Person Page

     Jane Wilson was born about 1810 (based on her age at death of 83) in England.³ She married first George Westoby, son of John Westoby, on 31 May 1842 in Humberside, Kingston-Upon-Hull, Yorkshire, England.¹ She married second Luke P. Phillips on 23 June 1879 in Pontiac, Oakland Co., Michigan.⁴ She died on 7 January 1894.³ She was buried at Bigler Cemetery in Oakland Co., Michigan.⁵
     In 1870 she and her daughter Mary were living in Pontiac Twp., Oakland Co., Michigan, with her daughter Sarah and her husband Platt W. Johnson.⁶
     She is listed in Pontiac Twp. with her second husband Luke in the 1880 census. Also listed in the household, as servants, are Jane's daughter Mary Westoby from her first marriage, age 31, born in England, and Napoleon Gibbs, age 17, born in Ontario.⁷
     Although her marriage record with Luke Phillips lists her name as Jane Westerbee, indirect but compelling evidence indicates that she was actually Jane (Wilson) Westoby. Her family's entry in the 1880 census includes a Mary Westoby, also born in England, of the right age to be Jane's daughter. There's a cemetery marker for Jane Westoby Phillips at Bigler Cemetery in Oakland Co., who died 7 January 1894 at age 83, and her Find A Grave entry says she shares a marker with Platt and Sarah Johnson. Platt and Sarah were married 15 February 1868, at ages 26 and 22, and their marriage record lists her name as Sarah Westaby, born in Lincolnshire, England. Sarah's age indicates that she could also be Jane's daughter. Sarah died 1 January 1898, and her death certificate lists her birth place as Lincolnshire, England, and her parents as George Westoby and Jane Wilson. George Westoby, son of John Westoby, and Jane Wilson, daughter of John Wilson, were married 31 May 1842 in Humberside, Kingston-Upon-Hull, Yorkshire, England. They had a daughter, Mary Ellen Westaby, christened 20 Jun 1849 in Ulceby, Lincolnshire, England. And George Westoby was buried 12 April 1862 in Hull, Yorkshire, England.^{8,3,5,9,2,1,10,11}

     Lucille Dorothy Dobbeck was born at home, at 545 Beloit Ave. in Forest Park, Cook Co., Illinois, on 3 February 1919.¹ She married Walter F. Schuetz, son of John Schuetz and Helena Marlwitz, on 3 June 1940 in Cook Co., Illinois.^2,3 She died on 9 November 2001 at age 82.³ She was buried on 13 November 2001 at Peotone Cemetery in Will Co., Illinois.³
     She and her husband Walter lived in Will Co., Illinois, in Joliet, New Lenox, and Peotone.^4,5,6
     On 5 June 1990 she and Walter were involved in an accident when their car was hit broadside at the intersection of Division St. and Hamilton St. in Lockport, Illinois, by a Lockport police car responding to a call. They were both taken to Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet, Illinois, where Walter was pronounced dead, and she was admitted in guarded condition.⁵

     August Dobbeck was born in Germany.¹ He married Wilhelmina Hackbarth.¹ He died in Germany.²

     Wilhelmina Hackbarth was born in December 1840 in Germany.^2,1 She married first August Dobbeck.¹ She married second Johann Froehlich about 1879 in Germany.^2,3,4 She may have died on 20 April 1927 at age 86, at home at 5420 Fulton St. in Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois, from a "valvular lesion of heart" with asthma as a contributing factor.⁵ She was buried on 23 April 1927 at Woodlawn Cemetery in Cook Co., Illinois.⁶
     She and her second husband Johann came to Illinois from Germany in 1883 or 1884.^2,7 After immigrating to the United States, she apparently went by the name Amelia.⁷ They are probably the couple listed in the 1900 census as John and Emllie Frolich, with daughter Marie, at 179 W. 17th. St. in Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois.² In 1910 she was living as a widow with her daughter Marie's family in Chicago.⁷
     She had a total of twelve children, with eight still living in 1900, and six still living in 1910.^2,7

     Robert W. Dobbeck was born on 27 August 1923 in Illinois.^3,1 He married Doris E. Herzfeldt on 19 April 1945 in Cook Co., Illinois.^4,5 He died on 15 April 2012 at home in Forest Park, Cook Co., Illinois, in the house where he was born, at age 88.⁵ He was buried with military honors on 19 April 2012 at Woodlawn Cemetery in Cook Co., Illinois.⁵
     He served in the U. S. Navy during World War II (Service No. 851 71 83) on the destroyer USS Franks, enlisting on 22 March 1943. He was received on board the Franks as a Seaman 2nd Class, from the Pugent Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington, when she was commissioned on 30 July 1943. His rating was upgraded to Fireman 2nd Class on 1 April 1944, to Fireman 1st Class about two weeks later, on 16 April, and to Electrician's Mate 3rd Class on 1 June 1944.^5,6
     The Franks sailed from Washington to Pearl Harbor, arriving on 25 October 1943. From there they assisted in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands, protecting carriers that provided air support for the Marine landings on Tarawa. They continued patrolling in the area until 27 December, then returned to Pearl Harbor for maintenance and repairs.
     They returned to sea on 22 January 1944, and provided support during the Battle of Kwajalein from 31 January to 3 February 1944. They were back at Pearl Harbor from 18 February to 4 March, then sailed for the Solomon Islands, where they performed convoy and patrol duty, as well as reconnaissance and bombardment missions. On 16 May, while protecting ships that were laying mines in Buka Passage, the Franks and the destroyer USS Haggard detected and sank the Japanese submarine I-176. They next assisted in the invasion of Guam, providing pre-invasion bombardment of the island starting 12 July, and support for the landings themselves on 21 July. After resupplying at Eniwetok, they helped prepare for the invasion of the Palau islands, arriving on 15 September, and provided support for the occupation of Ulithi on 23 September.
     On 1 October they left for the Philippines, where they protected carriers and supported the landings on Leyte. They participated in the Battle off Samar during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, suffering heavy fire from Japanese battleships on 25 October. They resupplied at Manus, then helped support the landings at Mindoro and the invasion of Luzon in January 1945.⁷
     On 16 and 17 February the Franks participated in attacks on the Japanese islands, just before the invasion of Iwo Jima, but Robert Dobbeck may not have been on board at the time. On 4 March 1945 he was transferred to the Receiving Station in San Francisco for reassignment.^7,8
     He lived in Forest Park, Cook Co., Illinois, his entire life⁵, and was a long-time member there of the St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church.⁵

More Information / Background

• USS Franks (DD-554)
  
• Battle of Tarawa
  
• Battle of Kwajalein
  
• Japanese submarine I-176
  
• Battle of Guam (1944)
  
• Battle off Samar.
  

     Leonard William Dobbeck was born on 19 January 1918 in Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois.^1,2 He married Margaret Mary Mulroney, daughter of George W. Mulroney and Julia V. Nolan, circa 1945 or 1946, possibly in South Dakota.^2,4 He died on 13 September 2002 in Clark Co., Nevada, at age 84.^5,1,2 He was buried on 17 September 2002 at Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery (Section M, Site 134) in Clark Co., Nevada.^6,2
     He served in the U.S. Navy throughout World War II (Service No. 411 10 12), enlisting on 20 August 1940 in Chicago, Illinois.^7,8
     He reported to the Receiving Station Navy Yard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 17 December 1940, and was assigned to the USS George F. Elliott on 3 January 1941. His initial rating was seaman 2nd class. He later became a fireman 2nd class (responsible for maintaining fires and equipment for the ship's boilers), then fireman 1st class on 1 October 1941. On 6 December 1941 he was sent to Higgins Industries in New Orleans, Louisiana, for "course instruction," and returned to the George F. Elliott on 21 December 1941. On 1 April 1942 his rating was changed to boilermaker 2nd class (responsible for maintaining and testing fire room and boiler room equipment).
     The George F. Elliott was a troop carrier. During most of 1941 and early 1942 they transported Marines from Norfolk, Virginia, to training areas in the Caribbean. On 19 February 1942 they sailed from New York City carrying over 1100 troops to Europe. They arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 3 March, and returned to New York on 25 March. They sailed again on 9 April 1942, carrying 1229 troops to Tongatapu, Tonga, arriving a month later. They left Tongatapu on 19 May, and arrived in San Francisco, California, on 5 June for repairs.
     The Elliott's next mission was the assault on Guadalcanal. They left San Francisco with 1300 troops, clearing the Golden Gate Bridge on 22 June 1942, and arrived in Wellington, New Zealand, on 11 July, where they loaded gear and supplies. They left Wellington on 22 July and conducted landing maneuvers in the Fiji Islands, then headed for Lunga Point on the northern coast of Guadalcanal, arriving the morning of 7 August 1942. They immediately began unloading cargo, continuing into the evening, often under enemy air attack. The next morning, before unloading the rest of their cargo, radar picked up a group of enemy planes headed their way. The ship moved out of the landing area into open water around 11:00 AM, and was soon attacked by Japanese torpedo bombers, with one approaching the starboard side just 30 feet above the water. The Elliott's gunners managed to cripple it, but it crashed into the ship resulting in a large fire both above and below deck. Despite the efforts of the crew, and fed by the ship's fuel when a bulkhead was breached, the fire grew out of control. At 1:00 PM the order was given to abandon ship, which was then intentionally sunk.^9,10
     Leonard survived the attack on the Elliott, and on 16 August 1942 was transferred to the USS Hunter Liggett, another troop carrier then at Guadalcanal. The Liggett was based at Noumea, Caledonia, until 22 October 1942, when she left for Efate, New Hebrides, where she picked up marines and returned to Guadalcanal on 4 November. They continued transporting troops to Guadalcanal from Noumea and from New Zealand for the next year. While on board the Liggett, Leonard's rating was upgraded to boilermaker first class.^11,12
     On 22 February 1943 he was transferred to the Receiving Station at Noumea for reassignment, and four days later was officially assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga. For most of 1943 the Saratoga remained in the area of Noumea, providing air cover and guarding forces in the eastern Solomon Islands. They participated in the attack on Bougainville Island in early November 1943, and on the Gilbert Islands later that month. On 30 November 1943 the Saratoga headed home to San Francisco for an overhaul, arriving on 9 December.^13,14
     On 22 December 1943 he was transferred to a receiving ship in San Francisco for further transfer to the Receiving Station at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington, for duty on the USS Shipley Bay, a newly-built escort aircraft carrier. He was officially received on board the Shipley Bay when it was commissioned on 21 March 1944. On 1 August 1944 his rating was upgraded to chief watertender (the senior non-commissioned officer responsible for the boilers in the ship's engine room). From May to October 1944 the Shipley Bay ferried planes and pilots between the west coast, Pearl Harbor, Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands, Guadalcanal, and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. Next, from October 1944 to January 1945, she transported planes, pilots, and ammunition to aircraft carriers operating around the Philippine Islands. She then went to Pearl Harbor where she operated as a training carrier.^15,16
     On 2 February 1945 he was transferred to the "Nearest West Coast Classification Center," then eventually to the Receiving Station in Norfolk, Virginia. From there he was received on board the USS Hugh Purvis, a new destroyer, on 2 June 1945, and spent the next two months in training exercises in the Caribbean.^17,18
     Near the end of the war, on 24 August 1945, he was transferred to the Receiving Station in Brooklyn, New York, and discharged on 3 September 1945, the day after the official Japanese surrender.^19,8
     After the war, he and his wife Margaret lived, at least for a time, at his parents' house at 633 N. Latrobe Ave. in Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois.²⁰ From at least 1947 to 1954 they also owned and paid taxes on land in Michiana Shores, LaPorte Co., Indiana.²¹ At the time of his death his residence was listed as Las Vegas, Clark Co., Nevada.²²

More Information / Background

• USS George F. Elliott
  
• Guadalcanal Campaign
  
• USS Hunter Liggett
  
• Bougainville Campaign
  
• Bombing of Rabaul
  
• USS Saratoga
  
• USS Shipley Bay.
  

     Gladys Belle Trevorrow was born on 19 November 1904 in Beloit, Rock Co., Wisconsin.^1,3,2 She married Albert John Dobbeck, son of August Julius Dobbeck and Louisa Hogrefe, about 1925.^2,4 She died on 28 January 1999 at the Fountains of Crystal Lake retirement community in Crystal Lake, McHenry Co., Illinois, at age 94.^5,3 She was buried at Mount Emblem Cemetery in Elmhurst, DuPage Co., Illinois.⁵
     She and her husband Albert, along with her parents Algo and Belle Trevorrow, are listed at 230 South St. in Elmhurst, DuPage Co., Illinois, in the 1930 and 1940 censuses.^2,6 At the time of her death, her residence was listed as Crystal Lake, McHenry Co., Illinois.³

     Albert John Dobbeck Jr. was born on 5 January 1928 in Elmhurst, DuPage Co., Illinois.^2,5 He died on 6 August 2002 at home in Crystal Lake, McHenry Co., Illinois, at age 74.^6,5
     He graduated from York High School in Elmhurst, DuPage Co., Illinois,⁷ then joined the U.S. Marine Corps, serving from 1946 to 1951, where he reached the rank of sergeant. He competed in wrestling for the Marines, as an all-Navy champion. He later played football for the Elmhurst Travelers, a semi-pro team that played against teams from Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.⁶
     He was co-founder and executive vice president of Abbott and Associates, a mechanical contracting company in Bloomingdale, DuPage Co., Illinois.⁶
     He loved sailing, both on the Great Lakes and in the Atlantic. He competed in several Caribbean 1500 races, and was once featured in Cruising World magazine. He taught boating safety for many years for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. He also helped build, and taught classes for, the Denis Sullivan, a reproduction of a 19th-century sailing schooner in Milwaukee.⁶

     Catherine M. Bemus was born on 29 July 1899 in New York.^4,3 She married Arthur B. Dobbeck, son of August Julius Dobbeck and Louisa Hogrefe, about 1924.³ She died on 4 May 1996 at age 96.⁴
     She and her husband Arthur lived at 828 Circle Ave. in Forest Park, Cook Co., Illinois, from at least 1930 to 1947.^3,5

     Mary Catherine Dobbeck was born on 25 April 1926 in Cook Co., Illinois.^3,4,1 She was married by Msgr. John Wagener to Edward Martin Kralovec, son of Edward M. Kralovec, on 8 July 1950 at St. Bernardine's Church in Forest Park, Cook Co., Illinois. Her sister Lenore was maid of honor. Their reception, with 300 guests, was at the Fine Arts Club of Chicago, and they honeymooned in Montreal and Quebec, Canada.^5,2 She died on 1 February 1999 at age 72.⁴ She was buried at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Cook Co., Illinois.⁶
     She graduated from Rosary College (now Dominican University) in River Forest, Cook Co., Illinois.⁵

     Lenore Ann Dobbeck was born on 29 May 1929 in Cook Co., Illinois.^4,2,3 She married Robert Joseph Bates, son of Joseph Bates and Etta Kells, on 25 November 1950 in Cook Co., Illinois.^5,6 She died on 3 July 1998 at Evanston Hospital in Evanston, Cook Co., Illinois, at age 69 from respiratory failure.^6,2 She was buried at Sacred Heart Cemetery (Plot 15) in Northbrook, Cook Co., Illinois.⁷
     She graduated on 3 June 1947 from Trinity High School in River Forest, Cook Co., Illinois,^8,6 and was awarded a scholarship to Rosary College (now Dominican University) in River Forest, which she attended for two years.^6,8 She worked for Northwestern University in Evanston, Cook Co., Illinois, doing administrative work in the development department.⁶

     Frederich Heinrich Wilhelm Hogrefe was born on 9 January 1835 in Holdorf, Nienburg, Hanover, Germany.^2,3,4 He married first Louise Hartje in Holtorf, Germany.^5,6 He married second Dorothea Wilhelmine Janke on 4 April 1876 in DuPage Co., Illinois.^7,3,4 He died on 14 March 1904 at age 69.¹ He was buried on 16 March 1904 at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery in Buena Vista Co., Iowa.¹
     His given name is usually listed as William in civil records, but also appears as Wilhelm, and as Heinrich in church records.^{4,3,8,9,6,7,1,10}
     Frederich Heinrich Wilhelm Hogrefe emigrated to the United States in 1870 or 1871. His entry in the 1900 census says 1870, but also says he had been in the United States for 29 years. (Some over-zealous official later modified several entries to make the year of immigration and the number of years in the country add up to 1900, crossing out the 29 and writing in 30.) His first wife Louise is said to have died in childbirth at sea, and her daughter Louisa was born 10 January 1871 (but in Illinois according to her own census entries). The census entries for his son Heinrich, who would have been just 2 or 3 years old in 1870 and 1871, say he emigrated in 1871 (the 1900 census), 1880 (the 1910 census, obviously wrong), and 1870 (the 1920 and 1930 censuses).^{3,5,11,12,13,14,15}
     In 1880 he and his second wife Dorothea were living in Proviso Twp., Cook Co., Illinois.⁴ In 1900 they were in Bloomingdale Twp., DuPage Co., Illinois.³

     Dorothea Wilhelmine Janke was born on 24 June 1848 (the 1900 census says May 1850) in Altenheim, Brandenburg, Germany (the 1880 census says Prussia).^1,4,2 She married Frederich Heinrich Wilhelm Hogrefe on 4 April 1876 in DuPage Co., Illinois.^3,4,2 She died on 28 April 1931 in Ramsey Co., Minnesota, at age 82 from diabetes and a stroke.^1,5 She was buried on 2 May 1931 at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery in Buena Vista Co., Iowa.¹
     The order of her two given names (i.e., Dorothea Wilhelmine) may be reversed. She is listed as Dorothea (or Dora) in census records and some church records, and as Wilhelmine (or Mina) in her marriage record and at least one church record.^{2,4,6,7,1,3,8}
     She probably emigrated to the United States from Germany about 1873. Her census entries for 1900, 1920, and 1930 say 1877, 1873, and 1885, respectively. But her marriage in 1876 in Illinois makes the 1873 date the more likely.^4,9,10
     In 1880 she and her husband were living in Proviso Twp., Cook Co., Illinois.² In 1900 they were in Bloomingdale Twp., DuPage Co., Illinois.⁴
     In 1910, after her husband's death, she lived with her son Herman in Grant Twp., Buena Vista Co., Iowa.¹¹ She moved to St. Paul, Ramsey Co., Minnesota, in 1911¹, where she lived with her son Edward's family from at least 1920 to 1930.^9,10

     Heinrich Diedrick Friedrich Hogrefe was born in September 1867 in Hanover, Germany.⁵ He married Carolina Wilhelmine Maria Sievers, daughter of Heinrich Wilhelm Sievers and Dorothea Louise Caroline Dohrmann, on 9 February 1899 in Crozier, Buena Vista Co., Iowa.^2,6
     He went by the name Henry.^5,7,8,9,3 He came to the United States, presumably with his parents, in 1870 or 1871.^5,8,9,10 He moved to Iowa about 1897.³ He and his wife Carolina were living in Lincoln Twp., Buena Vista Co., Iowa, in 1900. Living with them was Carolina's sister Clara Sievers.⁵ He and Carolina moved to Grant Twp., Buena Vista Co., sometime before 1910.⁷ Heinrich moved to Storm Lake, Buena Vista Co., sometime between 1925 and 1930.^3,9

     John August Wilhelm Hogrefe was born about 1876 in Elgin, Kane Co., Illinois.^2,1,3 He married Amanda Christine Sophia Hartje, daughter of Heinrich Hartje and Dorothea Hueners, on 6 January 1909 in Grant Twp., Buena Vista Co., Iowa.¹

     Louise Hartje was born in Germany.¹ She married Frederich Heinrich Wilhelm Hogrefe in Holtorf, Germany.^2,1 She died in childbirth in January 1871 in Itasca, DuPage Co., Illinois.^3,4,5,6

     August Herman Wilhelm Hogrefe was born in November 1884 in Hoosier Grove, Illinois.^2,3 He was baptized in 1884 at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rodenberg (now Roselle), DuPage Co., Illinois, and confirmed there in 1900.^1,4 He married Emma Emilie Wilde, daughter of Adolf Wilde and Ennilie Manteufel, on 14 September 1910 in Grant Twp., Buena Vista Co., Iowa.³ He married second Mary Mann on 4 May 1915 in St. Paul, Ramsey Co., Minnesota.⁵ He died on 23 April 1949 in Ramsey Co., Minnesota, at age 64.⁶
     He went by the name Herman.^7,8,9 He was a fireman in St. Paul, Ramsey Co., Minnesota.^8,9