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Native Son Returns, Researches Knobbe House, His Family’s Home
Rosemary Davison autographs her new book for Stan Busken at his recent visit to Historic Florissant. The book, “Rail, Mail and Dreams,” can be purchased at the Gittemeier House on Dunn Road.
(Special to the Independent News)
Stan Busken, a long time supporter of Historic Florissant, stopped by the Gittemeier House recently to pick up a copy of Rosemary Davison’s newly released book, “Rail, Mail and Dreams.” Stan lives in Liberty, Missouri, and often visits family in the Florissant area. Stan is retired after his 37 year career with American Airlines as a ground customer service agent.
A year ago he was in Florissant for a family funeral and toured the Knobbe House, located in Brookes Park in Hazelwood. He was pleased with the renovation, but saw that there was not much information on the family that had lived there. “Pictures always tell a story,” Busken said, and he wondered why there were not more photos of the Knobbe family.
Having an interest in genealogy for over 30 years, and now retired, he felt it was time to bring the family back into the home with pictures. Busken spent the rest of 2009 researching the Knobbe family.
Knowing his grandmother was born in the house back in 1891, he tracked down Joe and Barbara Knobbe, grandson of Joseph S. Knobbe, Sr., and found out they lived only 40 minutes apart. Joe and Barbara were instrumental in having the home preserved and getting it moved to Brookes Park from Dunn Road after the property was sold in 1995.
After several meetings with Joe and another cousin, Mel and Ann Roettger, who also live in the Kansas City area, he was able to make family contacts to obtain photos of the 12 children that had lived in the home. Another family cousin, Jean Henke, began creating the Henke newsletters from 1995 through 2005 for the family.
“Her research and family photos were a great help to me in putting the pieces of the puzzle together, since Knobbe, Sr. married his sister-in-law after the deaths of their spouses,” Busken says. “Another Florissant family contact was Norma Hoormann Farrar who would check on my inquires and save me many trips across the state. Of the 12 Knobbe/Henke children, 10 were married at Sacred Heart Church and I have all of their wedding photos dating from 1901.”
“Working for the airlines, I never traveled to Germany, but now my wife and I have it on our list,” Busken says. The two cousins he met with have been back to Hanover, Germany and surrounding areas to visit the Knobbe family and homestead. Knobbe, Sr. was born in Wettrup Germany back in 1857 and emigrated to America in 1877.
Busken branched out and researched the other four Knobbe siblings that followed and it took him from south St. Louis up to West Point, Nebraska. “From starting the Tower Grove Dairy to becoming successful farmers, this Knobbe family has a rich heritage and I am very proud to be a part of it. It really is quite an interesting family history since the Knobbe House was originally built between 1850 and 1870 by my great-great grandfather, Johan Bernard Henke,” Busken said.
The rest—as they say—is history. You can read the story of these blended families at the Knobbe House located in Brookes Park, Hazelwood. Busken presented his research at the monthly meeting of the Hazelwood Historic Commission at the Knobbe House on Jan. 25, 2010.
