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Phillip R. Kunz papers on family history, approximately 1884-1981

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 8025 Series 1

Scope and Contents

Contains materials related to Kunz's family history, including "Highlights from Histories of Kunz and Schmid Ancestors," which include accounts of the early history of the Kunz family, and tales of their lives, the mission journal of John Kunz, Jr. from 1884-1886 and the diary of Ezra L. Kunz from 1906-1909, kept on their missions to Germany and Switzerland, and biographies of individuals, including Rosetta Lena Boss Olsen and Emil Welhelm Stoor. Dated from approximately 1884 to 1981.

Dates

  • approximately 1884-1981

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from the Phillip R. Kunz papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Biographical History

John Kunz (1844-1918) settled Bern, Idaho.

John Kunz was born February 7, 1844, in Bern, Switzerland. His parents were John Kunz II and Rosina Knutti. He married Magdalena Straubharr in 1864 in Switzerland. They had five children. He was baptized November 11, 1868, into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Karl G. Maeser. He immigrated to the United States in 1873 from Liverpool, and was asked by Brigham Young to settle Bear Lake, and later Bern, Idaho. Magdalena died, and John married Sophia Straubhaar, Magdalena's sister, in 1874. She died in 1893. He also married Magdalena Linder in 1874 and had 4 children, Louisa Weibel in 1883, Margaret Lauener in 1888 and they had 10 children, and Elizabeth Boss, and they had six children. In 1884, he served a mission to Italy, Switzerland, and Germany with his brother, David. He was called to work in the Logan Temple after his mission. He served as a bishop of the Bern, Idaho Ward for twenty-five years. He had a special task from Brigham Young to make Swiss cheese. He died January 16, 1918.

Biographical History

Rosetta Lena Boss Olsen (1900-1987) was a wife and mother in southern Utah.

Rosetta Lena Boss Olsen was born to Johanas Boss and Margaret Gertch Boss on February 27, 1900 in Midway, Utah. She was their sixth child. Her father died in 1912. She attended Wasatch High School and then BYU. She married Gerald L. Olsen on August 23, 1922. They had six children together. They lived on a farm where Gerald worked on raising stock and selling automobiles. Olsen was a wife and mother to their children. She served a mission to Switzerland. She died on May 20, 1987.

Biographical History

Emil Wilhelm Stoor (1896-1961) was a rancher in Idaho.

Emil Wilhelm Stoor was born on February 17, 1896 in Henry, Idaho. His parents were Johannes Emanuel Sidback Stoor and Johanna Marie Gastgivars. His mother died when he was four years old. They moved to Wayan, Idaho in 1906, where Stoor's father was a homesteader. He went to school when he was young but took up farming later. He met Alice Lovina Bienz while in Bern visiting his sisters. They were married in Paris, Idaho on November 28, 1930. Stoor was a rancher, and was active in his community. He was baptized into the Mormon church in 1953. He died on April 12, 1961.

Biographical History

Ezra L. Kunz (1887-1985) was a dairyman in southern Utah.

Ezra L. Kunz was born on August 14, 1887 and grew up in Bern, Idaho. His parents were David and Louise Maria Jakob Kunz. In 1905, when he was 17, he was asked by the First Presidency to take a missionary course at the Fielding Academy in Paris, Idaho. He was aftewards called to a mission in Switzerland and Germany where he served from 1906 to 1908. He married a woman named Vilda Dustin in 1910. He was a dairyman. He died on December 29, 1985.

Biographical History

David Kunz (1855-1916) was an early LDS pioneer from Switzerland, and a missionary.

David Kunz was born on October 30, 1855 to John Kunz II and Rosina Knutti. He was born in Switzerland. He immigrated to the States in 1870 with his parents. They moved to Idaho and settled an area called Bern. In 1884, he was called with his brother, John Kunz III, to serve in the Italy, Switzerland, and Germany mission. He returned to Bern, Idaho in 1886. He married two women: Louise Maria Jakob and Maren Sophia Elizabeth Nielsen, and had seventeen children. He died October 24, 1916.

Extent

1 carton

8 folders

Language of Materials

English