Caroline Wezstein Bahnmaier – Pioneer (1826 – 1899); Lecompton
By Elsie Bahnmaier Middleton, Lecompton Historical Society
Caroline Wezstein Bahnmaier immigrated to Kansas Territory during its earliest days and lived the difficult life of the early pioneer settlers on the prairie.
Caroline Wezstein was born on December 14, 1826, the daughter of Frederick “Fritz” and Karoline Wezstein. She, her parents, sisters, Johannah Magdalena “Lena” and Katherine, and at least one brother, Christopher Frederick, arrived in America on June 20, 1855, from the Wurttemberg region of Germany. Later in the year they made their way west, but the mother, Karoline, died somewhere near the Kansas Territory border and was buried along the trail. The remaining family settled on a claim between Big Springs and Lecompton, along the west side of 300 Road in Lecompton, Kansas. (Section 7, Township 12, Range 18)
Kansas was in its infancy at this time, unformed and unstable. Life was difficult and unpredictable. Settlers had begun to arrive in 1854. The people were few and no real towns existed. The prairie was unbroken, so it had to be cleared and plowed before farming, which was back-breaking work. Trees had to be cut down to build cabins. The citizens would decide if the territory would become a free or slave state. Discussions over this issue could become heated, and sometimes deadly.
Caroline, as the oldest daughter, stepped into her late mother’s role in the household and was responsible for management of the home, outdoor cooking, and creating clothing for the family. Water was carried from the creek and filtered before use. Their first shelter was a dugout on the south side of a hill on their claim. A second more crude dugout provided shelter for their animals. Living in a dugout required the hanging of cheese cloth material under the ceiling to prevent insects and “creepy crawlies” from dropping onto the table and beds. How long this arrangement was necessary before a permanent home was established is unknown. Her father, Frederick, was farming their claim and may later have been a brewer. From March 1859 to July 26, 1860, the Lecompton Sun newspapers advertised the “Lecompton Brewery, Frederick Wezstein, Manufacturer of a Superior Article of Lager Beer.”
Caroline married George Michael Bahnmaier on April 6, 1856, in Lecompton Township. It is believed the couple made their home on a claim adjoining her family’s and remained there the rest of their lives. Caroline bore eight children during the next 12 years: Henry, Charles, Fred, Katherine “Kate,” Mary Louisa “Lizzie,” George J., John, and August “Gus.” Two of the sons attended courses at Lane University in Lecompton. Five of the six sons married and settled in Lecompton Township. The other children settled in Shawnee County, Douglas County, and California.
Caroline’s sister, Katherine, and “her brothers left Kansas and immigrated to Colorado Territory” * where she married Henry Feuerstein and remained in the Denver area. It is presumed that Christopher Frederick was the brother who accompanied Katherine to Colorado. Caroline’s sister, Hannah Magdalene “Lena” married George Vitus Noe, also from Germany. Their property adjoined her father’s claim on the west. Later their son, August George Frederick Noe, married and raised his family on the Noe property. Caroline’s father passed away between 1860 and 1865, and he was buried on his farm. In 1870, his grave was moved to Caroline and George’s plot in the Deer Creek Cemetery, Stull, Kansas.
Caroline survived her husband by almost 5 years. She passed away at home on October 17, 1899. She is an example of the strong spirit and grit displayed by many Kansas pioneering woman.
*According to Caroline’s obituary
Image: findagrave.com/memorial/24584618/caroline-bahnmaier#view-photo=296572507
