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 Ernst Carl Fritz
"Ernest" Heiden was born in
Mamerow,
Germany on Wednesday, June 10, 1868 as the second child of
August and Fredericka (Knaack) Heiden. He turned five years old just
six days after his family arrived in America in 1873
aboard the
S.S. Saxonia.
 On Wednesday, April 17, 1895, he married Anna Sophia Knaack. At the
time of their marriage, Ernest was 26 and Anna was 18. Her birth
date was Saturday, July 15, 1876 in Germany and she came to America
with her family
in 1883.
They lived on the farm at
8925 South Custer
Road which was immediately to the west of
August Heiden who lived at
8700 South
Custer Road. Ernest's home was later the site of Hovizi’s Greenhouse and is now the
Flower Market. The house has been torn down.
Ernest and Anna both lived to the age of 82. He died on New Year’s
Eve, Sunday, December 31, 1950 and she passed away on Tuesday, June
30, 1959.
 They had ten children, 5 sons and 5 daughters (two daughters died
in infancy) during their 55 years
together.
The children would have
attended the one-room
Fonia School. It was located about a mile
or so away at 11411 Trost Road. One of Heinrich's daughters,
Dorothy (Heiden) Strzesinski lived there in the 1950s when it had been
converted to a residence after the school district was
consolidated into Dundee Community Schools.
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Knaack - Knack - Kanak - Knaak -
In
researching Rika's background, the old German church records most
frequently spell it Knaack. In America, we find the occasional Knaak or
Kanack. Since Knaack appears to be the accepted German spelling, that is
what we will use...for now.
Anna
in her 
