Suggested edit: Born on January 20, 1871, in Clayton County, Iowa, to Lutheran German-born patents, Christian Opperman (1825-1887) & Wilhelmina "Mina" (sometimes Mena/Meana/Minnie) geboren (née) Probst Opperman (1831-1898), son Johann Peder Opperman became known by the anglicized version of his name in America, John Peter Opperman (1871-1956).

John's parents had left port at Bremerhaven, Germany on a ship called "Bremen" that arrived in New Orleans, America on May 31, 1858. As declaring their place of origin as from Braunschweig aka Brunswick in Lower Saxony aka Niedersachsen, Germany. Their names on the manifest were recorded in the original German: Christian Oppermann & Wilhelmine Oppermann. (Wilhelmine's entire baptismal name may have been Johanna Christina Rosina Wilhelmina Probst.) They also already had their eldest daughter, also named Wilhelmine, who was 2, with them.(Both used Wilhelmina ending in 'a' in America.) Christian's parents immigrated with them as well, recorded as Heinrich Oppermann (1802-1871) & Frederike Oppermann (1802-1871), who went by "Henry" and Frederika "Reka" in America. And in this country afterward, the whole family dropped the last "n" to Opperman. They had declared intention to go to Wisconsin on the ship's passenger manifest, as farmers, which they did at first, but shortly went over the northeast border of Iowa to Clayton County. The German Lutheran area of St Sebald / Strawberry Point / Cass Township, Clayton County, centering on St Sebald German Lutheran Church.

John Peter & his siblings, children of Christian & "Mina" geb. Probst Opperman were:

1. Wilhelmine/a "Mena" Opperman c1856-? {the one child born back in Germany, on ship's passenger manifest, age 2 & on US Census thr. 1870 age 14, but missing from 1880 when she would have been age 24 so presumed married and/or deceased by then, without any marriage on record found, and not listed later on either parent's probated will.}
2. "H.K." Henry Karl Opperman (Heinrich Karl) 1859-1941
3. "Christian" Opperman (Johann Christian Friedrich) 1862-1878
4. Mary Karolina geb. Opperman Kleinlein 1863-1938
5. William Daniel Opperman (Wilhelm Daniel) 1865-1948
6. "Charles" Opperman (Georg Karl) 1868-1878
7. John Peter Opperman (Johann Peder) 1871-1956
8. "Lizzie" Opperman (Elizabeta Barbara) 1873-1889

On January 18, 1894, young John Peter Opperman, first generation German-American, married a local girl also born of parents originally from Germany, Emma Katharina Eder (anglicized to Emma C. Eder) at their St Sebald German Lutheran Church, Strawberry Point, Clayton County, Iowa.

Emma's parents were George Michael Eder (1830-1919) & "Mary" Maria E. geb. Heilmann Eder (1837-1912), from Bühl (Baden), Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

John & Emma geb. Eder Opperman's children were:

1. Theodore Heinrich Opperman 1894-1973
2. Michael August (baptized differently as Michael Georg) Opperman 1897-1991
3. Edna Margaret (baptized Edna Anna Margarethe) geb. Opperman Klevjer Logeman 1899-1987
4. Walter John (baptised Walter Johann) Opperman 1902-1977
5. Dewey Henry Opperman 1905-1983
6. Leon Wilhelm Opperman 1909-1996

John & Emma geb. Eder Opperman divorced circa 1938, after 44 years married.

John went on to marry a widow from nearby, Mamie née Folsom Price in 1946. They lived in Oelwein, Fayette County, Iowa, until their deaths in their 80s. John Peter Opperman died on October 30, 1956. He was 85 They're laid to rest together in Woodlawn Cemetery in Oelwein. At least two of John's six children from his first marriage are interred there as well.

John's first wife Emma is interred by a large Eder family headstone, her maiden name, no mention of a married name. Her small stone with dates simply says simply "Emma C." (which can be mistaken for 'Emma G.') Sometime before she died, she married a mystery Mr. Leese, as her third last name is on her death certificate witnessed by her granddaughter-in-law (daughter Edna's daughter-in-law), Mrs. Harry A. Klevjer, in 1945. Emma geb. Eder Opperman Leese, had been living some years in Waterloo, Blackhawk County, Iowa, when she died after two weeks illness on February 14, 1945, in Oelwein, Fayette County, Iowa. She was 69. She is buried in her native Strawberry Point, Clayton County, Iowa, as are her parents and other Eder family members.

John's parents are buried adjacent to Strawberry Point Cemetery, in the churchyard of Saint Sebald Lutheran Cemetery, Saint Sebald, Clayton County, Iowa.
Contributor: Sis (47272811)

John Opperman (107378359)

Suggested edit: Dear Admin - If you feel up to it, please, I found the baptismal records of John & Emma's last two sons. They weren't at St Sebald anymore, in new book at Immanuel, and mislaid because of things like handwritten Dewey was type-transcribed to file as "Deorey"! And I further deciphered the elder boys' baptismal entries back at St Sebald So here would be the new cut-n-paste lines for all the kids just to make it easier for you, with the boys with their formal original a German baptismal names. Thanks! Then the Bio is all good!

(This is the second list of kids on that long bio. Higher up are the list of kids that includes John as a sibling. This one is John as the dad. Thanks, again!)

John & Emma geb. Eder Opperman's children were:

1. Theodore Henry (baptized Theodore Gottlieb Heinrich) Opperman 1894-1973
2. Michael August (baptized differently as Michael Georg) Opperman 1897-1991
3. Edna Margaret (baptized Edna Anna Margarethe) geb. Opperman Klevjer Logeman 1899-1987
4. Walter John (baptised Walter Johann) Opperman 1902-1977
5. Dewey Henry (baptized Dewey Johann Heinrich) Opperman 1905-1983
6. Leon William (baptized Leon Wilhelm) Opperman 1909-1996
Contributor: Sis (47272811)