Amile kunz
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| Amile Kunz |
Amile (Emile) Kunz was the fifth child born to Joseph and Mary Magdalena Kunz. He was the first to be born in Illinois where he grew up. There is little history collected on Amile. He never married. It is assumed he must have left Illinois at an early age.
In 1910, Amile was in the New Mexico area, probably mining since that was the
work he did most of his life. While there, he saw brother Mike, who was
vacationing in the Southwest.1 His brother John was living in
California at the time so it is assumed in a letter by Nick that the three
brothers would all be together for Christmas 1909.2
The next information on Amile comes from a letter written from Seattle, WA on
January 17, 1920. Amile is inquiring about the possibility of gardening in the
Wilbur area. He writes that he has been gardening potatoes and small vegetables for the past
two years.3 He did indeed visit the Wilbur area in 1920,
at least. This is recorded in the
Wilbur Register:
"Amile Kunz came from Seward, Alaska in February, 1920 to visit his two brothers, George and Joseph. This was the first visit with them in 37 years. He had met his brother Mike in New Mexico ten years earlier. His brother John was in California at the time, consequently missed him."4 The discrepancy in dates between Amile's letter and the Wilbur Register article might be because Seattle was a short stop between Amile's departure from Alaska and his arrival in Wilbur. This would also seem to indicate that the gardening to which Amile refers in his January 1920 letter occurred at least in part in the northern state.
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Undated picture of a mining crew, found in family records |
By May of 1920, Amile is mining in Burke, ID. He speaks of earlier plans to
return
to Alaska to mine but a severe flu epidemic with many deaths had put these plans
on hold.5 In October of the same year Amile talks of visiting
Spokane and then going to Central America to mine. He says that his nephew
Claire Kunz (son of Joseph Kunz) is thinking of going to Idaho to work in the
mines but Amile is recommending that he doesn’t, although he reflects that
Claire could possibly make good money in mining.6
On January 15, 1921, Amile writes from San Francisco, CA that he is holding over there while awaiting a steamer to take him to Costa Rica, Central America. He is enjoying his time in the San Francisco area, visiting the Sacramento Valley, the Cliff House and the Golden Gate Bridge. The last letter in Gertrude Kunz’s collection was a telegram from the American Consulate in Cartagena, Colombia, via Charles E. Hughes, Secretary of State in Washington, D.C., dated May 2, 1921. The telegram contains a request for financial assistance for "Amiel" from his brother Michael, since Amile "is in Cartagena without funds."7
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| Amile and Michael Kunz, 1920? |
There are photographs of Amile with his brothers in Sherman that must have been
taken after Michael became sick with cancer because Michael is very gaunt in the
photographs. Perhaps it was taken at the time of Amile's 1920 visit.
Most family members believe Amile spent his last years in California and died
there.
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1 Wilbur Register, February 27, 1920
2 Letter from Nicholas Kunz (Nevada) to Josephine Kunz (Hamilton, IL); This and subsequent letters were in the possession of Gertrude Kunz Menehan, daughter of Michael Kunz.
3 Letter from Amile Kunz (Seattle, WA) to Michael Kunz (Sherman, WA), January 17, 1920
4 Wilbur Register, February 27, 1920
5 Letter from Amile Kunz (Burke, ID) to Michael Kunz (Sherman, WA), May 17, 1920
6 Letter from Amile Kunz (Burke, ID) to Michael Kunz (Sherman, WA), October 13, 1920
7 Telegram from A. Kunz (Puntarenas, Costa Rica) c/o American Consul, to Mike Kunz (Spokane,WA), 25 April, 1921
