Minnie and Martin Sessler

"Minnie" (Arminta Wright) and Martin Ullus Sessler

Minnie (Arminta Wright) and Martin Ulus Sessler were my Great Grandparents. They lived in Barton, Kansas where Martin was a Veterinarian  and Minnie was a full-time, stay-at-home mom to Ernest, Warren (my grandfather), and Cedric. 

Martin's father, Jacob Robert Sessler, immigrated from Mannheim, Baden, Germany with his parents, Adam and Johanna (Brandenburger) Sessler and his brothers and sisters. Jacob married Martin's mother, Mary Kuhn, in Lake, County, Illinois. Martin had 4 sisters and 5 brothers.

Minnie is a bit of a mystery. She was born in Missouri in 1872. The 1900 Census lists her parents as born in Pennsylvania. In 1876 in Davis County, Iowa, John Wright married Nancy J. Harrel, widow of William Harrel. Nancy was born in Indiana. If the Census information is correct, we can assume that Minnie's mother died sometime before 1876 and Nancy Harrel was not Minnie's mother, but was her stepmother. 


Some family members speculate that Minnie was part American Indian. I have not been able to confirm or dispute this claim. And I have not been able to determine who Minnie Wright's mother was.