1880 U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS/CLAY TOWNSHIP/SHELBY COUNTY/MISSOURI/; Film Roll No.:
737; Page: 24; SD: 5; ED: 67; Enumeration date: 21st, 23, & 28 June 1880;
Enumerator: C. S. Brown; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff: Rudolph Crop;
Color: white; Sex: male Age prior to June 1st: 6; Relationship to head of
family: Stepson; Single; Place of birth: Missouri; Place of birth of mother
and father: Germany.
1900 U.S. Federal Census; State: Mississippi; County: Jackson;
Town/township: Beat 3; Enumeration date: 21 Jun 1900; Enumerator: (?); SD:
6; ED: 40; Sheet No.: 36; Page No.: 73; Microfilm Roll No.: T623, Rol 812;
Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff, 10 Mar 2004; Dwelling Number: 767; Family
No.: 783; Line: 56; Name: Herman Cropp; Relation to head of family: head;
Color: white; Sex: male; Month of brth: Feb; Year of birth: 1875; Age:
25; Marital status: Married; Number of years married: 12; Place of birth:
Florida; Place of birth of father: Florida; Place of birth of mother:
Florida; Occupation: day laborer; No. of months not employed: 2; Can read
and write: yes; Can speak English: yes; Home owned or rented: Owned; Home
owned free or mortgaged: Free; Farm or house: house. (A niece 4 years old
and a nephew 1 year old are, also, living with the Herman Cropp family)
FLAMING SWORD, Community Current Events by D. J. Richards, November 1926:
"One of the most appreciative visitors we have ever met in Estero was Mr. H.
R. Cropp, from Mississippi. Mr. Cropp was a stepson of Mr. Damkohler, who
first settled in Estero and who was instrumental in inducing the Master to
locate here and move his colony from Chicago. It has been close to forty
years since Mr. Cropp left Estero. He and his half brother, ELWIN E.
DAMKOHLER, took great pleasure in reciting their early experiences about the
place. Estero having undergone such a transformation was a revelation to Mr.
Cropp. "To think," he said, "that deer and turkeys practically came up to our
back door, besides other wild life; and plenty of alligators lined the river
banks." A most sacred spot to both of them was the spot where their mother, a
brother and two sisters were buried. Upon leaving, Mr. Cropp said: "I can't
begin to tell you what this visit has meant to me."
Author of "Memoirs of the First Settler" by Capt. E. E. Damkohler, Estero,
Florida 1882---copyright 1967 by Elwin E. Damkohler; Library of Congress
Catalog Number 67-19575--Fort Myers: Island Press: ("It was the 10th of
April, 1882 when father and my half brother Herman pitched the big tent where
we were to live.")
1900 U.S. Federal Census; State: Mississippi; County: Jackson; Town/township:
Beat 3; Enumeration date: 21 Jun 1900; Enumerator: (?); SD: 6; ED: 40;
Sheet No.: 36; Page No.: 73; Microfilm Roll No.: T623, Rol 812; Transcribed
by Joyce Nelle Ratliff, 10 Mar 2004; Dwelling Number: 767; Family No.: 783;
Line: 60; Name: Willie Cropp; Relation to head of family: son; Color:
white; Sex: male; Month of birth: October; Year of birth: 1893; Age: 6;
Place of birth: Mississippi; Place of birth of father: Florida; Place of
birth of mother: Mississippi; Occupation: Nothing listed.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Clarence E. Cross.
FOLKS WE KNEW WHILE IN THE K.U. by Marie McCready: "The father had been a
Confederate soldier in the Civil War. Clarence a dreamer and somewhat of a
socialist. He built a house in a tree and slept in it from Sunday until
Friday."--William McCready
U.S. Federal Census--1910; Estero, Lee, Florida; Enumeration date: 25 Apr
1910; Enumerator: Walter S. Turner, Jr.; Microfilm roll number: Fl 1910-H
T624; ED: 80; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff, January 1995: Clarence E.
Cross; Sex: male; Race: white; Age 29; Marital Status: Single; Place of
birth: Texas; Place of birth of father and mother: Mississippi; Language
spoken: English: Occupation: Printer; No. of months not employed: 0; Can
read and write: yes.
U.S. Federal Census--1920; Enumeration Date: 5 Jan 1920; Enumerator: Henry
D. Silverfriend; Microfilm Number: 1820221-T625-221; Precinct 10; SD: 1; ED:
109; Transcriber: Joyce Nelle Ratliff: Clarence Cross; (Living outside the
Koreshan Colony); Tenure: Renting a home on Beach Estero Island; Age 40;
Single; Place of birth: Texas; Place of birth of father: Kentucky?; Place of
birth of mother: Mississippi; Occupation: Common laborer/Hotel gardener.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: James H. Cross
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Mrs. M. M. Cross (No
given name)
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: (Isaiah) George Cudney.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Lucile Currie; Born: 25
Apr 1858; Richmond, New Brunswick.
FOLKS WE KNEW WHILE IN THE K.U. by Marie McCready: "An entertainer who often
gave readings at entertainments, one of her favorites being, "How I Came by
the Eye."
MEMORIES, MEMORIES--DAYS OF LONG AGO chronicled by Marie McCready with
participation by Lovelle McCready: Lucile Curry, a tall angular woman who was
quite a character--page 35.
MEMOIRS OF THE FIRST SETTLER, Estero, Fla 1882 by Capt. E. E. Damkohler,
Estero, copyright 1967 by Elwin E. Damkohler; Library of Congress Catalog
Number 67-19575--Fort Myers: Island Press--KSHS--BK 099. Gustave G.
Damkohler, wife and four children, first settlers of Estero Creek,
Florida--arrived at Punta Rassa on April 3, 1882.* *Three children, Elwin,
Marie, and Rudolph Crop are listed as Gustave Damkohler's children on the 1880
Census. Evidently, Gustave and Alma had another daughter (above, unknown
name) before they left Missouri and moved to Florida.
Damkohler, Elwin E.; Estero, Florida 1882: MEMOIRS OF THE FIRST SETTLER; Fort
Myers: Island Press; KSHS--BK 099. ("February 16, 1884, about four a.m.,
mother died. Father had come home late that evening to find her sick. All
night he tried to relieve her pain but he knew it was useless. He awakened us
children to kiss her goodby. Our two-week old baby had been in mother's arms
all the while she was sick."--Page 18
U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS/CLAY TOWNSHIP/SHELBY COUNTY/MISSOURI/1880; Film Roll No.:
737; Page: 24; SD: 5; ED: 67; Enumeration date: 21, 23, & 28 June 1880;;
Enumerator: C. S. Brown; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff: Alma Damkohler;
Color: white; Sex: female; Sex: female; Age prior to June 1st: 27;
Relationship to head of house: Wife; Married: Occupation: Keeping House;
Place of birth: Germany; Place of birth of mother and father: Germany.
Maiden name of Alma Damkohler is unknown. Her marriage to Gustave Damkohler
may have been her second marriage because Rudolph Crop is listed as a
6-year-old stepson of Gustave Damkohler in the 1880 Census.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Elwin E. Damkohler; Son
of Gustave Damkohler; Born ca. 1877 in Missouri.
Author of "Memoirs of the First Settler" by Capt. E. E. Damkohler, Estero,
Florida 1882---copyright 1967 by Elwin E. Damkohler; Library of Congress
Catalog Number 67-19575--Fort Myers: Island Press.
U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS/CLAY TOWNSHIP/SHELBY COUNTY/MISSOURI/1880; Film Roll No.:
737; Page: 24; SD: 5; ED: 67; Enumeration date: 21, 23, & 28 June 1880;
Enumerator: C. S. Brown; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff: Elvin
Damkohler; Color: white; Sex: male; Age prior to June 1st: 2: Relationship
to head of house: Son; Single; Place of birth: Missouri; Place of birth of
mother and father: Germany.
FLAMING SWORD, Community Current Events by D. J. Richards, November 1926:
"One of the most appreciative visitors we have ever met in Estero was Mr. H.
R. Cropp, from Mississippi. Mr. Cropp was a stepson of Mr. Damkohler, who
first settled in Estero and who was instrumental in inducing the Master to
locate here and move his colony from Chicago. It has been close to forty
years since Mr. Cropp left Estero. He and his half brother, ELWIN E.
DAMKOHLER, took great pleasure in reciting their early experiences about the
place. Estero having undergone such a transformation was a revelation to Mr.
Cropp. "To think," he said, "that deer and turkeys practically came up to our
back door, besides other wild life; and plenty of alligators lined the river
banks." A most sacred spot to both of them was the spot where their mother, a
brother and two sisters were buried. Upon leaving, Mr. Cropp said: "I can't
begin to tell you what this visit has meant to me."
FAMILY TREE MAKER SOCIAL SECURITY DEATH INDEX; VOLUME 1, A-L: Elwin
Damkohler; Born: 18 May 1878; Social Security Number issued in Florida; Died:
March 1969 in Ft. Myers, Florida, Social Security Number: 266-18-0089.
MEMOIRS OF THE FIRST SETTLER, Estero, Fla 1882 by Capt. E. E. Damkohler,
Estero, copyright 1967 by Elwin E. Damkohler; Library of Congress Catalog
Number 67-19575--Fort Myers: Island Press--KSHS--BK 099. ("My brother was the
first child born at Estero. Father named him Estero Ostego Damkohler, for
that is the name of the creek and bay into which the creek flows."--Page 4)
("Our two-weeks old baby had been in mother's arms all the while she was
sick."--Page 18) (("Two months later our baby brother died.*"--Page 20)
*After reading Elwin Damkohler's "Memoirs of the First Settler" and
researching the 1880 Census, I believe Estero Ostego Damkohler is the two-week
old baby Elwin mentions.--Joyce Nelle Ratliff, Jan 1999.)
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Gustave Damkoehler:
"Born 13 Dec 1825, Blankenburg, Germany; Died 5 Sep 1905 in Juneau, Alaska.
Damkohler, Gustave; KOST 3.x series; Estero Florida 1882--"Memoirs of the
First Settler" by Elwin Damkohler; Info Found: Series of letters written to
various individuals in Florida State government concerning the purchase of
land; Hist. Infor: Born in Berlin Germany, Damkohler came to America via
Australia. He met his wife in Missouri. He and his wife and children arrived
in Estero on April 3, 1882. He acted as agent for the Koreshans in purchasing
lands and later on he had a falling out with the Koreshans and he sued for the
return of his own land. He only received part of it back. He eventually left
Estero for Missouri on May 20, 1899 (Damkohler) and then for Alaska which is
where he died and was buried. His wife and four of his five children are
buried along the Estero River.
Gustave Damkohler cottage located in the Koreshan State Historic Site in
Estero, Florida.
MEMORIES, MEMORIES--DAYS OF LONG AGO chronicled by Marie McCready with
participation by Lovelle McCready: Gustav Damkohler and family homesteaded a
tract of land along the Estero river.--page 51
Mr. Damkohler/Information received by a Mr. Damkohler, a relative of Gustave,
who stopped by the Ranger Station in January 1997 and spoke with Ranger Peter
Hicks: "Gustave Damkohler, Born 12/13/1825 in Blankenberg, Hartz Mts, in
Germany. Died Sept 18?, 1905 at age 79. He is buried in Juneau, Alaska,
Grave #31 in a cemetery. Died in presence of his son--Capt. E. E. Damkohler
of Ft. Myers, Florida. He was a baker and confectioner, and also a medical
doctor. Got a diploma but never publicly practiced. He went to Australia and
cooked in
a mining camp in Australia. He invented a fireless cooker (heat stove). He
gathered a lot of orphans, educated and took care of them. He was a landscape
gardener. He came to America and got married in Missouri. He came to Florida
on April 3, 1883, and located in Estero."
U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS/CLAY TOWNSHIP/SHELBY COUNTY, MISSOURI--1880; Film Roll No.
737; Page: 24; SD: 5; ED: 67; Enumeration date: 21st, 23, & 28 June 1880;
Enumerator: C. S. Brown; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff: Gust.
Damkohler; Color: white; Sex: male Relation to head of house: head; Age
prior to June 1st: 47; Married; Occupation: Farmer; Place of birth: Germany;
Place of birth of mother and father: Germany.
U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS/CLAY TOWNSHIP/SHELBY COUNTY/MISSOURI/1880; Film Roll No.:
737; Page: 24; SD: 5; ED: 67; Enumeration date: 21st, 23, & 28 June 1880;
Enumerator: C. S. Brown; Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff: Marie
Damkohler; Color: white; Sex: female; Age prior to June 1st: 2/12; : Month
of birth if born in census year: March; Relationship to head of house:
Daughter; Single; Place of birth: Missouri; Place of birth of mother and
father: Germany.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Mrs. Lizzie Daniels.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Mabel Daniels.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Mary Daniels
FOLKS WE KNEW WHILE IN THE K.U. by Marie McCready: Mary Daniels
1900 U. S. Federal Census; Calumet Township; Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Film
Roll No. 285; Page No. 285; SD No. 1; ED No. 986; Sheet No. 12 Ward of City:
31; Enumeration Date: 13 June 1900; Enumerator: Ernest E. Ellington;
Transcribed by Joyce Nelle Ratliff, 24 May 1999; Koreshan Unity: Mary
Daniels; Residence: 99th Street, Dwelling 133; Relation to head of family:
Boarder; Color, white; Sex, female; Month of birth: October; Year of birth:
1849; Age at last birthday: 50; Married; No. of Years married: 1*; Mother of
how many children: 0; No. of these children living: 0; Place of birth: Iowa;
Place of birth of father: Illinois; Place of birth of mother: Missouri; Can
read, yes; Can write, yes; Can speak English, yes. (*Except for 5 married
residents, all married residents living in this dwelling listed their number
of years married as 1.)
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Samuel Daniels.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: Will Daniels.
THE KORESHAN UNITY MEMBERSHIP LIST by Claude J. Rahn: George Henry Born: 21
Feb 1892 arrived Estero 13 Oct 1906; Left 20 Sep 1907; Married, deserted his
family in 1919.