Jurgen (George) Engelland Papers, 1876-1907

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Cage 237
Jurgen (George) Engelland
Papers, 1876-1907

The papers of Jurgen Engelland were a gift to Washington State University Library by Bertha Engelland Williams in 1967 and in 1969. They were processed by Terry Abraham in August, 1973.

Number of containers: 1
Linear feet of shelf space: .5

BIOGRAPHY

Jurgen Engelland was born in Schleswig-Holstein (then part of Denmark) August 27, 1859. At the age of fourteen he went to sea as a cabin-boy and worked his way up to a before-the-mast position on small vessels plying northern European waters. In 1880 he attended navigation school where he became conversant in English. After a one-year term in the German navy, he crossed the Atlantic to the United States in 1883. Moving west he homesteaded in 1884 a quarter-section near Tekoa, Washington, amidst many other German immigrants. In 1886 he returned to Germany to settle his mother's estate and returned with Frauke Stender (born 1865) to become his wife. They had three children: Bertha (born August 30, 1888); Herman (November 20, 1890); and Elfrida (January 30, 1898).

In 1907 the Engellands rented their farm and moved into Tekoa where both became very active in the community. He was elected to the town council, became street and side-walk commissioner, a member of the school board and served as clerk of the board for many years. The Engellands were strong believers in education, their children all graduating from high school and going on to college. Bertha graduated from WSU in 1912.

From 1891 until 1945, Mr. Engelland served as organizer, president and later secretary-treasurer of the Fraternal Beneficial Association, a farm mutual fire insurance concern.

Although Mr. Engelland's given name was Jurgen, he had it legally changed to George in the 1890s in order to be more fully "Americanized." He died in January, 1946. An account of his life, written by daughter Bertha, is in The Tekoa Story: from Bunchgrass to Grain (1962) 218-226.

ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION

The papers of Jurgen Engelland consist of his seafaring and navigation school papers, 1876-1881, and his Whitman County farming papers and accounts, 1884-1907.

CONTAINER LIST

Folder Description # of
Items

Series 1: Seafaring and Navigation School Papers

1 Seaman's registration book, 1876-1880. 1
2-9 Navigation school notebooks: English vocabulary, geometry, experiments, geography, mathematics, trigonometry, and arithmetic, 1880-1881. 8
10 Tagebuch des schooner-schiffes Marie,...gefuhrt von Stiuermann J. Engelland, 1881. [Logbook] 1

Series 2: Farming Papers

11-15 Ledger and account books, 1887-1907. 5
16 Letters from Hinrich Holtorf, Walla Walla, 1890-1891, recounting a German immigrant's misfortunes; Letter and typescript translations from the German by Bertha E. Williams, 1969. 7
17 Farmers Alliance. Tekoa Alliance No. 80. Minutes and roll of members, 1890-1891. 1
18 Receipts, 1890-1907. 6

Series 3: Accession File

19 Letters of Bertha E. Williams concerning her father's papers, 1969. 2
Container list, ca. 1969. 1

Folder	Description	# of Items

Series 1: Seafaring and Navigation School Papers

1	Seaman's registration book, 1876-1880.	1
2-9	Navigation school notebooks: English vocabulary, geometry, experiments, geography, mathematics, trigonometry, and arithmetic, 1880-1881.	8
10	Tagebuch des schooner-schiffes Marie,...gefuhrt von Stiuermann J. Engelland, 1881. [Logbook]	1

Series 2: Farming Papers

11-15	Ledger and account books, 1887-1907.	5
16	Letters from Hinrich Holtorf, Walla Walla, 1890-1891, recounting a German immigrant's misfortunes; Letter and typescript translations from the German by Bertha E. Williams, 1969.	7
17	Farmers Alliance. Tekoa Alliance No. 80. Minutes and roll of members, 1890-1891.	1
18	Receipts, 1890-1907.	6

Series 3: Accession File

19	Letters of Bertha E. Williams concerning her father's papers, 1969.	2
	Container list, ca. 1969.	1