Louis John Striffler

Notes:

Volume 28 of the STRIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST, dated September 2, 1968, reported that he retired from Manufacturers National Bank in Detroit.

Cass City Chronicle
April 30, 1986
Obituaries, Page 14

Louis J. Striffler

Services for Louis John Striffler, 83, were held in the Verheyden Funeral Home in Grosse Pointe April 9. Mr. Striffler died at Cottage Hospital April 8.

He was born Jan. 13, 1903, the son of Solomon and Katherine Striffler at the home on Schwegler Rd. northeast of Cass City.

Two brothers and three sisters preceded him in death.

Burial was in Elkland Cemetery Thursday, April 10. Services were conducted by the Rev. Clare Patton, of Salem United Methodist Church.

He is survived by his wife, Icele, and several nieces and nephews.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Winter 2007)

Not listed in BonnieMargaret Jacobs 1981 manuscript.

Louis married Icele Paschall on 18 Feb 1939 in Indiana. Icele was born on 8 Jun 1912 in Crossland, Calloway County, Kentucky; died on 18 Sep 1989 in Utica, Macomb County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
Cass City Chronicle
Vol. 33, Number 50
Friday, March 10, 1939

Word has been received of the marriage of Louis Striffler, son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Striffler, to Miss Icele PASCHALL, both of Detroit. The wedding took place Saturday, February 18, in Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Striffler are making their home in Detroit, where Mr. Striffler is employed by the Detroit Street Railway and Mrs. Striffler by the Parke Davis Company.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Spring 2007)

Art Peck instead shows her last name as Pascall.

Notes:

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, May 30, 1913

Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Striffler visited at the home of Frank Striffler in Deford over Sunday.

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, November 24, 1933
Local Happenings
Page 3
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Striffler and daughter, Luella, and Miss Gertrude Striffler of Detroit spent Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Striffler.

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, May 15, 1936
Elkland Twp. Loses Prominent Citizen
Solomon Striffler Came Here in 1859, Year after Township Was Organized

Elkland township lost a pioneer resident and an outstanding citizen in the death of Solomon Striffler, who passed away at his home on the corner of Leach and Third streets in Cass City on Friday morning, May 8. He had been ill for about a year.

The funeral services were held at the Evangelical church on Sunday afternoon and were conducted by Rev. G.A. Spitler, pastor of the church. Interment was made in Elkland Cemetery.

Solomon Striffler was born in Lancaster, N.Y., on April 5, 1859, and came to this community with his parents, Jacob and Louisa Striffler, at the age of six weeks.

Solomon Striffler and Miss Katherine Burke were married on Nov. 15, 1883, by Rev. B.F. Wade at the home of the bride's uncle, Fred Burke, in Elkland township. The following spring, Mr. Striffler erected a residence on his farm one mile north of the Elkland cemetery and here he and his wife lived and reared their children until 13 years ago when they moved to Cass City. Mr. and Mrs. Striffler celebrated their golden wedding on Nov. 15, 1933.

Mr. Striffler, with possibly one exception, had spent more years in Elkland township than anyone residing in the community. His advent in this place was in the year following the organization of the township of Elkland in 1858. Watrousville was the nearest point that boasted any mercantile establishments in those pioneer days when a lumber trail was the only road in Cass City. Settlers left here at noon and walked to Watrousville, carrying their merchandise purchases home the next day.

Ms. Stiffler was a member of the Evangelical church here and a man of high ideals. He was for many years, until ill health made it necessary for him to resign, the teacher of the adult class in Sunday School and he stood foremost among students as a Bible student. He served Elkland township as treasurer, justice and highway commissioner, and for 28 years was a school director.

Mr. Striffler leaves besides his widow, six children, Frank and Louis Striffler of Detroit, Mrs. Ira Reagh, Leonard Striffler, Mrs. Alma Schenck and Miss Gertrude Stiffler, all of Cass City, eight grandchildren, one brother, Samuel Stiffler, of Battle Creek, and one sister, Mrs. George Zinnecker, of Moore, Montana.

Those for out of town in attendance at the funeral Sunday afternoon included Mr. amd Mrs. Ira H. Blakely, Mr. and Mrs. L.C. Benson, Mr. and Mrs. I.M Clapper, Mr. and Mrs. Cyril Batten, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Striffler, Mr. and Mrs. William R. Kaiser and children, Kenneth John and Ruth, Mrs. Florence Spangler, Louis Striffler, Burke Arehart, and Miss Luella Striffler, all of Detroit; Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Striffler and daugther, Anna, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Buchanan and children, James and Nellie Marie, all of Battle Creek; Fred Striffler of Caro; and Mr. and Mrs. Otto Nique of Decker.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Winter 2007)

(Research):Census Information:


1900 Census
Michigan, Tuscola County, Elkland Twp, Cass City Village
Enumerated 12, 13 and 14 June 1900 by John Marshall
SD 8, ED 110, Sheet 7A Stamped 110
137-137
Samuel & Mary Striffler
138-138
Striffler, Solomon Hd W M APr 1889 41 M16
Striffler, Kate Wf W F Sept 1864 34 M 16 5/5
Striffler, Franklin A Son 13
Striffler, Alice L Dtr 11
Striffler, ____ Son 9
Striffler, ____ ??? 4
Striffler, Luella A Dtr 7/12

(Note this listing was at the bottom of the page, and the m
icrofilm copy of it was partially obscured).

1930 Census
Michigan, Tuscola County, Cass City, ED 11
Striffler, Solomon M W 70 M @ 24 NY Alsace Lorraine Germany Retired Farmer, Greenhouse
Striffler, Kate 65 F W M @ 18 Germany Germany Germany 1878
Striffler, Leonard 38 S M W S Michigan New York Germany Groomer Stock for Show

Solomon married Eva Catharina "Katie" Koepf on 15 Nov 1883 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. Eva (daughter of Johannes Koepf and Christine Barbara Buerk) was born on 25 Sep 1865 in W?rttemberg, Germany; died on 15 Jan 1938 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

She was said by Art Peck to be a half sister of Rudolph and Marie Kaiser. Her death certificate showed her as a daughter of Fred Buerk, with her mother's name not listed. The name Fred Buerk may have been in error, as she had an uncle Fred Buerk as well. It could well be that she listed her uncle as her father, as BonnieMargaret Jacobs wrote, on page 162 of her unpublished manuscript about the Benkelman family, that Kate/Katie was raised by Fred Buerk and Catherina Benkelman as if she were their own daughter, who was also named Catherine. To avoid confusion, Katherine Eva was called Kate or Katie, and her elder cousin (by just one month) was called Catherine.

Family Search instead shows her as a daughter Christine Buerk and Johannes Koepf, and he was listed as her father on the "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database on FamilySearch.

Cass City Chronicle
October 3, 1933

A birthday dinner was held Sunday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Striffler in honor of the birthdays of Mrs. Striffler and her sister, Mrs. G.E. Krapf. A brother, W.R. Kaiser of Detroit, whose birthday is within a few days of his sisters, was also expected but because of illness was unable to be present. Other guests of the dinner were Mr. and Mrs. Louis Striffler, Miss Gertrude Striffler and Russell Atwell, all of Detroit; Mr. and Mrs. Ira Reagh and family, and Mrs. Alma Schenck and family.

Cass City Chronicle
October 6, 1933
Local Happenings, Page Four

Thursday, September 29, was named as the date for the celebration of four birthdays in the Striffler and Kaiser families and a dinner was served at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Striffler on Leach street. The birthdays of Mrs. Striffler, Mrs. G.E. Krapf and Grant Reagh, all of Cass City, and W.R. Kaiser of Detroit all occur within a week. Members of all four families were present at dinner.

Cass City Chronicle
Vol. 32, Number 43
Cass City, Michigan, Friday, January 21, 1938
Page One
Pioneer Resident Found Dead in Home By Son
Unexpected Passing of Mrs. Solomon Striffler Is Great Shock to Relatives

Returning from an errance to a grocery store to buy supplies for the following day, Leonard Striffler, who makes his home with his mother, Mrs. Solomon Striffler, on the corner of Leach and Third streets, found her dead on the bathroom floor when he returned home about six o'clock Saturday evening. He had been absent but a short time and had left his mother with no sign of any serious ailment. Mrs. Striffler had visited her physician Saturday afternoon because she felt slightly indisposed and her spoke encouragingly of her general health. Relatives and friends were naturally greatly shocked to hear of her sudden and unexpected death. Funeral services were held in the Evangelical church on Tuesday afternoon, Dr. R.N. Holsape, the pastor officiating, in interment was made in Elkland cemetery. Katherine Buerk was born in Waldhausen, Wuertemberg, Germany, September 25, 1865, and came to Elkland township with her grandmother, Mrs. Christine BUERK, in 1873, when she was seven years of age. On November 15, 1883, she and Solomon Striffler were married by the Rev. B.F. Wade, at the home of the bride's uncle, Fred BUERK, in Elkland township. The following spring Mr. Striffler erected a residence on his farm one mile north of Elkland cemetery and here he and Mrs. Striffler lived and reared their children until 15 years ago when they moved to Cass City. Both Mr. and Mrs. Striffler were for many years active members of the Evangelical church, Mrs. Striffler being much interested in the activities of the Ladies' Aid Society. On November 15, 1933, Mr. and Mrs. Striffler celebrated their fiftieth marriage anniversary and many friends and acquantances, those of the pioneer days and those of a more modern age, called at their home to pay their respect and show their love for this venerable couple, who by their spirit and intergrity and kindness had won a large circle of friends in the community where they had long resided.

Mr. Striffler passed away on May 8, 1936.



Mrs. Striffler leaves six children, Frank, Louis, and Miss Gertrude Striffler, all of Detroit, and Leonard Striffler, Mrs. Ira REAGH and Mrs. Alma SCHENCK, all of Cass City; eight grandchildren; a brother W.R. KAISER of Detroit; and two sisters, Mrs. Samuel STRIFFLER of Battle Creek and Mrs. G.E. KRAPF of Cass City. A daughter, Luella, 6, preceded her mother in death.

Friends and relatives from distant points who attended the funeral her Tuesday included Mr. and Mrs. Joseph FRUTCHEY, Mrs. A.D. McINTYRE, Mr. and Mrs. Jack GIBBS, Mrs. Mary CROCKER, all from Saginaw; Miss Icele PASCHALL, MR. J. SPANGLER, E. ATWELL, Mr. and Mrs. Earl GOODEN, Mr. and Mrs. I.H. BLAKELY, Mr. and Mrs. W.R. KAISER, Mr. and Mrs. William QUIGLEY, John, Kenneth and Ruth KAISER, Mrs. Burke AREHART and Mrs. William McINTYRE, all of Detroit; Mrs. Samuel STRIFFLER of Battle Creek; Donald SCHENCK and Miss Genevieve RUEDE of Jackson.

Notes:

Married:
Cass City Chronicle
Friday, November 10, 1933
Volume 28, Number 31

An article and photo commerating their Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary was featured on page 1

Notes:

Supervisor of Elkland Township from 1888 through 1891, and President of Cass City in the last years of the 19th century. (Source: Peck)

Bonnie Margaret Jacobs, in her 1981 unpublished manuscript, wrote that Jacob and his brother John Striffler "decided they'd join the migration west and they had heard of the opening territory of Michigan and the potentially good farm land there. Sight unseen, they bought land for two farms at $2 per acred and set out with their families for their new home in 1859....the trip was reasonably easy the first part of the way. They could catch a boat from Buffalo to the Michigan shores and from there, wagon on to their new land....they found the forest so dense that there was no way to get to the land they had purchased. Disgusted and disappointed, they were prepared to return to Lancaster. But the men in Watrousville [now Caro] advised they not to be so foolish. It was good farm land---once the trees were harvested and a part of each land sale seems to have included a provision that the price of the land did not include the pine that stood on it. Lumbering rights were held by large lumbering companies and the Strifflers could expect to be able to establish their homes by the next spring. So the two young families remained in Watrousville for the winter. Fortunately as well as being experienced farmers, the men were accomplished coopers. So they supported themselves by the making of barrels and buckets through the winter and finally were able to get thier land the next summer." (pp. 151, 152, and Jacobs cites both the "Memoirs of John A. Benkelman," along with interviews with Elsie Buehrly Anthes, Leonard Striffler and Mrs. Ben Schwegler).

He and Louisa were charter members of the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Cass City.

Cass City Enterprise
September 27, 1895

About midnight, Monday, Jacob Striffler, living two miles east and north of town, breathed his last. He had resided here since 1860, and labored hard to make fruitful what was then a wilderness, not without succes. The funeral took place yesterday at the Evangelical Church, Rev. C.W. Ross officiating and being assisted by Rev. J.W. Fenn. The pall bearers were from among his associates and were also pioneers. The attendance was large and the services impressive. Deceased was born March 31, 1918 at Kirrberg, Germany (formerly France) and fell asleep in Jesus at his home September 24, 1895, aged 76 years, 5 months, and 23 days. In 1830 he came with his parents to America and located near Buffalo, NY, he moved to Watrousville, Mich in 1859, and he came her one year later. Early in life he converted to God, became a member of the Evangelical Church, lived a devoted Christian life and was true until called from labor to reward. He also served in a capacity of a class-leader for many years. Mr. Striffler leaves a sorrowing wife, two sons and two daughter (two sons and two daughters precededd him to the better land), three brothers, one sister and a large circle of friends. May God grant all a happy reunion in heaven.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Spring 2007)

(Research):
Census Information:

1850 Census
New York, Erie County, Lancaster
Enumerated 23 Aug 1850
Page 200
1048-1082
Otil Strifler 59 F $2550 Germany
Jacob Strifler 30 M Farmer
Susanna Strifler 27 F
Joseph Stifler 24 M Farmer
Christian Strifler 22 m Farmer
John Strifler 17 Farmer New York (sic)
David Strifler 14


1860 Census
Michigan, Tuscola County, Elkland
59-57
Jacob Striffler 41 M Farmer $280 $75 France
Louisa Striffler 27 F Domestic Wurtinberg
Adaline Striffler 6 F NY
Leonard Striffler 3 M NY
Solomon Striffler 1 NY
The household immediately preceding theirs was that of John and Mary Striffler, his brother.

1870 Census
Michigan, Tuscola County, Elkland
53-53
Striffler, Jacob 51 Farmer $3,030 $300 France
Striffler, Louisa 37 Keeping House Germany Wirtenberg
Striffler, Leonard 13 NY
Striffler, Solomon 10 NY
Striffler, Lydia 4 MI
Striffler, Jacob 4/12 MI
The following three households were those of Adam and Catherine Benkelman, George and Katherine Kolb, and John and Mary Striffler

1880 Census
Census Place:Elkland, Tuscola, Michigan Source:FHL Film 1254607 National Archives Film T9-0607 Page 96C
RelationSexMarrRaceAgeBirthplace
Jacob STRIFFLERSelfMMW61FRANCE Occ:FarmerFa: FRANCEMo: FRANCE
Louisa STRIFFLERWifeFMW46WERTENBERG Occ:Keeping HouseFa: WERTENBERGMo: WERTENBERG
Soloman STRIFFLERSonMSW21NY Occ:FarmerFa: FRANCEMo: WERTENBERG
Samuel STRIFFLERSonMSW8MI Occ:At SchoolFa: FRANCEMo: WERTENBERG
Lydia STRIFFLERDauFSW6MI Occ:At SchoolFa: FRANCEMo: WERTENBERG
Charles JANS OtherMSW33WERTENBERG Occ:FarmerFa: WERTENBERGMo: WERTENBERG

Jacob married Luise "Louisa" Benkelman about 1853 in Lancaster, Erie County, New York. Luise (daughter of Johann Leonhard Benkelmann and Maria Dorothea St?hle) was born on 14 Sep 1833 in Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany; died on 22 Oct 1910 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

German Parish records show "ist 1852 ausgewandert" (left for America) in 1852. BonnieMargaret Jacobs wrote that Louise travelled to America at the age of 19, with no other family members to accompany her, however it was likely other villagers made the journey with her. BonnieMargaret speculated that "perhaps her brohters had already spotted one of the Striffler brothers as a likely spouse, and wanted the eligible Louisa on hand." (p. 81).

At the time of the 1900 Census, she was living with her son and daughter-in-law, Samuel and Mary Striffler in Cass City.

Cass City Chronicle
October 28, 1910

Pioneer Lady Laid to Rest-
Mrs. Louisa Striffler Passed away Saturday-
One of the Pioneers of Elkland TownshipWhose Life Was a Blessing to Others-

Death released from her suffering Mrs. Louise Striffler, whose illness had been mentioned several time in the past two months. Her demise occurred at the home of her son, Solomon Striffler, two miles northeast of town.

Louise Benkelman was born in Oberamt Weltzheim, Wurtenberg, Germany, on Sept. 14, 1833. About 1850 she came to America and settled at Lancaster, N.Y. A few years later she was united in marriage to Jacob Striffler in that village. In the year 1850 they came to Michigan, settling in Elkland township. Mr. Striffler died 14 years ago.

Mrs. Striffler was converted to the Christian faith under the labors of Rev. Henne, a pioneer minister of the Evangelical Church. She was one of the charter members of the church of that denomination at Cass City. Before the society erected a church here, they worshipped many times in the Striffler home which was thrown open with the generous hospitality of the pioneer days.

Mrs. Striffler was a good and kind mother and beloved by all her aquantances. She was at home by the bedside of the sick and delighted in all kind and neighborly deeds of helpfulness. Her life was one of usefullness. In such a death there is really no cause for grief. Her life work was done, and well done, and weary of suffering and waiting, she is now at rest.

The funeral service was held at the Evangelical church Tuesday afternoon, Rev. J.A. Schweitzer officiating. Interment was made in the family lot in Elkland cemetery.

Deceased is survived by two sons, Solomon and Samuel of Elkland township, one daughter, Mrs. Geo. Zinnecker of Owendale, two brothers Leonard Benkelman of Manitowoc, Wisc. and John Benkelman of Portage, Wisc., and two sisters, Mrs. Jno. Striffler and Mrs. M.M. Schwegler.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Spring 2007)

A copy of her actual Michigan Death certificate can be seen online here:

http://seekingmichigan.org/

Indexed as Louisa Striffler



(Medical):See attached sources.

Notes:

Married:
BonnieMargaret Jacobs wrote that Bob Benkelman had a copy of their marriage certificate from Lancaster, Erie County, NY. They were married by Reverand Christian Knapp, who had moved from W?rttemberg to Lancaster to head a Reformed congregation.

Louisa and Jacob had seven children in total, only three of whom survived into adulthood.

Johannes married Christine Barbara Buerk before 1865. Christine (daughter of Johannes B?rk and Christina Reinert) was born on 24 Jan 1842 in W?rttemberg, Germany; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

According to FamilySearch, she was also married to Johann Michael Griener,in 1872.

Notes:

According to the Rev. Roy J. Striffler, the Striffler's emigrated from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France to New York State in 1830. They were part of the German-speaking population of Alsace. Some of the older Striffler family members recalled a family joke---there were 11 boys in the family, and all of them had a sister Susanna. She married Christian Oscar Lenzner. Family genealogists have only been able to account for eight of the 12 children however. Two of the boys married Benkelman sisters. One son married Mary Rommel, and as there were several Benkelman/Rommel marriages as well, the two families became further intertwined.

Although the family originally settled in New York only Jacob's son David remained in New York. Peter pushed further west, to Kansas. Around 1880, most of the others settled in Cass City, Michigan, where they lived until their deaths. They cut off the stumps remaining on the land they built and turned the wilderness into fruitful farm land.

(Excerpted from Art Peck's THE TEN BENKELMANS WHO EMIGRATED TO AMERICA. He in turn references a September 4, 1950 article from the "Striffler-Benkelman Broadcast", Volume 13, Cass City, Michigan)

Both the flyleaf of the Striffler family Bible, and the tombstone of Jacob Striffler in Lancaster, showed him to be be born in Kirrberg, "departmente de Rhein." (Jacobs, p. 164). In the chapter on the Striffler family in her unpublished 1981 manuscript, BonnieMargaret Jacobs noted that widely spread family stories stated that the Striffler family originated in Switzerland (p. 164). It would appear these were either errorneous, or that the family moved from Switzerland to Alsace.


BonnieMargaret Benkelman Jacobs, in an undated family report she prepared for some of the descendants of the Striffler brothers who married Benkelmann sisters, wrote that birth records had been of the children born to Jacob and Otillia "Have been extracted from the French civil records and translated, and show 8 children born in France, two of whom died while still just children (one was only 15 months old, the other just a few months past their sixth birthday). She stated that "these official civil records support the oft repeated family joke, "There are seven brothers and each one has a sister." On page 165 of her unpublished 1981 manuscript documenting the Benkelman family, she repeated this saying, adding however that "one Striffler heard the riddle with 11 brothers and it should be noted that there is still much to be learned about this family."

With the records in France showing 8 children were born there, and census records show two known children born in the United States, it appears we can account for 10 of the 11. It is possible that records may be uncovered one day to find the final child, or that this final son may have been stillborn or died at a young age, and his memory passed down only through the family joke or riddle.

Jacob married Ottila "Odila" "Otil" Zimmerman on 4 Nov 1809 in Kirberg, Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine, Imperial Territory Of Alsace-Lorraine, Elsa?-Lothringen, Germany. Ottila was born on 10 Nov 1790 in Kirberg, Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine, Imperial Territory Of Alsace-Lorraine, Elsa?-Lothringen, Germany; died on 17 Sep 1863 in Lancaster, Erie County, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Her father was a school master.

(Research):

Census Listings;

1850 Census
New York, Erie County, Lancaster
Enumerated 23 Aug 1850
Page 200
1048-1082
Otil Strifler 59 F $2550 Germany
Jacob Strifler 30 M Farmer
Susanna Strifler 27 F
Joseph Stifler 24 M Farmer
Christian Strifler 22 m Farmer
John Strifler 17 Farmer New York (sic)
David Strifler 14

1860 Census
Not located

Notes:

In a 1979 letter that Margaret-Bonnie Jacobs wrote to Ben Benkelman, Jr she said: "You may have heard from one source or another that I'm putting together rather a comprehensive history of the Benkelman family. To date, it's taken me most of my time just to track the original 10 immigrants and get them firmly placed and dated and documented. This year I am concentrating on the reach back to Germany. I have hired a genealogist there to see how far back we can go with the family before the mass emigration of the '50s. Just by collecting the data on the 10 immigrant children I have learned a great deal. All of the boys were artisans with trades. In Germany that usually meant long apprenticeships. Since Adam and his brothers and sisters were born in different villages I assume the father, Leonhard, was also a tradesman of some sort rather than a farmer."

BonnieMargaret later concluded they were all actually born at the Schneiderhof, across from Breech, on the outskirts of B?rtlingen, and Parish records discovered later showed Leonhard's occupation as bricklayer

In her 1981 unpublished manuscript, BonnieMargaret wrote that "On February 6, 1796 Johann Leonhard Benkelmann was born to Katharina Bauer, and according to the parish record, he was born at the Schneiderhof. The pastor dutifully recorded that he was unehelic (illegitimately) born and that he bore the name of his unehelic father, Johann Jacob Benkelmann of Pl?derhausen. BonnieMargaret indicated that His mother was refered to on Leonhard's and his wife Dorothea's family register page as "Maria Katharina, frueher des Johannes Haeller auf dem Schneiderhof Ehefrau geborene Bauerin." This means that she was then the wife of Johann Haeller, and was born Maria Bauer. (pp. 56-58)

When Leonhard's father, Johann Jacob, married another woman the year after Leonhard's birth, he was first required to provide 75 of the 200 florins he had inheritied from his grandfather to his "Weibsbild" for the upbringing of his son born out of wedlock. (p. 58)

Leonhard was only 2l when his stepfather died , and as a result became the head of his mother's household. He must have discharged all of his responsiblities admirably, because only five years later he was allowed to be married to Dorothea St?hle, the daughter of a respected citizen and farmer of B?rtlingen. (Jacobs, p. 70).

On the Parish records, he is referred to as a "Bauer and Maurer"...farmer and bricklayer.

After Leonhard's death early in 1848, each of his 10 children that had survived into maturity emigrated to the United States. The first to leave was his namesake son, Leonhard, in the summer of 1849, who was age 21. The last was eldest son, Friedrich, and he left in 1873 at age 50, taking a large group of family members with him.

The Benkelmanns were not alone. A huge number of Germany left their homeland in and around 1848. This excerpt, from a website about the "The Origins of the Forty-Eighters" in Davenport, Iowa applies to the Benkelmann family as well, even though Leonhard and Dorothea's children instead settled in first in New York, and later Wisconsin, Michigan and Colorado, versus Iowa.

Letters ... sent back to Germany were instrumental to channeling the influx of immigrants from Germany.....

Historian Scott Christiansen explains the purpose of the letters:

"They wanted to tell their friends back home how good it was in America. And they tended to exaggerate a little bit, because they were lonely and liked to have some of their compatriots come over and join them."

The decision to emigrate from one's homeland is generally informed by two forces: the so-called push and pull forces. Letters from family and friends who had already settled in the new world certainly qualify as pull factors. Other such factors were the multitude of job opportunities, inexpensive, yet fertile cropland, and - especially important to the politically motivated Forty-Eighters - the guarantee of democratic liberties such as freedom of speech and expression.

Many of the push factors are related to the causes of the German revolution. As the social and economic conditions in Germany worsened during the 1840s, many people were forced to look for new opportunities. [E]migration has become a matter of life or death, as one German newspaper put it. America with its promise of a new chance for everyone appealed to many Germans ready to emigrate. Reports from America, printed in German newspapers, underscored this notion. Iowa, for example, was described in 1847 as leaving little to be desired both to the productivity of its soil and the more bearable nature of its climate.

While economic necessity might have been a major driving force for many to emigrate, political reasons also factored into the decision to leave the homeland. In fact, the Forty-Eighters are per definition political refugees who for the most part did not struggle financially. But one might argue that a majority of emigrants regarded both political circumstances and economic distress as making life in Germany unbearable. The causes for emigration thus intermingle in many cases.

The strong early presence ...triggered a chain migration...in succeeding years. The term chain migration is defined by the Dictionary of Geography as [a] migration process which depends on a small number of pioneers, who make the first moves to set up a new home in a new place. They send information back home, and this encourages further migration from the originating area.

BonnieMargaret Jacob's cited similar reasons in her manuscript, pointing out the decrease of demail for high-quality goods of the small town artisan, the reluctance of these artisians to move to cities to work in factories, the restrictive craftsman guild system that made it difficult to learn and advance in a trade, and the equally restrictive marriage laws.

"The auswanderer went less to America to build something new than to regain and conserve something old...to till new fields and find new customers, true enough, but ultimately to keep the ways of life they were used to, which the new Europe seemed determined to destroy...people who traveled thousands of grim miles in order to keep their roots, their habits, their united families and the kind of future they wanted for their families. They did not wait passively for their roots to be broken, to be sure; yet they were conservatives, who acted radically in order to preserve, and who journeyed to another world to keep their homes." (Walker, Mack, GERMANY AND THE EMIGRATION 1816-1885, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1964, Page 69, as transcribed by BonnieMargaret Jacobs on pages 77 and 78 of her manuscript).

Johann married Maria Dorothea St?hle on 20 Nov 1822 in Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany. Maria (daughter of Georg Friedrich St?hle and Anna Maria Leins) was born on 5 Jan 1800 in B?rtlingen, G?ppingen, Donaukreis, W?rttemberg, Germany; died on 22 Oct 1853 in Transit to America, Lost At Sea. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

On "January something" in 1983, Bonnie Jacobs wrote "A search for some years has finally yielded information for me. As you have probably heard, the last of the 10 Benkelman children to emigrate from Germany were the four girls and their mother [Dorothea, age 52, and daughters Dorothea age 23, Catharina, age 21, Maria, age 13, and Lena, age 7]. We had heard from family legends that the mother died at sea and I have pursued that information for years. I have finally retrieved it. It is a painstaking process to get the facts, but I finally found an obituary that identified the port of entry as Baltimore---a stroke of luck since Baltimore was one of the few American ports of entry that did have a Customs passenger list. I have retrieved the film from the Archives in Washington--but it has brought a new mystery. It is remarkable that finding the answer to one question almost always raises another. Missing from the party of four daughters and the mother is the second eldest daughter, Catharina. She was released from the Empire with the others on 20 September of 1853--but there is no record of her having arrived in Baltimore!

At least I have a death date on the mother now. She died at sea on 22 October, barely a month into the voyage. The ship arrived in Baltimore on December 15. Can you imagine being packed into one of those filthy sailing vessels for six to nine weeks? Try to imagine the day to day living with no privacy, no way to bathe or attend to personal needs and only buggy, dried food to eat! Our ancestors suffered much. I will go and try to retrieve the Captain's actual report now that I know the ship and the Captain--to see if a cause of death is listed. Cholera was rampant that year, but I think it was not the cause since the part of the list I have seen shows only one other death during the voyage."

BonnieMargaret Jacobs shows her, on her transcription of the familienregister page of the Benkelmann family, as a daughter of George Friedrich St?hle and Anna Maria REIK or RECH. However, Anna Maria REIK is actually the mother of Dorothea's daughter-in-law Catharina Schaufele, who married Dorothea's son Adam Benkelmann. Kathy Bonnell, on her transcription of G?ppingen church records, shows her mothers maiden name was LEINS. BonnieMargaret appears to have been simply confusing the two Anna Maria's. Additionally, the family register for the family of Georg Friedrich St?hle, listing his wife and children, shows his wife Anna Maria was born to Georg Friedrich Leins, a farmer.

On the Oberant Welzheim Emmigrants list, 1818-1891, She is listed as Maria Dorothea, Witwe (widow) des Bauers Johann Leonhard Benkelmann von Schneiderhof, Gd. Waldhausen geb. den 5ten Januar 1800. Their guarantor was Johann Georg St?hle, Bauer von B?rtlingen.

(BonnieMargaret's full source citation was: Staatsarchiv Ludwigsburg, "Verzeichnis der Auswanderung aus dem Oberamt Welzheim 1818-1891" F 214 B?schel 91 Fortlaufende Number 42 [or possibly 47] ).

Notes:

Married:
BonnieMargaret and her husband Bruce visited Germany in September, 1980. In a letter to Ben and Avis dated October 13, 1980, she shared the following information "Then we were on to B?rtlingen, where Adam and Catherine were married. The church there was built in 1484 and is one of the most beautiful we saw anywhere. I decided to see the village of Breech--for no particular reason except I that I'd heard Elsie Anthes speak of it and it had turned up in various records. WE had no real family association there--but it was nearby. What a stroke of dumb luck! Without that decision we might never have found the Schneiderhof, where Adam and his siblings were born and lived until they emigrated. The Schneiderhof is not a town and is not on any map. It's just a cluster of about 4 houses and supporting buildings, just down and across the road from Breech, and if you were looking away for just a second, you'd miss the sign to it.

I cannot tell you my excitement! ...There is nothing new there. Adam would recognize it as if he had never left. The tools and equipment are there as they have been for who knows how long. It is surrounded by orchards (apples) and small plots of vegetables. B?rtlingen is on a hill and is lovely with good views. The Schneiderhof is on top of the world, looking out on miles of hills and valleys and villages. It is incrediably beautiful. Again I found myself out in some cabbage patch, trying to explain to some farmer that this was my family heimat (home)...Clearly Americans are accepted as eccentric and harmless!...Vocabulary doesn't reach the beauty of that hilltop and its vistas out over hazy valleys, looking at other hills where red tiled houses form little villages. I can just imagine it at night--looking out over perhaps two dozen sparkling little villages on other hills around. One climbs from B?rtlingen to the Schneiderhof. But going down the back side of the mountain, through dense forest, the trail winds back and forth across the mountain into Waldhausen--which the Schneiderhof also looks down upon. This is the trip the family took to get to church, and probably to work."

In her 1981 unpublished manuscript, BonnieMargaret noted that only the top floor of the Benkelmann home shows from the road leading in. The house is three stories high on the back side, two stories high in the front. It was built in 1733, by the state, to provide housing for state licensed artisans who were not allowed in the town as guild craftsmen. Apparently it gained its name from its first inhabitants, since the name literally means "the place of tailors." The official state description of the Schneiderhof in 1845 states that it was a place with 22 Evangelical residents, lying on the mountain top about one-half an hours walk from Waldhausen. The rents were paid to the city of G?ppingen, in 1845 twelve of those residents would have been Leonhard and Dorothea and their 10 living children, others would have included Leonhard's widowed mother and some of her children by Herr Heller, and likely their families. The land was described as rocky and and lying on a mountainside, "even today it is impossible to use machinery to work the land" and that the "people who lived there would have to have outside work." The house itself lies on the very crest of the mountain, with the house built on the downside of the mountain, overlooking Waldhausen. A very small patch of is on the level crest at the top of the mountain. When BonnieMargaret visited the home in 1981, she said it had four or five dwellings in all, and barns and sheds nearby the house and in the orchards. Just west of the house stands the old Bauernhaus, perhaps the homestead of Leonhard's maternal grandparents. The fields to the south were planted in potatoes and turnips, the high production crops that all of southern Germany turned to in the early 1800's. Beyond the westernmost buildings were apple orchards, beautiful and well tended. (pp. 68, 69 and accompanying photos).

BonnieMargaret also noted that German life centered in the family. Even today we're told that day to day life included few close relationships with people outside the family. Certainly they were cordial and friendly with neighbors and cooperating artisans, but the joy of living was carefully protected within the walls of the home. Country people had no protection but each other, and the trusted "other" were kinsmen. Unlike the towns that were structured to protect the citizens from difficult times, the country folk were on their own, in good and bad times. Parents carefully nutured the bonds of affection and caring, and though they may have experienced the sibling rivalry that modern children do, it was not expressed in the German home, where only mutual caring and consideration were approved and encouraged.

Names and birthdates for this family were from the Waldhausen Parish Kirchlichen Familienregister Band I, Blatt 244, Dekanat Welzheim, Schw?bisch Gm?nd. BonnieMargaret noted that all the family information shown on pages 95 and 96 of her book were certified by Pastor Rau of the Ev. Pfarramt Waldhausen to be the complete record of the family of Johann Leonhard Benkelmann, with the exceptions of the dates of death, which were included by BonnieMargaret from other sources. They had one stillborn child, neither name or sex listed, on 4 July 1838. She also noted that they were married on November 20, but the year was illegible.

The family register for the family of Georg Friedrich St?hle and wife, Anna Maria Leins shows that Maria Dorothea was the fifth of their 15 children. She was married at the Schneiderhof on 20 Nov 1822, approximately 10 months after the birth of eldest son Friedrich.

Johannes married Christina Reinert about 1835 in W?rttemberg, Germany. Christina was born on 4 Jan 1817 in W?rttemberg, Germany; died on 11 May 1907 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Christina Buerk "came from Waldhausen to America in 1873, with her granddaughter, Katherine Buerk," later the wife of Solomon Striffler, according to the obituary of Katherine Buerk published in the Friday, January 21, 1938 issue of the Cass City Chronicle.

Christina's own obituary is below:

Tri County Chronicle
Cass City Michigan
Friday, May 19, 1907

Mrs Christina Buerk nee Reinert died at the home of her son, Fred Buerk, on Thursday, May 11 after an illness of several months. She was born in Walthausen, Wurtenberg, Germany on January 4, 1817, where in 1835 she was united in marriage to John Buerk. To this union came five children, four sons and one daughter. Two sons, Charles of Caro and Fred of this place survive. Mr. Buerk died in Germany in 1866 and in 1873 Mrs. Buerk and her children came to America, settling on a farm in Elkland township, northeast of this village.

She was converted during a series of meetings conducted by Rev. W. Berge during his former ministry here and has since lived a christian life. At that time there was no Evangelical church organized in this village. For several years past she has made her home with her son, Fred. Besides her two remaining sons she leaves 5 granchildren and 15 great-granchildren. The funeral services were held in the Evangelical church Sunday afternoon, conducted by Rev. W. Berge, and her remains laid to rest in Elkland Cemetery.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Summer 2007)

Notes:

Married:
They were the parents of four sons and one daughter