Saturday, December 19, 2009

Addy Cemetery Information

I drove to Spokane to visit dad on Thursday, December 17.  Friday morning at 9 AM we arrived at the home of Maggie Rail who voluntarily acquires and maintains records of several hundred pioneer cemeteries around the United States.  I got her name from the website for Addy Cemetery.  A while back I emailed Maggie asking whether she had a map showing the locations of burials within  the cemetery.  She did.  She also had a cemetery record listing information about Caspar Albert and Peter Staheli. 
Our purpose in visiting Maggie was to get copies of her records.  Using my digital camera I photographed the large cemetery map and Maggie made copies of the burial records from a book.
In the spring, dad and I will return to the Addy cemetery to determine the location of the graves of Albert and Peter.  My plan is to eventually place a marker on their graves.  As the patriarch of the Staeheli's in America I believe Albert deserves to be recognized and remembered. 

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Birth Records

While at the St. Gallen Staatsarchiv in Switzerland last August I was given copies of the birth records of the thirteen Staeheli children.  The records also inform us a little about Caspar Albert and Marie.  Patric Schnitzer, the archivist who found the birth records made notes in English on the records to help us understand the information there because the German script of the late 1800's is difficult to read.  I have posted these birth records on the website in three groups. 

My friend and mentor, Arlis Hoglen, has found a website explaining the entry on Albert's death certificate related to his cause of death.  I have added a link to that website on the page for Caspar Albert and Marie.

I have received several comments to this blog site which is encouraging as now I know there are interested parties who occasionally log on to see new information.  Marcel Muller, an archivist from the St. Gallen Staatsarchiv has commented about Theresa's letter.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Photo Updates

I have been adding photos to the website which enhance the story by giving faces to the Staeheli family.  Daphne Dempsey has provided photos of Mary and twelve of her children.  Pat and his mother, Ann, have provided photos of Joseph, Hedwig and some of their descendants.  The website is beginning to look as I had envisioned and I am hopeful of adding more photos as Staeheli's become aware of the site and start looking for old photos which certainly exist in old photo albums.

I can not specifically identify all the Staeheli children in the group photos but expect to be able to when other family members who know the faces see the old photos.  This is a process and will take some time.
There is very little information about some of the fourteen children so my focus will shift to seeking more about them.
 

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Death Certificate

I have received a certified copy of the certificate of death for Albert Staeheli from the Washington State Board of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics.  The certificate validates the belief among family members that Albert took his own life on June 8, 1912 in Addy, Washington.  The certificate is signed by Robert Staeheli, Harry M. West the coroner from Colville, W. Prindle the undertaker from Colville and H.B. Cook, the registrar.
Albert was buried June 9, 1912.  I am attempting to place events in order during that time.  The records show that Albert received a homestead of 162 acres near Addy on October 22, 1908.  I understand a home was built there and the 1910 census record lists Albert, Marie, Paul, Rosa and Lewis as residents.  It is known that the home burned apparently with total loss of the house and possessions.  Presumably that was between 1910 and 1912.  Albert's death certificate places his death in Addy "100 yards in lane from house". 
That suggests the family was living in Addy in June of 1912. 
It has been expressed by other Staeheli's that Albert may have succumbed to depression over the loss of the family home on the homestead.  That may have resulted in his suicide.  Based on the little evidence I have collected I believe that is credible.  It has also been stated that Albert returned to Switzerland for a while, perhaps after the family home burned. 
I do not understand part of the description related as "the Cause of Death was as follows: shot himself by 38-72 W.C.F".

Monday, October 26, 2009

The Addy Homestead

Searching Bureau of Land Management files I have found the original Homestead Certificate for Albert Staeheli No. 9138 dated October 22, 1908.  It was "Lots three and four and the east half of the southwest quarter of Section thirty-one in Township thirty-four north of Range thirty-nine east of the Willamette Meridian, Washington, containing one hundred sixty-two and seventy-two-hundredths acres". 

Checking a USGS topographic map I have located the property northwest of Addy in the Marble Valley north of Swiss Valley at the base of Dunn Mountain.  It is accessable from the Swiss Valley Road and a dirt road runs through the property.  It can be seen clearly on Google Earth.  I will copy the files and maps to the website for documentation. 

I was able to order a death certificate for Albert Staeheli and will include it on the website.  I am working on information about Albert Junior who is believed to have died in Sedro Woolley.

Friday, October 23, 2009

A Stop in Cheney

Thursday, October 22, I left dad's in the morning to return to Kennewick.  I had decided to stop at the state historical archive in Cheney since it holds documents from Stevens County where the Staeheli's homesteaded.  Lee Pierce, Archives Assistant, met me and demonstrated how to access the Washington State data base for genealogy research.  He found a marriage certificate for Walda Staheli and Anton Nold who were married in Spokane on October 10, 1908.   He also found information for death certificates for Albert and Peter Staheli (Stahli).  Finally, he gave me a source to find information about the family homestead in Addy.

Complicating searches for family information is the use of different spellings of Staheli.  The umlaut "a" is used on Swiss documents and I have seen three variations used in America.  Staheli is used on marriage certificates and cemetery registers.  Stahli is also used in the Addy Cemetery register and shows up in the Washington State data base.  Staeheli came to be used consistently over time.  Lee advised me to make my searches as broad as possible to increase the likelihood of discovering documents.  I should start with Sta when seeking documents.

Meeting the Staeheli's

Wednesday, October 21, dad and I returned to Bob and Daphne's home to meet Pat, Therese, Burt and Ann.  I have spoken with Pat and Therese on the phone but met Burt, Bob's brother and Ann, Therese and Pat's mother, for the first time.  We began sharing family information and photos and enjoyed a Sunday style dinner served by Daphne.  After dinner until 5:30 PM we discussed family history while I recorded names and relationships for posting on my website.  I have a wealth of new information and will need several weeks to arrange and organize for publishing on the web.

I am extremely happy to have begun this project and to be meeting relatives I have not previously known.  Collecting stories, photos and other documentation is gratifying and publishing it to my website for the family to see is a special joy I can not explain but accept as what I need to do.

I am grateful to dad, Daphne, Bob, Burt, Ann, Pat and Therese for their support.  I did not record oral histories because we were enjoying great conversation.  I intend to see each of them again for the purpose of recording oral family histories which will more completely tell our family's story.        
Dad, Therese, Daphne, Pat, Burt, Bob and Ann

Trip to Addy and Seattle

One house my grandfather built in Spokane
Tuesday morning dad and I left drove into Spokane to take photos of the three homes his dad, Carl, had built.  Two of the homes are on 17th on the south hill near Manito Park.  The third house is across town and was built for Carl's sister, Rose.  Dad had lived in the two houses and delivered newspapers in the neighborhood.  I took photos of the houses and a fire station where Carl had worked.  We left Spokane at 9 AM driving north to Addy.  It was cold and wet with fog in places.  In Addy we drove through town several times hoping dad would spot familiar buildings but he recognized only a hill where he thought a family home once stood.  There was no sign of the dairy which the Staeheli's had operated in town. 

We drove out of town to the Addy Cemetery which is a pioneer cemetery which has not been well tended.  In recent years a group of volunteers has cleaned up the grounds and documented the burials there.  Listed among the burials is Albert Staheli and Peter Staheli.  Dad and I hoped to locate grave markers for these men.  Albert is my great grandfather who was unknown to dad until a few months ago.  There are no markers for Albert or Peter but we took photos of the cemetery to document the location. 

Dad at Addy Cemetery

Our trip to Seattle took us through beautiful fall scenery and I am determined to return to Addy and Colville on my motorcycle to enjoy the ride and countryside.  We arrived in Kenmore at the home of Bob and Daphne Dempsey at 6 PM.  Daphne served an excellent dinner and they shared documents and family photos.  The first document is a personal recollection of the time the Staeheli's lived in Wisconsin written by Theresa, Daphne's mother.  This will be the next item I publish on the website because the story tells firsthand of the family and their experiences as immigrants.  Daphne gave me permission to copy other handwritten documents which I will scan into my computer and publish on the website, too.  There are many excellent photos and I was especially pleased to have a photo of Mary, the Staeheli matriarch.

Spokane Visit with Dad

Monday, October 19, I drove to Spokane to visit dad.  We planned to take photos of family sites in the area and then drive to the Seattle area to meet other Staeheli's.  I arrived at his home about 3 PM and we drove to Pines Cemetery nearby to take photos of my mother's niche in the mausoleum, dad's half sister, Carol's,
headstone, his stepmother, Lola's headstone and the marker for my sister's son, Saul.  We then drove to Coeur D'Alene where we looked up gravesites of other relatives.  We located the headstone of Mary Staeheli and her daughter, Rose.  We also found the stone of Louis, the youngest of the Staeheli's, and his wife Verna.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

A Revelation

While visiting my Dad in Spokane last week we had a conversation about the Staly name change when my father was about 5 years old.  We concluded he must have been born Thomas Staeheli.  Dad thought this had not been the case.  He found his birth certificate in his files and it confirmed that he was, indeed, born Thomas Charles Staeheli. 

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Visiting Staeheli's near Seattle

My Dad, Tom Staly Sr., and I will drive to Kenmore on October 20 to visit Bob and Daphne Dempsey.  While there we will see Therese and some others who may be available to share knowledge of our family.  I will have my digital movie camera and will take oral histories from any willing relatives.  The information developed from that trip will be added to the website.

Adding to the Family Tree

To add information to the family tree it will be necessary to download Family Tree Builder which is used to create a family and to revise family information.  After the changes have been made on Family Tree Builder then it is published to My Heritage website to be shared with others.  Both Family Tree Builder  and My Heritage are free to use, however, there are enhanced versions for sale or subscription.  For now I am using the free versions.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Revising the Staeheli name

I received an email from Pat Staeheli who made the point that the family changed the Swiss spelling of Staheli (with an umlaut "a") to the Americanized spelling Staeheli after they arrived in the United States.  The Staeheli form is still used by most descendants of Caspar and Maria today.  Consequently, I have revised my blog, website and genealogical sites.  When referencing the ancestors who lived in Switzerland I will use the Swiss spelling when my word processor supports that. 

I have started using the genealogy software Family Tree Builder along with the website MyHeritage.com and am inviting all Staeheli's to add information about their ancestors to the site.  In time we will build a more complete story of the Staeheli's in the U.S.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

New map presentation

Yesterday I consulted with my technology expert, Arlis Hoglen, who recommended I download Picasa from Google to crop my photos and JPG files.  I had scanned the maps to JPG so it was a simple task to crop the maps and then place them in the website.  Now the maps are easier to see and there is minimal scrolling necessary to see the entire maps.  I will use Picasa as my default photo viewing software as well as for photo management. 
A new task will be to scan the birth and property records of the Staheli family and place them on the website.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

More maps

I have added a map from 1899 showing locations in Straubenzell before Kubel Elektrik built Gubsensee and the powerplant.  Gubsenmosli (Gubsenmoos) is visible as well as Kubel and the villages listed as birthplaces of the Staheli children.  Altenwegen, Holzli and Gubsen can be seen.  I can not yet resolve that there appear to be two locations with the name Holzli.

Because I do not yet have technical skills to size the maps for the computer screen it will be necessary to scroll around the page to see all the map features.  In time I will correct the size for viewer convenience.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Additions to the website

I have added several maps to the website.  Viewers may need to have Google Earth on their computers to see the maps.  It is a relatively easy task to download Google Earth and it is free. 

The names of the 14 children of Caspar albert and Maria now have dedicated locations on the website.  Specific information about each of the children and their families will be added as it becomes available.

I have provided information about Carl Anton since that information is available to me. 

Saturday, September 5, 2009

My Mentor

My good friend, Arlis Hoglen, has developed his own website and Blog site for presenting his motorcycle rides and motorcycle related information.   I have long admired his proficiency at displaying his stories.  Arlis has agreed to mentor me as I begin to create this website and I want to credit him and express my high regard for him and appreciation for his help.  I would not be able to initiate or develop this on my own.  Arlis has taken phone calls from me in the evening to assist me with one problem or another I have encountered. 

Map of Albert Staheli's property at Gubsenmoos

On the Staheli Family of Gubsenmoos website there is a map from around 1900 showing the location of Albert Staheli's property relative to Gubsensee.  Most of the land is now flooded under Gubsensee but a small corner of the property is on the shoreline and is crossed by the path surrounding Gubsensee. 
The map was found among the records of Kraftwerk Kubel, Now SAK, by Patric Schnitzer and Marcel Muller at St. Gallen Staatsarchiv.
The map is very large relative to the web page.  I will work to reduce the size of the image for convenience of viewing. 

Friday, September 4, 2009

Corrections of Public Records

During my research at St. Gallen Staatsarchiv we learned the true name of the town of record for birth records of the 13 Staheli children is Gubsenmoos.  When the name was transcribed from the Ellis Island ship manifest it was incorrectly named Dyplanmous.  This is understandable as the original script is very difficult to read.  Swiss Roots corrected the Ellis Island manifest to read Diepoldsau.  This is also incorrect.  I have asked for a review of records at both Ellis Island and Swiss Roots to correctly note the town as Gubsenmoos.  These reviews will be done and a determination made either to correct or not in the near future.

Website

The Staheli Family website is at http://sites.google.com/site/thestahelifamilyofgubsenmoos

Contacts and more family information

I have been in email and telephone contact with several Staeheli's.  In addition to Therese I have communicated with John and Pat.  Wednesday I spoke with Pat who provided family history and told me about himself. 

Information to be added to family lore is that Albert Jr. died in a logging accident in his early twenties in Western Washington, possibly Sedro Wooley area.  The youngest Staheli child, Louie, lived in Coeur D' Alene, Idaho and may be buried there.  Caspar, known as Cap, lived in the Colville area. 

Caspar Albert and Maria had a farm in Addy, Washington and their house burned around 1910.  Albert left the U.S. for Switzerland and returned to the U.S. to start a dairy farm in Addy with a creamery in Colville.  Albert died in the Colville/Addy area during the 1920's. 

Two Staheli children died in Switzerland before the family emigrated.  One was kicked by a horse and died as a result while the other died of a childhood disease. 

George W. Staeheli, father of Therese, Pat and John, died in a military plane crash in 1958.  Their grandfather, Joseph, was born in 1884 and died in 1954.  Joseph was a brother of my grandfather, Carl.

This is a draft of what I understood from our conversation and will be checked for correctness.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Story of the Staheli's of Gubsenmoos

The Stäheli Family of Gübsenmoos
Straubenzell
St. Gallen, Switzerland

As a child and even a young man I had only a cursory interest in family history and although I knew my grandfather Staly had come from Switzerland it was sufficient to know just that. A few years ago, when I turned 60, I developed a greater interest in knowing more about my family origins and recently had an opportunity to explore my Swiss roots. This is what I have learned.

Caspar Albert Stäheli, citizen of the village of Egnach in Thurgau canton Switzerland (born about 1850) and Maria Kiml of Tyrol, Austria (born about 1856) met and were married at some time around 1875. They settled near St. Gallen in a neighborhood of lower middle class, even poor, folks a short distance west of town. Early in their marriage the locations of the births of their children varied as the family moved from one house to another and Albert worked as a day laborer. Albert’s jobs were typically short term with no single employer. For a while he worked as a Drainer which was steady work. This would have been digging drain holes and perhaps laying drain pipe to dry out fields and other properties. It is thought that Albert was not well educated but possessed a good work ethic which enabled him to seek out and accept what jobs became available each day near their home.

In 1874 Albert bought a house in Gübsenmoos, property #625 according to fire insurance records. That property was sold to Robert Stäheli in 1879 and in 1886 Albert and Maria bought a house and barn also in Gübsenmoos, listed as properties #638 and #639 in fire insurance records. Moos in German means swamp or marsh. While Gübsenmoos was a wetland not suitable for traditional farming it is likely the family had several cows and a garden. The family lived there from 1886 to 1899.

Birth records list the following children born to Caspar Albert and Maria Stäheli:

Caspar Albert Stäheli               April 24, 1879          Gübsen

Maria Stäheli                           April 24, 1880           Altenwegen

Robert Hermann Stäheli           July 22, 1881             Hölzle

Johanna Waldburga Stäheli      January 28, 1883       Altenwegen

Joseph Hermann Stäheli           March 2, 1884          Altenwegen

Caspar Hermann Stäheli           December 4, 1886    Gübsenmoos

Theresia Stäheli                        January 31, 1888      Gübsenmoos

Waldburga Stäheli                    October 17, 1889     Gübsenmoos

Anna Juliana Stäheli                  April 7, 1891            Gübsenmoos

Carl Anton Stäheli                    July 22, 1892            Gübsenmoos

Paul Mathias Stäheli                 September 30, 1893  Gübsen

Franziska Stäheli                      April 24, 1895           Gübsenmoos

Rosa Stäheli                             September 17, 1896  Gübsenmoos

On March 4, 1898 their eldest son, Albert, emigrated to the United States arriving on the ship La Normandie where he passed through Ellis Island. In the late 1890’s the Kübel Elektric Werk, an electric power company, was looking for a site to build Switzerland’s first hydroelectric power plant. Gübsenmoos was selected for the site of a reservoir which could be constructed by closing the west end of the swamp with an earthen dam and the east end of the swamp with a brick dam which would channel water into the generator turbines. In 1899 Caspar Albert and Maria sold their house and barn to Kübel Elektric Werk, bought passage on the ship Kaiser Friedrich and arrived on Ellis Island on March 23, 1899. The ship manifest shows that Caspar, Maria and twelve children landed with $200. (about $5100. today) and plans to stay with a brother in Ridgeville, Wisconsin. Caspar listed his occupation as farmer. My grandfather, Carl, who was six years old had a fever thought to be from immunizations. Eventually the Stäheli family settled in Addy, Washington on a plot suitable for farming. A fourteenth child was born in the United States. It is rumored three other children died very young.

My grandfather, Carl Anton Stäheli, worked as a firefighter for the city of Spokane, Washington. He married Madeline Capaul of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho and they had a son, my father, Thomas Charles Staly. The Capaul’s had emigrated from Brigels, Switzerland. My father remembers when my grandfather took him to the local courthouse to legally change the family name to Staly.

Carl Anton Staly, also known as Charles or Jack, built several homes in Spokane and the family lived in them. Eventually, Carl and Madeline divorced, Carl married Lola Potter and had a daughter, Carol Ann.

Madeline married Robert Gage Robert and had daughters Roberta (Bobbie) and Jeanne.

Carol Ann had a daughter, Karen, and a son, Charles (Chuck).

Roberta had a daughter, Susan, and a son, David. Jeanne had a daughter, Linda and sons Ricky and Randy.

My father married Helen Turk and I was born December 24, 1944. My sisters are Jeanne Marie and Elizabeth Ann. Tom Staly Sr. worked as a food broker for Johnson-Lieber Company until his retirement in 1983. Helen maintained their home as a housewife.