 1

To August from his parents, 26 Mar. 1871:  Page 1, 2

Ancestry of August Wittkopf from Hannelore Wittkopf Bauer

Family group sheet for Friedrich Nicholas Wittkopf b. ~1797 (JPEG, 931 KB) 

Ancestral tree of Christian Friedrich Nicolaus Wittkopf b. 1823 (JPEG, 955 KB)

(Notes on the above two items by Conrad Terrill, 2012)