Two Immigrant Families
Peter Stegner Christian
Schlemmer
Sophie Stuber Madeleine
Stegner
(Click
on the above names to enter their family story)
This web site is dedicated to the memory of two families who came to America, who originated in the Bas-Rhin region of France / Germany, left the beautiful community and countryside to experience the freedom and opportunities of the new country. The travelers were born in Zittersheim and in Weiterswiller (SE neighbor of Zittersheim); both villages near Petite Pierre and part of Alsace.
The community where they lived had been in turmoil over many centuries and several political changes occurred in their homeland. Zittersheim, now a population of 210, was a close community of long-term families who lived in the area. Weiterswiller, now a population 525, had more diversity in its population. The people living in the communities and villages were farmers, called cultivators during their time.
One family that moved to America had left Zittersheim and their family home before traveling to America. Peter Stegner first moved to Grenoble, France where he studied wood sculpture. Later we find him in Duisberg, Germany with his wife and two children. However, the doors to America were open and they decided to move to the new country, America, where many from their region had already traveled. Peter arrived in America aboard the Montrose Atlantic Steamship Line, arriving in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on May 12, 1905. His wife and two children arrived on November 20, 1905 on board the Pennsylvania, arriving at Ellis Island in New York City.
Christian Schlemmer was a cultivator and worked in the forest near Zittersheim. He had built a house for his family in Zittersheim. However, his older brother, Phillip, had moved to America. He went to visit his brother in 1902, and returned that same year to Zittersheim with his brother, Phillip. He then moved his wife and three children, to America along with two Klein girls and with the help of his brother, Phillip. They all left for America in mid-November 1902, arriving December 4, 1902 at Ellis Island in New York City.
Christian Schlemmer and Peter Stegner were related through Peter Stegner's sister, Madeleine, who was Christian Schlemmer's wife.
I am a descendant of Peter Stegner and his wife Sophie Stuber. I have traveled to Zittersheim and Weiterswiller with my dear cousin, Sharon, a descendant of Christian Schlemmer and Madeleine Stegner. It is to her that I am indebted for much of the information that I have gathered and through her, to Eric and to the major of the village of Zittersheim. I am interested in information about the families identified within this site. Contact me via email at audreyam@earthlink.net.
Reunions:
The descendants of the two families met at a reunion at Lum
Park in Brainard, MN on July 17, 2004.
Click here
to view pictures taken at the reunion.
The descendants of the two families met at a reunion at Cosmos Park in Cosmos, MN on July 19, 2003. Click here to view pictures taken at the reunion.
Click here to use a web site to translate a web page. You will need to copy the URL of the page to translate into the form of the translate request page.
Please take a
moment to sign the Guestbook. You may also VIEW the
guestbook. Thank you for visiting.
The genealogy by family groupings is available to family members. Click here to view family group files. The web site requires a name and password entry. Please contact me at audreyam@earthlink.net for password.
Copyright (c) 2003 by Audrey Mitchell: Reproduction or distribution of contents of this site for commercial purposes without my written consent is strictly prohibited. Contact me at audreyam@earthlink.net.