Martin Welke
born November 3, 1842, in Schmilau, Prussia
died March 12, 1902, in Dayton, Illinois

When Martin Welke died he had no immediate family in the United States.His heirs were his siblings in Germany, and his probate file, at the La Salle County Genealogy Guild, identifies his parents, brothers, and sisters.

His father, August Welke, died on  27 Apr 1855 in Schmilau, Prussia.
His mother, Anna Christina Gutzmer, then remarried, on 5 Feb 1856, to Stephan Kriger. She died on 3 Jan 1890, in Schmilau.
Their children were
Julius Welke, b 10 Jul 1838, d 29 Dec 1839
August Welke, b 22 Jan 1840   Emigrated to America as a young man; has not been heard of since
Maria Welke, b 30 Dec 1841, d 9 Jan 1842
Martin Welke, b 3 Nov 1842
Johann Friedrich Welke, b 22 Jan 1845, d 15 Feb 1845
Joseph Welke, b 12 Mar 1846
Andreas Welke, b 18 Mar 1849, d 23 May 1849
Johann Robert Welke, b 7 Jun 1850  Emigrated to America, married, and is said to have died there
Adalbert Welke, b 21 May 1853, d 29 Dec 1871

Obituary:

Martin Welke
(from Wednesday’s Daily)

After a brief illness of erysipelas, Martin Welke, of Dayton township, died at 7:30 this morning.

Martin Welke was born in Germany fifty-nine years ago. He came to this country in 1865, first at Mendota and then in Dayton, where for a short time he was employed in the woolen mills. He never married and leaves no immediate relatives in this country. He was a very industrious and hard-working man, one who had the esteem of all who knew him. He died at his residence in Dayton, in which he had lived alone for many years. John Ziebarth and Mrs. Andrew Miller of this city were first cousins of the deceased.¹

               

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1. Ottawa [Illinois] Free Trader, March 14, 1902