| Notes |
- Die Familien von Birkenhördt, Böllenborn, Blankenborn und Reisdorf
1800-1875 von Andreas Drieß
Band 2, Seite 45, 46
CENSUS:
1880:
Anton Erstine, St. Clair, Illinois
Name: Anton ERSTINE Age: 62 Estimated birth year: <1818> Birthplace: GER Occupation: Farming Relation: Self Home in 1880: St. Clair, Illinois Marital status: Married Race: White Gender: Male Head of household: Anton ERSTINE Father's birthplace: GER Mother's birthplace: GER Image Source: Year: 1880; Census Place: , St. Clair, Illinois; Roll: T9_247; Family History Film: 1254247; Page: 266C; Enumeration District: ; Image: .
BIOGRAPHY: The following information was copied from http://www.itcs.uiuc.edu/users/beaumont/HTMfiles/EHRSTEIN.HTM
Anton was married to Christina Karcher on January 25, 1848. I have a copy of this German marriage certificate, which states that Anton was exempt from the military according to a certificate which he exhibited. Balthasar was not present at the wedding and communication was not possible with him according to the writ of Notoriety produced on the 3rd of January 1848 at the Court of Bergzabern. The service was apparently a civil service, rather than a religious one. (Does Anton's military exemption certificate and the writ of notoriety still exist at the Court of Bergzabern?)
Anton married relatively late in life at age 27. His first child was born five months after his marriage to Christina -- a ceremony that his father, although alive, did not attend. In fact, the German certificate of marriage states that communications with Bathasar "was not possible." Given the shortage of land during this time, Anton probably did not own property while his father was still alive. Perhaps the marriage was delayed because Anton did not own land, but the impending birth forced the situation. The ceremony is also registered as a civil ceremony. Notice Christina's mother was originally an Ehrstein and there is a Wegmann family connection between Anton and Christina. (See chart.) Was Anton's father was too ill to attend the wedding, or did he refuse? Were Anton and Christina too closely related for a proper wedding, or did Christina's pregnancy prevent a religious ceremony? Did Anton's father die soon after the marriage, giving Anton the financial resources to emigrate? We may never know, but two years after the birth of their child, the Ehrstein's emigrated to the United States.
Anton Ehrstein, farmer and stock raiser, left Birkenhordt with his wife and infant daughter, Christina. (Note that Anton's wife was named Christina, too.) The family took the ship Carrioca to the United States landing in New York on August 1, 1851 (M237, reel 102). The ship sailed from Le Havre, France several weeks earlier. John L. Pray was the ship master of the Carrioca (Paulista de Carioca, French ship, page 243, from Fast Sailing Ships : Their Design and Construction, 1775-1875 / David R. MacGregor) and he listed the name of the Ehrstein child as Fritz. Perhaps Fritz was a nickname used to distinguish the girl from her mother.
Oral family history states that the Ehrsteins stayed in Rochester, New York until they moved to St. Clair County, Illinois. The 1850 U.S. Census for Monroe County, New York does not list any Ehrsteins, which suggests that no other Ehrstein preceded Anton and his family to the United States. However, other Ehrsteins followed Anton to New York, and several Ehrstein families still live in Rochester, New York today.
According to Anton Ehrstein's obituary in a local German language newspaper, he and his family moved to St. Clair County, Illinois in 1853, most likely purchasing a farm in Section 22, T1N, R9W near Belleville. It is possible that Anton was either forced to work in New York before he could afford to buy land in Illinois, or Michael's birth delayed the trip to Illinois. The family is listed in the 1860 U.S. Census for St. Clair County -- Township 1 North, Range 9 West. They owned several parcels of land, but in 1857, Anton paid $2,000 to Jacob Mellein for the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 23, Township 1 North, Range 9 West (Book R-2, pg. 343-4.) The 1870 Agricultural Schedule for St. Clair County, Illinois noted that Anton owned 70 acres of improved farmland and 80 acres of woodland valued at $10,000.
Anton died March 31, 1887 at the age of 68. He was buried from Cathedral Parish and is in Greenmount Cemetery in Belleville, Illinois. I have his death certificate. He willed a farm to each of his sons -- Michael received part of Section 34, Township 1 North, Range 9 West in Clinton County. This farm was purchased by Anton on June 23, 1883 from Lewis Osterwisch for $2,500. Joseph Ehrstein received part of Section 14, Township 1 North, Range 9 West in St. Clair County. He was required to pay his sister Christina $300 and his brother Frederich $450. Joseph married Anna Stoeckel, which is interesting because Anton's son Michael married a Stoeckel, too. Frederich Ehrstein received part of Section 22, Township 1 North, Range 9 West in St. Clair County. He was required to leave 1/4 acre as the family cemetery. This cemetery still exists today, but it is in total disrepair. Melchior Ehrstein received part of Section 22, Township 1 North, Range 9 West in St. Clair County. He was required to give Christina $300 and Fred $450. His mother Magdelena was given the house on this farm and she was to receive one third of all the crops from Anton's lands. So Melchior, a stepbrother or half-brother, inherited the family homestead where Magdelena lived until she was 85 years old. Oral history in the Ehrstein family mentions a feud that existed between the Ehrstein brothers. Could it have been caused by the contents of Anton's will?
BIOGRAPHY: see http://www.itcs.uiuc.edu/users/beaumont/HTMfiles/EHRSTEIN.HTM
additional info: http://rootsweb.com/~ilstclai/ED82-108.htm
The Ehrstein family was next to make its way to America. They emigrated in August of 1851 from Birkenhordt, Germany in the kanton Bergzabern, District Landau in the Royal Bavarian Rhine Country. This area is also known as the Palatinate. Many Germans emigrated from this area, especially to New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Ehrstein families still live in the Palatinate near Birkenhordt
BIOGRAPHY: Re: Ehrstein's from Alsace (Ingwiller, Pfaffenhoffen & Bouxwiller)
Author: jim ehrstein Date: 14 Mar 2002 5:40 AM GMT
Classification: Query
In Reply to: Re: Ehrstein's from Alsace (Ingwiller, Pfaffenhoffen & Bouxwiller) <
BIOGRAPHY: I still haven't had time to convert what I have from handwritten to a form I can send, but I'll pass along a link to a written description of the history of the Ehrstein's who left Birchenhordt in the 1850's, stopped in Rochester NY for a couple of years, then moved to Illinois. I also have their tree in handwritten form. They actually can link back to the late 1700's but not far enough to link to your John Ehrstine (nor to my clan, who also came from Birkenhordt in the 1860s and stayed in Rochester. I'll send more later. The WEB link is <http://www.itcs.uiuc.edu/users/beaumont/HTML/EHRSTEIN.htm.> Strangely I found it by search engine several years ago, but don't pick it up with any search engine today.
|
1818 - 1887 (68 years)
[1]