Lilienthal Surname

Our earliest known Lilienthal family members came from what is now northern Germany, but some researchers believe that the family (or at leats the name) is actually Swedish. According to one family history, in about 1650 three Lilienthal brothers (Liljendahl in Swedish) left Sweden and settled in three different parts of Germany. They are supposed to be the ancestors of all the German Lilienthals. Unless the supposed date was much earlier than 1650, this theory is probably incorrect.

1st Generation:

Otto "Ott" Detlef Lilienthal was probably born in the late 1600s in Germany. He died shortly before September 6, 1730 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Otto's origins are unknown, but he was probably from somewhere in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany; most likely from the village of Darry in Lütjenburg Parish, where he was documented in adulthood. There are no surviving baptism records in that parish before 1701. One possibility/wild guess is that his parents were Hans Lilienthal (c. 1656-1727) and Engel Lilienthal (c. 1660-1736), who were a couple that lived in Darry and were of about the right age to have been his parents (but there is otherwise no evidence that they were parents and son - but were probably related somehow). In adulthood, Otto lived in the village of Darry, where he was documented between 1717 (baptism of his first child and his marriage) and 1730 (his death and burial). In August 1717, Otto and Gretje Ronfelt had an illegitimate son; they were married three months later. Otto was described as a huntsman/gamekeeper. On most records his name was spelled "Ott", a diminutive version of the full "Otto".

He married Anna "Gretje" Margaretha Ronfelt on November 19, 1717 in Lütjenburg, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. She was born circa 1690s and died after 1730.

They had children:

1 Peter Lilienthal was born in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and baptized on August 1, 1717 in Lütjenburg, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.

2 Ott Detlef Lilienthal was born in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and baptized on February 11, 1720 in Lütjenburg, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. He was probably the child named "Detlef Lilienthal" who was buried on March 8, 1720 in Lütjenburg.

3 Lucia Anna Lilienthal was born in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and baptized on July 22, 1721 in Lütjenburg, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.

4 Magdalena Lilienthal was born in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and baptized on May 7, 1724 in Lütjenburg, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.

5 Hans Henning Lilienthal

6 Friedrich Wilhelm Lilienthal was born in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and baptized on July 2, 1730 in Lütjenburg, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. He died on February 7, 1807 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.
He married Christina Magdalena Dohrmann on September 27, 1767 in Giekau, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ². She was born circa 1733 and died on May 19, 1822 in Panker, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.
They had children:
Albrecht Heinrich Lilienthal (1770-1828)
md. Elsabe Jansen
Magdalena Lucia Lilienthal (1772-1829)
md. 1st Hans Hinrich Jipp
md. 2nd Matthias Albrecht Hamann
Otto Detlef Lilienthal (1774-1776)
Friedrich Wilhelm Lilienthal (1777-1826)
md. Anna Lilienthal
Hans Detlef Lilienthal (1780-aft. 1807)

1st Generation:

Hans Henning Lilienthal was born in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and baptized on April 30, 1727 in Lütjenburg, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. He died sometime between 1765 and 1774, probably somewhere in Plön in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Father: Otto "Otto" Detlef Lilienthal
Mother: Anna "Gretje" Margaretha Ronfelt

Hans was born and raised in the village of Darry, Germany. Sometime in his youth (between 1730 and 1760), he moved to the neighboring Giekau Parish. In 1760, he was working as a gardener at the Schmoel estate. Between 1760 and 1765, they were variously in Schmoel, Hohenfelde, and Gadendorf, which were all near each other in the Giekau Parish. It's unknown what happened to them after their youngest son was baptized and buried in 1765 in Giekau. In 1774, his widow remarried in neighboring Lütjenburg. He was not found in the burial registers for either Giekau or Lütjenburg.

Hans married Lucia Dohrmann on November 14, 1760 in Giekau, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ². She was born in Gadendorf, Giekau, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and baptized on December 21, 1736 in Giekau, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ². She died on January 21, 1809 in Rönfeldholz, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.

Father: Detlev Dohrmann
Mother: Margreta "Gretje" Dose
She remarried to Asmus Starck on June 14, 1774 in Lütjenburg, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. They then lived in Rönfeldholz for the duration of their lives. Lucia had one child from her second marriage: Hans Hinrich Caspar Starck (1774-1861).

They had three children:

1 infant son Lilienthal was baptized on August 29, 1761 in Giekau, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ². He probably died as an infant.

2 Carl Detlev Lilienthal

3 Hans Friedrich Lilienthal was baptized on February 3, 1765 in Giekau, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ². He was buried on February 14, 1765 in Giekau, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ².

2nd Generation:

Carl Detlev Lilienthal was baptized on October 7, 1762 at Giekau, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ². He died on July 1, 1833 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.

Father: Hans Henning Lilienthal
Mother: Lucia Dohrmann
Carl was baptized on October 7, 1762, and his Godparents were Count von Hessenstein, Hans Schoening and Hedewig Benedicta Hamanns. In his youth (sometime between 1765 and 1774), his family moved to Lütjenburg Parish, where he was confirmed in 1776. He eventually moved to the village of Darry in Lütjenburg, where he and Engel Kahl had an illegitimate son in 1790. They were later married in 1792. Carl was a farm laborer in Darry, where he spent the rest of his life. He was buried on July 4, 1833.

Carl married Engel Christina Margarethe Kahl on November 9, 1792 in Lütjenburg, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. She was born on May 19, 1767 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. She died on December 27, 1826 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.

Father: Hans Kahl
Mother: Catharina Dose
She was buried on December 30, 1826. She was baptized with the names "Engel Christina", but otherwise used the names "Engel Margaretha" for the rest of her life.

They had the following children:

1 Hans Detlev Lilienthal

2 Friedrich Wilhelm Lilienthal was born on November 18, 1794 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. He died on January 28, 1837 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.
Friedrich was never married. He worked as a weaver in Darry.

3rd Generation:

Hans Detlev Lilienthal was born on September 4, 1790 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein ¹. He died on December 28, 1835 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.

Father: Carl Detlev Lilienthal
Mother: Engel Christina Margaretha Kahl
Hans was an illegitimate child of Carl Lilienthal and Engel Kahl and was baptized on September 7, 1790 ¹. His parents were married two years after he was born. Hans was raised in the village of Darry, where his father worked as a laborer. It would have been in this context that Hans did not develop any specific trade and also worked his adult life as a laborer. Hans died of unknown causes in 1835, at the age of 45. He was buried on January 2, 1836 ¹. Hans' widow later remarried.

Hans married Friederika Elisabeth Sophia Möller on November 13, 1819 in Lütjenburg, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.

They had the following children:

1 stillborn son Lilienthal was stillborn on July 31, 1822 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.

2 Detlev Friedrich Lilienthal was born on September 25, 1823 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. He died on June 25, 1884 in in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.
He married Lisette Dorothea Marie Henriette Sievers on May 10, 1853 in in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. She was born on September 8, 1827 in Kaköhl, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹¹ and died on February 26, 1868 in in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.
They had the following children:
Henrich Christian Lilienthal (1853-1859)
Detlev Friedrich Lilienthal (1855-1932)
Johann Eduard Wilhelm Lilienthal (1857-1921)
md. Charlotte Margarethe Lammert
Detlev Carl Lilienthal (1859-1878)
Claus Hinrich Lilienthal (1861-1918)
md. Johanna Margaretha Sophia Siems
Johann August Lilienthal (1864-1868)
Margarethe Maria Sophia Lilienthal (1866-1867)
In 1845, Detlev was in Darry where he was working as a servant and living in his employers' household. He remained in Darry for the duration of this life. Detlev worked as a day laborer/worker.

3 Carl Friedrich Lilienthal (aka Charles F. Linthal) was born on April 22, 1826 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ^1,9. He died on February 27, 1894 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., Missouri ⁹. He is buried in the Elmwood Cemetery, Kansas City, Jackson Co., Missouri.
He married Elsabe "Elise" Elisabeth Dorothea Margaretha Ketelsen on August 18, 1854 in Husum, Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹⁰. She was born on on February 22, 1823 in Husum, Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹⁰ or July 22, 1823 ⁹ and died on January 5, 1882 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., Missouri ⁹. She is buried in the Elmwood Cemetery, Kansas City, Jackson Co., Missouri.
They had children:
Carl (Charles) Heinrich Lilienthal (Linthal) (1855-1921)
md. Emilie George
Christina Margaretha Lilienthal (Linthal) (1857-aft. 1889)
md. John Leuch
Anna Dorothea Lilienthal (Linthal) (1859-died young)
He married second Theresa Baller/Paller, widow of Laurentius Boehm, on or soon after September 1, 1884 in Jackson Co., Missouri. She was born on April 18, 1840 in Hungary and died on April 6, 1918 in Kansas City, Jackson Co., Missouri. She is buried in the Mount Saint Mary Catholic Cemetery, Kansas City, Jackson Co., Missouri.
They had no children (but she had several children from her first marriage).
Carl was a stonemason, a trade he probably learned from his stepfather Friedrich Rosenthal. He worked as a stonemason and brickmaker while living in both Germany and America. Carl was living with his mother and stepfather in 1845 in Darry, but then moved away. He was next found in Husum, Germany, which was a coastal town about 75 miles west. There he married Elsabe Ketelsen in 1854. They were living there in 1855 and 1857. They then moved back to his hometown of Darry, Germany, where they were living in 1859 and 1860. In 1860, he moved with his family to America. They traveled on the ship "Washington" which left Hamburg on September 15, 1860 and arrived in New Orleans on November 26, 1860. After arriving in America, they lived for at least two years in New Orleans. There in 1862, Carl enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War and served for three years. After the war was over, they moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where they were documented between at least 1867 and 1871. In about 1874, they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where they remained. He was naturalized as a US citizen in 1890.
Although his original name was Carl Lilienthal, by the end of his life he had Anglicized his first and last name to Charles Linthal. His wife Elsabe/Elise later used the name Elizabeth.
Kansas City Journal, Mar. 1, 1894, Pg. 5:
"Deaths and Funerals ... The funeral services over the remains of C. F. Linthal, who died on Tuesday at his home, No. 1009 East Ninth street, will be held to-morrow afternoon at 2 o'clock. Burial in Elmwood cemetery. The services will be held under the auspices of the Platte Deutsche Verein. Linthal was a stonemason. He was aged 68. He had been a resident of Kansas City for about twenty years."

4 Catharina Margaretha Elisabeth Lilienthal was born on October 10, 1828 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. She died on June 2, 1914 in Brunde, Rise, Åbenrå, Denmark ⁸.
She married Carl Friedrich Lilienthal on March 16, 1851 in Lütjenburg, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, German ¹. He was born on October 30, 1823 Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ^1,8 and died on December 14, 1899 Brunde, Rise, Åbenrå, Denmark ⁸.
They had at least the following children:
"William" Friedrich Wilhelm Lilienthal (1851-1933)
md. Voldborg Hansen Jepsen
Dorothea Margaretha Elise Lilienthal (1853-1858)
"Frederick" Fritz Ferdinand Wilhelm Lilienthal (1854-1927)
md. Elizabeth Celestine Purcell
Christian Heinrich Lilienthal (1856-1925)
md. Hansine Vonsel
Henriette Elise Lilienthal (1858-1888)
md. Hans C. Olsen
Heinrich Carl Lilienthal (1860-1942)
Elise Sophie Lilienthal (1863-aft. 1900)
md. Hans Frederik Henriksen
infant male Lilienthal (1865-1865)
Hans Nissen Lilienthal (1866-1922)
md. 1st Anne Marie Iwers
md. 2nd Juliane Jakobine Mortensen
Carl Christian Lilienthal (1869-1896)
Carolina Anna Bertha Lilienthal (1871-1962)
md. Mogens C. Jensen
Ferdinand Johannes Lilienthal (1875-1922)
md. Christine Sidsel Jensen
Catharina went by her middle name Margaretha. Prior to her marriage, she worked as a servant in Darry. Her first child was born out of wedlock in February 1851. But one month later, she married the child's father, Carl Friedrich Lilienthal (who cooincidentally had the same name as her brother, and who must have been a distant cousin). After their marriage in 1851, they lived for a few years in Darry, Germany. They then moved to Rise, Denmark sometime between 1853 and 1854, probably with Catharina's younger sister Christina. Margaretha and her husband remained in Rise for the duration of their lives; but most of their children moved away. Between 1874 and 1902, eight of their children moved to America (most to California). Each child made the trip by themselves, at different times (Frederick in 1874, Christian and Henriette in 1878, William in 1880, Heinrich in 1882, Carl and Carolina in 1888 and Ferdinand in 1902). Only son Hans and daughter Elise remained behind in Europe.

5 stillborn son Lilienthal was stillborn on May 7, 1831 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹.

6 Christina Margaretha Dorothea Lilienthal

4th Generation:

"Dora" Christina Margaretha Dorothea Lilienthal was born on February 24, 1834 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ^1,6. She died on July 4, 1921 in Brainerd, Crow Wing Co., Minnesota ^6,7. She is buried in the Decoria Cemetery, Decoria Twp., Blue Earth Co., Minnesota.

Father: Hans Detlev Lilienthal
Mother: Friederika Elisabeth Sophia Möller

She was baptized on March 16, 1834 and her godparents were: Catharina Margaretha Dittmann, Christina Dorothea Dohrmann, and Jochen Albrecht Dohrmann ¹. Although her first name was Christina, she usually went by her middle name Dorothea during her youth. Apparently her pet name while living in Europe was "Doris". Her father died when she was a toddler and she was raised in the village of Darry with her mother, stepfather and siblings. In 1855 (when she was 21), she was not enumerated with her family in Darry in the census of that year as she had apparently moved elsewhere. She had probably gone north to the parish of Ries (now Rise, Denmark), where her sister Catharina had moved sometime in 1853 or 1854. There, she lived in the village of Brunde. In 1856, she was a godmother (along with her future husband Christian Kling) to the baptism of her nephew Christian Lilienthal.

On May 13, 1859 she married Christian Kling, who also lived in Brunde. Christian was a farmer and a carpenter and the couple continued to live in Ries/Rise and had seven children there, including two that died in infancy. They moved relatively frequently and between 1859 and 1870 they lived in the villages of Brunde, Rise, Mjols and Rise-Hjarup.

Eventually, Christina and her family decided to move to America. It appears that the reason for their departure was because Christian wanted to escape conscription in to the Prussian Army (which had recently conquered that part of Denmark). On December 30, 1870, Christina’s husband registered to immigrate to America. He fled to Danish territory and likely went to America by himself sometime in 1871. In 1872, Christina and her five children left their home in Denmark and traveled to Liverpool, England where they boarded the ship "City of New York" and arrived in New York City on October 12, 1872. The family reunited in New York and then went out west and settled at Webster City, Iowa. In Iowa, Christina had two more children. They did not remain in Iowa long and in about 1878, they moved to Blue Earth County, Minnesota, where her husband was naturalized in October 1879. Besides her seven surviving children, Dora also raised Fred Kling, the illegitimate son of her daughter Mary Kling.
The first several years in America would have been difficult for Christina and her family. It must have been hard for them to learn the English language and adapt to American lifestyles. They eventually conformed to standards and went by more English sounding versions of their names. Christina always used the name “Dora” (an English diminutive of her preferred middle name, Dorothea). In about 1889, they moved to a farm in Decoria Township, just south of Mankato, in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. It was there that her husband Christian died in 1894 at the age of 60. Afterwards, Dora lived with her son Hans and his family, also in Decoria Township. Then in 1900, Dora moved with her daughter Elizabeth Kling Alexander moved to Brainerd, Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Dora resided in Brainerd, Minnesota for the duration of her life, where they family lived at 1311 (later 1307) Rosewood Street. Dora died in Brainerd, Minnesota, on July 4, 1921 at the age of 87. Her body was sent back to Mankato, Minnesota and she was buried beside her husband in the Decoria Cemetery, Decoria, Minnesota.
Obituary, Brainerd Dispatch, Friday, July 8, 1921, p. 2 C4:
"MRS. DORA KLING
Passed Away at the Home of Her Daughter, Mrs. J. C. Alexander
Mrs. Dora Kling, born in Germany in the year 1834, died at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. J. C. Alexander of Brainerd, on July 4, 1921 at the ripe age of 87 years.
In addition to Mrs. Alexander, with whom she has lived for the last 21 years, the other children are Hans Chris. Kling of Bovey, Mrs. C. H. Miller and Mrs. Christine Hoffman of Mankato. There are 20 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at the Whitney undertaking parlors Tuesday afternoon, conducted by Rev. S. M. Kelly. The remains will be taken to Mankato for burial."

She married Christian Sorensen Kling on May 13, 1859 in Rise, Åbenrå, Denmark ⁸.

For further information on their children, see his page.

Sources:

1. Lütjenburg Parish Registers, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
2. Giekau Parish Registers, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
3. 1803 Census of Darry, Schleswig.
4. 1840 Census of Darry, Schleswig.
5. 1855 Census of Darry, Schleswig.
6. Death Certificate of Dora M. Kling, 1921, Crow Wing Co., MN
7. Obituary of Dora Kling, Brainerd Dispatch, July 8, 1921.
8. Rise Parish Registers, Rise, Aabenraa, Denmark.
9. Tombstone inscriptions, Elmwood Cemetery, Kansas City, MO
10. Husum Parish Registers, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
11. Blekendorf Parish Registers, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

1	infant son Lilienthal was baptized on August 29, 1761 in Giekau, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ². He probably died as an infant.
2	Carl Detlev Lilienthal
3	Hans Friedrich Lilienthal was baptized on February 3, 1765 in Giekau, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ². He was buried on February 14, 1765 in Giekau, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ².

1	Hans Detlev Lilienthal
2	Friedrich Wilhelm Lilienthal was born on November 18, 1794 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. He died on January 28, 1837 in Darry, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ¹. Friedrich was never married. He worked as a weaver in Darry.