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Family: Johann Jacob Junck /

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Genealogy of Family Junck

letter from Bertha Junck of Cleve, Germany to Ida C. Junck Robinson. Signed by Bertha, December 2, 1928.

Genealogy of Family Junck
letter from Bertha Junck, Germany

Great-great-great grandfather Jacob Junck, lived in Cologne, Germany, where he held a high position and is named among the best situated patrician families of the town. The Junck family of the 18th centry were Roman Catholics.

Great-great-grandfather Johann Jacob Junck, born in Cologne in 1746, died in Cleve in 1807. He was the eldest son of Jacob Junck and was highly educated. He was educated in a Jesuit College in Neuss, Germany. He studied at the Law Court in Bonn and Heidelberg and became a higly esteemed barister in Cologne and in the latter part of his life in Cleve. He married a lady in Cologne who brought him some fortune, all of which was lost during the French Revolution at the time of Louis XVI.

John Jacob Junck had seven sons; the eldest was Bartholomaus Junck, another was Joseph Junck; two sons were great admirers and followers of Napolean; (John Jacob Junck also had a sister, Antoinette Junck.)

Great grandfather: Bartholomaus Junck, born June 1, 1776, in Cologne and died January, 1860 in Cleve. He was also educated in the Jesuit Colege in Neuss, but left college when he was still very young. His father's intentions was to make him a Jesuit Priest for which he felt no inclination. He was supported by one of his brothers who offered him means to study at the Law Court in Bonn. He became a barrister in Cleve. This all happened at a time when Napoleon, Emperor of France, invaded not only the whole of Germany, but almost the whole of the continent and subjugated, I may as well say, enslaved all nations. They had to fight for him, help him to subjugate Russia.

Among the great admirers of Napoleon were two of my grandfather's brothers, who never left him, fought under the French in Russia, fled with the French Army as far as Leipzig where Napoleon was completely vanquished.

Both brothers finally settled in Paris, where one of them also became a French barrister. I often heard, of course descendants of this great-great uncle, mentioned in Paris. One Junck, a son of a barrister in Paris sent to England wand was a lawyer mentioned in some case when I was in London. I heard of two young men of the name Junck -- both artists, one sculpturer and one landscape painter. I paid their studio a visit just to make their acquaintance, and was told by one of them that their ancestors no doubt came from Cologne and were Germans. They were born in England and were, of course, Englishmen. I heard no more about them and I only saw from time to time their names mentioned among the exhibitors of the Royal Academy in London.

Another brother of my grandfather, Bartholomaus Junck was Joseph Junck. Born 1779. He was Soldier Major in the Prussian Army and later Commander of Crefeld. he was godfather of my father and gave him 30,000 Prussian Thaler (a thaler was about 75 cents) when he married the widow of Louis Griesenbeck (my mother) to renovate the fine country piece (Junkerater Hof) which was almost ruined by bad management. This place had been my mother's possession when she was first married to Louis Griesenback. All Griesenbecks and Juncks, except Edward Albert Junck and Berta Junck were born there. The very bad political state of affairs in Germany in the year from 1836-1848 and the decided siding of my father with the then Democratic Party also awakened in him as in many other persons in high positions the wish to emigrate to a freer country.

My brothers Carl and Julius Griesenbeck hated the whole military system in Prussia and left the country in the year 1848, the year of the general revolutions in many parts of Germany. He gave a florid description of Texas, so that my parents followed in the year 1852.

This Joseph Junck was also Commander of Crafeld under the French system and no doubt a great admirer of Napoleon. He married in second marriage the widow of a French major, who was killed in Russia.  Of their marriage he had one daughter who died when she was seventeen years of age.  I may as well tell you that all the pictures (oil paintings) of these relatives are in my possession.  According to the will of my last aunts, they must remain in Cleve and I am not allowed to sell any of them.  Up to this time I have never had an offer by anyone to buy portraits (not being their family) so they will fill my one room and may very likely find their way to the Museum here in Cleve.  So, if ever you come to Germany, you many visit your ancestors in the Museum, which is being fitted up just now.

I must now go back to my grandfather, Bartholomaus Junck.  He was married to Helen Cox, born April 13, 1780 and died in Cleve, March 20, 1860.  She was the daughter of an old Patrician manufacturer of cloth, close to Cleve .. a very rich man.  When Napoleon invaded Germany, he compelled all factories to provide the French Army with cloth and woolen blankets for the invasion of Russia.  They were paid with worthless money, called "Assignato" - more than a million of Francs was lost and when I first came to Cleve, my aunts still possessed 250,000 such worthless paper bits.  They suffered in the same was as we suffered after this last war (1918).

My grandparents had nine children:

Emma Junck, born Feb 1, 1806 - died Feb 17, 1891

Constance Junck, born Oct 27, 1808 - died _______

Elise Junck, born May 2, 1816 - died May 1, 1870

Carl Junck, born Jan 26, 1810 - died April 1, 1870.  He was married to a Dutch lady (Holland) who died 1881 (no children).

Gustav Junck, born  Feb 16, 1811 - died July 11, 1853 in Bastrop, Texas.  He was married to Emilie Poensgen, widow of Louis Griesenbeck.

...

All these relatives are living in the USA:

Edward Junck, barrister, born June 13, 1813 - died Sept 3, 1888.  He was married to Coelestine von Schultz, who died in 1918 (no children).

Sigesmund Junck, born May 24, 1818.  He came to Texas (I believe 1855).  He went further north and we never heard from him again.  Perhaps your father can tell you something about him as he (your father) almost three years older than I.  I only remember that he came and he brought me some toys from Cleve.

Mathilde Junck, born June 23, 1821 - died July 7, 1904, in Cleve.  She married Dr. Rhodius. [warning: conflicting info across generations here.]

Caroline Junck, born May 21, 1823 - died Jan 5, 1907.  The youngest of all was the founder of the Protestant Girls School in Cleve, Germany, which was managed by herself and her sister, Mathilda, for forth-three years.  This school as of this date is still going on.  I am the last of that big family, "Junck" in Germany.  Some descendants are still living in France, England and the north of Italy, but I do not know in which way they are connected to us.  No doubt, from the old family from Cologne.

Signed: 
Dec 2, 1928
Bertha Junck

(Bertha Junck - Dec. 16, 1928; signed: Ida C. Junck Robinson)

P.S.  This is all I can tell you of the family, "Junck."  I also have osme fine oil paintings of the Cox family descendants of my grandmother (Helene Cox, wife of Bartholomaus Junck).

Wilheim Cox was born April, 1814, and died in Mainz, 1854.  He was an artist and painted many of the big oil paintings I possess.  Though born in Cleve, he is more known in Mainz and surround, where he finally lived.  His sister, Louise Cox, born in 1811 - died in 1883.  She was a great beauty and is one of the finest pictures I have.  I ought to have mentioned Antoinette Junck [sister of Bartholomaus] was born in 1782, died in 1862.  She lived with the two brothers who left to go with Napoleon to Russia.  She came to Cleve where she died.

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