Ferdinand Christian Johann MATTHES, aka Fred. aka Johann Ferdinand and Christian Ferdinand.

Born: 24 Oct 1835at Alt Rüdnitz/Rüednitz, Brandenburg, Germany Died: 4 Jan 1921, Tabatha Home in Lincoln, NE.

Buried 6 Jan 1921: Wisner, Cuming, NE. 

Married: Marie aka Marea WOLLIN (spellings found in Cuming County records: WOLLIN, /WOLLEN, & WOULIN by Lois Schultz).Gravestone lists her name as Marea WOLLIN

Born: 26 August 1835 at Kronheide, Pommern, Germany.

Married: 17 April 1856 at Kronheide, Pommern, Germany

Buried 1913: Wisner, Cuming, NE. 
They came to the US in 1867 with three of the following children born in Germany:
1. Auguste Wilhelmine MATTHES, born 24 January 1859, Kronheide, Pommern, Prussia. Augusta married Charles Schulz/Schultz on 14 Oct 1878. Their child was Anna Augusta (1884-1888). Another child may have been Ida Schulz. 
2. Franz Julius Herman MATTHES born 6 Dec 1862 at Kronheide, Pommern, Germany. He married Ida Matilde Terese HELLER on 4 Jun 1888. She was the daughter of Fred HELLER and Marie DABERKOW.
3. Louisa (Louise) Marie MATTHES born 23 Aug 1866 . . . Louisa is my great grandmother and I have not discovered exactly where she was born. One record here in the United States she put down she was born in Castrenika, Germany, and I have not been able to find out of anything about this place.
NOTE: The Castrenika was written by later years by Louisa so am wondering if she meant Cüstrinchen??? Louisa was only 6 months old when they left Germany and came to the United States probably around Feb of 1867, but I have not found a passenger list with them on it. Louisa married August WURL who was born in Alt Cüstrinchen, Prussia on 16 April 1885 at Wisner, Cuming, NE.
NOTE: It is believed the WURL and MATTHES families knew each other in Alt Cüstrinchen and/or Alt Rüdnitz prior to coming to America. The WURL family attended the Lutheran church in Alt Rüdnitz where they were confirmed. Dicksie KNIGHT MAY has the WURL church records in her collection.
4. August Ludwig MATTHES born 24 Jan 1869 at Cuming County, NE. He married Pauline WERBLOW. August died 3 Jan 1951 at Altona, Wayne, NE.
5. Eda “Ida” Helene MATTHES was born 1 Aug 1871 at Cuming County, NE. She died 5 Jun 1888 at Wisner, Cuming, NE. 
6. Otto E. MATTHES born ca 1875 at Cuming County, NE. He died on 5 Jun 1888 at Wisner, Cuming, NE. FOLLOWING ARE NOTES ON THE MATTHES FAMILY OF CUMING COUNTY, NE.
It is stated in Wisner newspaper articles about Ferdinand and Maria’s 50th wedding anniversary and their obituaries that they came to the United States in 1867. According to statements by my great grandmother, Louisa MATTHES WURL, she was 6 months old when they traveled to the United States.
Ferdinand MATTHES had a brother named John MATTHES of Bloomfield according to their 50th Wedding Anniversary newspaper article which appeared about their 50th Wedding Anniversary on April 17, 1906 at Wisner.
The following information is from Wisner News-Chronicle, July 9, 1959 to me by Lois SCHULZ (Ida and Otto died as a result of a tragedy near Wisner).

The date of the tragedy was June 5 1888. On that day five people drowned in the Elkhorn River, south of Wisner. It was the day following the marriage of Frank and Ida HELLER MATTHES which had occurred at the Fred HELLER farm. The bridge had collapsed on the river so Mrs. Ferdinand MATTHES, Mrs. Augusta MATTHES SHULZ and her daughter, Annie, who was about 5 years old , August, Otto and Lena MATTHES and Frank MARX. Fred KOEHLER manned the boat and he had asked Andy PETERSON, then a small boy to accompany him. Nine persons were on the boat which was guided across the river by a rope cable but in some way the rushing waters caught the boat off balance and capsized it, throwing the entire occupants into the torrent. . . . Mrs. MATTHES . . . was rescued. Fred KOEHLER . . .was saved. Augusta SCHULZ and August MATTHES . . . and there rescue parties got them. Lena MATTHES and Frank MARX drifted further down the river. The little girl (Ida) and Otto MATTHES were lost and their bodies never recovered. Andy Peterson swam to the south shore . . . .

 

According to newspaper accounts on Ferdinand and Maria they had 12 children, but there is only proof of the 6 children who lived at and settled in Cuming County, NE where Ferdinand owned a farm that is still in the family.
Through discussions with other family historians in the US I have came up with the idea that my WOLLIN/MATTHES family may have taken a ship from Stetten as according to the history I have learned about that time period many traveled from Stetten to the United States, but I have not found any records yet. It is believed the WURL family in Wyoming and MATTHES family who settled in Cuming County, NE, knew each other in Alt Cüstrinchen and/or Alt Rüdnitz prior to coming to America.
The WURL family attended the Lutheran church in Alt Rüdnitz where they were confirmed. Dicksie KNIGHT MAY has the WURL church records in her collection. My great grandfather, August WURL, traveled 500 miles from Laramie, WY, to Cuming County, NE to claim his bride, Louisa MATTHES. Even though the MATTHES family came to the US in 1867 when according to my family Louisa was 6 months old it appears that the families knew each other before either one came to the United States . .

 

There is a chance that my MATTHES family is connected to the MATTHES families that are ancestors of Linda WASCHER. We suspect this, but have no proof as of yet.
DOCUMENTATION IN THE COLLECTION OF DICKSIE KNIGHT MAY. Lois E. SCHULTZ of Wisner, NE, did the research and provided me with Family Group Sheets and all of the church information from Cuming County pertaining to Ferdinand and Maria WOLLIN MATTHES and their descendents in June of 1983.