| His parents | ||
4GGF John Brust |  Germany --> WI | 4GGM Mary Anne Schiller-Brust |
| Ancestor 86 (1010110) c. 1788 - (1873?) | Ancestor 87 (1010111) c. 1785 - After 1860 |
John and Mary “Brost” or “Brust” (probably originally either “Bröst” or “Brüst”) had seven children born in Germany: Matthias (c. 1810?), Anna, Susanna, Barbara, Nicolaus, Antonia * (1824), and John (unknown date). The whole family sailed to the US on the Bark Manchester and arrived in New York on July 12, 1843.
John and Mary settled in Wisconsin. In a land patent dated September 1, 1846, Johann Brost purchased 83.5 acres from the Green Bay, WI Land Office. The description of the land is, “1 E1/2 NW 4th PM – 1831 Minnesota / Wisconsin No. 16 N 18 E 1.” Our last record of them is the 1860 US census, when they were found living with Antonia’s family in Marshfield Township (presently Mt. Calvary), Fond du Lac County, WI.
The map below shows the John Brust farm in Calumet Township Section 1 (grayed out) and the Ackerman Farm in Marshfield Township Section 8. The St. John’s church / cemetery is 1 mile south and slightly east of the Brust farm.
The dates on record for this family are a little rough around the edges, and there are a few clues that seem to lead almost, but not quite, to them. The birth dates shown above are consistent with the ages shown on the 1860 census. Their immigration record suggests that their oldest child, Matthias, was born in 1810 (reasonable for their age, and I have seen a Matthias Brust 1810 – 1885 in Wisconsin on FindAGrave), though I have a marriage date of 1815 for John and Mary. Information handed down to us through the family (Theodore Brust) gives a death date of 1873 for John (possible), and 1887 for Mary (very unlikely). There are many Brosts buried at St. John’s in Johnsburg. They include another couple named John and Mary Brost, and I believe that the death dates that Theodore reported might actually be for the unrelated homonymous couple.
Research Questions for GGGT
John & Mary’s death and burial are still unsolved questions. When did they die? Where are they buried? St. John’s would be their likeliest church, as it was so close to their home. Later in life, they also lived close to Mt. Calvary Cemetery. There are many Brosts buried at St. John’s (including, I believe, the homonymous couple), but 4GGP Brust do not seem to be in their burial records. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which keeps an archive of death records, can not find records for them at St. John’s or Mt. Calvary. We might need to walk the cemeteries and see if we get lucky. There is also a small historical society nearby, the “Malone Area Heritage Museum”, 920-579-2738.
I have one grainy picture of their son Nicolaus (b. 1822) in adulthood:
