Our Irle Ancestors

As I mentioned in the last post, my great grandfather, Thomas William Higginson married first Jane Smith.  They had two boys, Edward Thomas and Samuel George.  Samuel was born in 1878 and Jane passed away in 1879, leaving Thomas with two very young children to care for.  I do not know the story of how Thomas came to know Elizabeth Irle, but they were married in 1881.  Elizabeth was from Wisconsin and that's where they settled for awhile.

Elizabeth was born 7 January 1857 in Brooklyn, New York, the fifth of eight children.   Her father is Johann Karl Irle (Charles Irle, Sr.) who was born 11 January 1819 in Marienborn, Prussia.  He married Elizabeth Winnerling in 1847 in New York City.  She was born 15 May 1821 in Hohenberg in Oberfranken (Bavaria.)  Their first child was born two years after they married in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Their second child was also born in Ohio.  The other kids were all born in Brooklyn, New York except for the last two who were born in Long Island, New York.  I sure wish I had more information on when they came to the United States and what took them to Ohio, then New York, and eventually Star Prairie, Wisconsin.  I do have pictures of Charles and Elizabeth I will share next time.

The Irle family had a family letter for many, many years that I was able to be a part of for a few years while living in North Carolina.  Each person would write an update of what they and their family had been doing since the last time they wrote.  They would include that in a large envelope with the letters of other family members and would then send it to the next person on the list.  They often included pictures.  When the letter came back to you in several months, you would take out your last letter and then include a new one.  My grandfather, William Raymond Higginson, was a participant in the family letter for many years before he passed away.

I am also in possession of the Irle Genealogical Record 1434-1994 written by Betty Irle of Oregon.  She has done a wonderful job of gathering information on the Irle family, and yes, she has traced them all the way back to the early 1400's.  There is a five page introduction in her book listing all the Irle's and what their lives were like in Germany.  If anyone is interested in reading that account just let me know and I will  make copies for you.

The Irles stayed in the same area in Germany (Prussia) until John Charles Irle left for America.  If anyone has any more information on the Irle or Winnerling lines we would love to hear it.

So Thomas William Higginson married Elizabeth Irle and they had seven children, only three of them living into adulthood and then Charlotte died when she was only thirty-six years old.  How hard that must have been to lose so many babies.  Their only son who survived was my grandfather, William Raymond Higginson.  He was born 5 May 1888 in Bayfield, Wisconsin.  He married Ida Mae Goodwin 20 April 1920.  She is the daughter of Isaac Michael and Ida Ann (Hough) Goodwin.