CARL TRAUGOTT JOKISCH, a good farmer and stock raiser of sections twenty-eight and twenty nine, township eighteen, range eleven west, was born in Germany near Bautzen, January 4, 1822. He is the fifth of his father's children and the oldest one now living. He was thirteen years of age when his parents left Germany for the United States in the fall of 1834, coming on a sailing vessel and landing in New Orleans, January 1, 1835. They came up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to Beardstown, landing February 2, 1835, and have as a family since been identified with the history of the county. The mother died in the latter part of January, 1835, at St. Louis, while the family were on the way. She was only forty two years of age. She was always a member of the German Lutheran Church, as was her husband who survived her.

Traugott has always been a farmer in the county to which he came so many years ago. He was raised by an uncle, C. G. Jokisch, now deceased, the father having died in 1851. The father had obtained new lands in this county and here spent the remaining years of his life. (See William Jokisch, this book.)

The farm of our subject has a beautiful location near Bluff Springs, in the Illinois river valley, where he owns a fine and well improved farm of 235 acres, with substantial farm buildings.

He was married, in this county to Mary Ellen Carls, born in Hanover in 1834. She came with her parents to the Untied States and Cass county in 1845 and has since lived here, being a true helpmate to a good husband. She is an honest, good woman. She was the daughter of John Frederick and Elizabeth Carls, natives of Hanover, who came with their family to this country, but misfortune overtook them. Early after landing the father was killed by an accident while building a house for his family in Beardstown. A piece of timber fell on him and caused his death. He was then in the prime of life, being then about thirty-eight. He was a very skillful cabinet maker, a good citizen and devoted Christian for many years. His wife survived him for four years and then died, in Beardstown, in 1849, of the cholera, which was epidemic at that time. She was a Christian woman.

Mrs. Jokisch has one sister and two brothers. The sister, a widow, is Mrs. Elizabeth Kuhl, living in Pekin, Illinois; Henry is a farmer in Montana; and John F. is a farmer in Cass county, Illinois. They are both married.

Mr. and Mrs. Jokisch and family are members of the Methodist Church, and are very good, moral, upright people. Mr. Jokisch is a Republican in politics. Mr. and Mrs. Jokisch are the parents of twelve children, four of whom are deceased: John W. died an infant; Edward, married, left a wife and one child; Philipena died at the age of thirty-six, leaving two children; Ida died in Montana when twenty years of age. The living ones are: Louis, a teacher for more than twenty years in central Illinois, and is single; Emme, wife of Charles Wilson, farmer and fruit grower of Virginia; Elizabeth, wife of Adam Hegeman, farmer in this county; Albert W., living near the homestead, farming; George F., living in the east end of the county on a farm; Richard, at home, helping on the farm; Cora and Tillie are also at home.