Tietjens Family

William Tietjens was born in Hamburg, Germany, but when quite young, his family moved to Altenbruch, Hanover, Germany, and his grandparents died there. William married Christina Wiechmann. Christina was born in Hanover, and her parents were farming people. All of William and Christina's children were born in Germany. The family were of the Lutheran religious belief. When the children came to America, the parents followed later and lived in Napoleon, Ohio. Christina died in 1888. William

Tietjens then returned to his homeland, and in 1893 died at the age of seventy-five years.

The oldest child of William and Christina was John W. The other children were Henry, Marie, Henrietta, and Anna.

Henry went to Smith County, Kansas, had a family, and died there. Marie married George Decker, resided in Toledo, and had a son and daughter. Henrietta married Henry Sehlmeyer, Lucas County, and had three sons and a daughter. Anna married William Dannenberg, resided in Smith County, Kansas, and had a son and daughter.

John W. Tietjens, in 1868, sailed from Bremen and landed in Baltimore, Maryland. He then came to Napoleon. In 1874 he married Dora Dittmer. She was born in Hanover, Germany in 1855 and was a daughter of John and Maria Meier Dittmer. She had come to Napoleon about 1868. Their children were Lulu who married Herman Spengler, Lillian who married Edward Blitz, and Otto P. Tietjens.

Otto Tietjens married Corine Orwig, daughter of Luther L. Orwig. She was born in Napoleon, Ohio. Her father was editor of the Northwest News. Otto managed the Tietjens brewery. Otto and Corine Tietjens had Norman and Bruce.

John W. Tietjens died on April 7, 1916 at the age of sixty-six years.

John William "Bill" Tietjens, 1850-1916, was born near Cuxhaven, Germany, the son of J. W. and Govestine (Wichmann) Tietjens. In 1868 he emigrated to USA, traveling on a sailing vessel that took nine weeks to reach New York City. He came directly to Napoleon and was employed in the Vocke Bros. Distillery. He became a naturalized citizen in 1870 and, later, purchased a furniture store here. In 1890 he bought, and operated, the Tietjens Brewery. It was located near the Maumee River Bridge, opposite the old Vocke Mill, on the present site of the car-wash. In 1874 he married Dora

Dittmers, 1855-1943, who was born in Visselhoevede, Germany, the daughter of John and Mary (Meyer) Dittmers. She was an immigrant to USA in 1872, and came directly to Napoleon. Four children were born to "Bill" and Dora (Dittmers) Tietjens.

Louise D. (Tietjens) Spengler, 1878-1973, married John C. Tenney in 1896. Their daughter, Constance V., was born here in 1898. Louise divorced John, and in 1903, married Herman W. Spengler, 1872-1955, who was born in Florida, Ohio, the son of William and Augusta Spengler. In 1917 Constance married Earl W. Morris, who was born in Butler County, Ohio in 1894. Their daughter, Norma L., was born in 1918. Constance divorced Lt. Morris and then married Cyril E. Donnelly, 1890- 1958, the son of Michael and Mary (McGurk) Donnelly of Napoleon. Cyril and Constance had a son, Richard, who was killed at the Battle of the Bulge in WW-2. They lived in Toledo, and after Cyril's death, Constance moved to California. She married Ernest Gaudreau of San Diego, where she died in 1975. Her daughter, Norma, married Reginald Jackson of Toledo. Following their divorce, she married M. Brennan of Mass. They were divorced, and Norma moved to San Diego, where she now lives.

John E. (Erv) Tietjens, 1879-1900, was a veteran of the Spanish- American War, a member of old Co. F, 6th Ohio Inf., and served in Cuba. He drowned in the Maumee River, near Texas, while on a hunting party.

Otto P. Tietjens, 1881-1940, joined his father in the Tietjens Brewery in 1898. Passage of the Volstead Act compelled the Brewery to change over to the manufacture of soft drinks. In 1922 he sold the Brewery and became a partner in the Heller-Aller Co. In 1902 he married Corrine H. Orwig, 1880-1935, the daughter of Luther L. and Mary (Hariott) Orwig. Otto and Corinne Tietjens had two sons. Norman O., born in 1903, now a retired US Tax Court Judge in Washington, D.C., married Lucretia Larken in 1936. Their daughters are Mrs. Corrine T. Sommer (whose children are Sandy, John and Laura) and Mrs. Anne T. Snyder, now divorced. Bruce E., born in 1904, married Betty Eicholtz, who was born in West Liberty, Ohio in 1907. Their children, born in Napoleon, are Mary B., born in 1939, Emily R., born in 1940 and Henry O., born in 1947. Bruce retired from the HellerAller Co., and this family moved to Bellefontaine, Ohio, where Betty died in 1977.

Lillian M. (Tietjens) Blitz, 1884-1930, in 1909 married Edgar G. Blitz, 1883-1950, the son of Edward A. and Rueana (Bell) Blitz of Toledo. Lillian died in Detroit, Edgar in Philadelphia.

Their son, Jules W. Blitz, now retired from Gould, Inc., was born in Napoleon in 1910. In 1935 he married Margaret E. Hoeffel, who was born in 1913, the daughter of John A. (Sr.) and Magdalena (Rusch) Hoeffel of Napoleon. The four children of Jules and Margaret Blitz were born in Napoleon. Patricia M. (Blitz) Bankey, born in 1936, married John E. Bankey of Napoleon, and their children are John P., born in 1959, Michael L., born in 1961 and David S., born in 1962. William J. Blitz, born in 1942, married Cindy LaMotte of Wauseon in 1971. After their divorce, he married Linda Stayton of Cleveland in 1974; their son is Zachary W., born in Cleveland in 1977, and they live in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Jack E. Blitz, born in 1944, married Nicki Barton of Toledo after completing his enlistment in the USAF. Their daughter, Monica A., was born in Toledo in 1970. Jack and Nicki divorced and he married Sally Morris in 1975; they live in Toledo. Debra A. (Blitz) Cooke, born in 1958, married William R. Cooke of Napoleon. Their daughter, Rochelle C., was born in 1977 and they live in Napoleon.

Submitted by Jules W. Blitz