Family History

Here is an interesting article from 1918 regarding my family coming to America, it is the account of my Great Great Great Great Grandfather Mathias' youngest brother John Schlimgen:

• • 
    
    “We came from Germany in the fall of 1854. I was then about 13 years old.We came fromnear theUniversity of Bonn. We had no relatives in America, but decided to come to Milwaukee on recommendation of a tailor whom we had known. My father Johann Schlimgen, was a widower,mymother having died two years before. Engelbricht, (He probably meant Mathias, since Engelbert was the second son and was married in Madison, Wisconsin) my oldest brother, was already married. In our party going was my father, my two brothers Engelbricht and Mathias, my sister Louisa and myself; my brother’s wife and my other sister Sybilla (later Mrs. Lorenz Bowar) came later.We were six weeks on the ocean, but had a fairly good voyage. From New York we came via the lakes to Detroit and at Detroit our boat ran aground and we left Engelbricht to take care of our baggage while we went on by train to Chicago in some dirty immigrant cars. When we got to Chicagomy father was induced by a hotel runner to go and see a hotel near by. My brother Matt was in a car further ahead. The first thing my sister and I knew we were put out of the train on a bridge. There we were alone with both father andMatt missing.We had no money, knew nobody and could not talk English. We could only stay there and cry until father came back. He had hardly any money either, as Engelbricht was the treasurer of our party. Coming toMilwaukee, we stayed that winter with a family named Laufenberg south of the city. They had relatives at Pine Bluff west of Madison and the next spring we came by ox team to Madison and went to Pine Bluff. After a while we went to the town of Perry where we lived a while on the so called “Leathercap” farm, near August Goebel’s place where a Norwegian named Ole Olson had lived. Michael Goebel called this Norwegian “Leathercap” because he wore a cap made of leather, hence the ‘Leathercap’ farm. This farm had a log house built into a hole in the hill side and was roofed with dirt. Parlor, kitchen, dining-room, etc. were all in one. It was a one-room cabin. While here I used to play with Olson’s boy Syver. As he was Norwegian and I German, each one tried to teach the other English and in the meantime we made up a language of our own which must have been a wonderful one and which nobody else probably could have understood. After a year or so we moved from this place to the farm in Primrose near the Perry line , still known as the Schlimgen farm, part of whichmy nephewGeorge now owns and occupies. Later my brother Matt bought the Hall Chandler farm near John Tascher’s. Engelbricht and Matt and their families moved to Dakota where my brothers died. My father died in Madison, but is buried in the Catholic cemetery in Perry. I lived in Madison since 1863. About all my English schooling was obtained in the Britts school house in Primrose. When I went by there a while ago and saw the nice new school house I said, “There is the university of Primrose where I obtained my education”. But not in that school. I think my first teacher was Mary Thomas, daughter of David Thomas of Primrose. We had a log school house then. One night in the winter it burned. This was probably due to our having placed our bottles of ink on the stove to keep them from freezing, and putting chips around them which probably caught fire. Of course that stopped the school. The next summer I think Miss Thomas taught school on the upstairs floor of the Britts granery (sic!) which is still standing (1918) on the Konle farm. Two of my other teachers I think were a Miss Smith and a Miss Laura Barron. Miss Barron’s brother afterwards became prominent in politics and I think Barron county was named after him. I think Miss Barron was living in Mt. Vernon at the time, but boarded at Britt’s as many teachers did. It was a jolly household. They had a log house where the present (1918) Konle house stands, and log stables, some across the road. I think Ed Britts built the mill and the frame near it. Ed was a miller. I remember digging the mill race. Later Britts sold the mill to a Mr. Stephens and he sold it to Conrad Kugler.” (Ed note: John died March 8,1927 at Madison,Wisconsin)
    
  
  
  
  
  Additional info:
  
  
  • Immigrated from Antwerp Belgium aboard the ship Clifton. Left October 10 1854 and arrived November 20th in New York.
    
    
    Above is from an article from a newspaper column called ‘Historic Primrose’, by Albert O. Barton