Caspar Albert Photo Restored

Caspar Albert Photo Before Restoration

After Sharon Thompson and Lillian Staeheli loaned me their photo of Caspar Albert Staeheli I contacted Barb Blair at Anew Photo Restoration in Beaverton, Oregon and sent her a digitized image of the damaged photo.  Over a two week period Barb cleaned up the image and repaired missing or damaged portions.  Caspar's face had suffered the most damage so we communicated regularly by email as she completed the restoration. 

The repair is done and I am ordering prints.  The digitized image will be posted on the Staeheli Family website.  Any Staeheli who wants a print can order an 8 x 10 for $2.  or a 5 x 7 for $1.

Restored Photo of Caspar Albert Staeheli

Contact with David Staeheli

Wednesday I was pleased to receive an email from David Staeheli, son of Jack Leroy Staeheli, son of Harry Staeheli whose father was Caspar Hermann Staeheli from Gubsenmoos.  I had met Jack last June when he visited my home in Kennewick.  David lives in Snohomish, Washington with his family and offered to provide detailed information about himself and his family to update the family tree and Staeheli Family of Gubsenmoos website. 

I sent his information to Tienne in Switzerland who is creating the Staeheli family tree which will be available soon.  The tree will trace our family back to a marriage in 1653. 

The Mystery of Peter Staeheli

Buried in a plot next to Caspar Albert Staeheli in the Addy Cemetery is Peter Stahli who I assumed to be a relative.  During our research at the Statesman-Examiner newspaper in Colville September 9 dad and I located articles dated March 19, 1927 stating that Peter had died leaving his estate to his sister in Brien, Switzerland.  The March 26, 1927 Colville newspaper described Peter's burial listing pallbearers.  None of the names is from our family.  I think it is coincidental they are buried next to each other.

Caspar Albert's plot in the Addy Cemetery

There is no evidence in the research Tienne and I have done showing a man named Peter in the Staeheli family.  I conclude Peter was a fellow Swiss who was born in that era, emigrated to the US and farmed in Stevens County for 30 years, may have been known to Caspar Albert but was not related to our family.

Peter's Death Notice



Peter's funeral above Loon Lake News

 Click on the image to enlarge it.  Click twice for maximum size.

Visiting Daphne and Bob

Bob with Luscombe at Boeing Field April, 1947

Sunday, September 19, I drove to Seattle then arranged to visit Daphne and Bob Dempsey who live in Kenmore at the north end of Lake Washington.  My purpose was to return photos which they had loaned me for scanning into my computer.  These were photos of Bob and his brother Burt and their parents, Francis (Franziska Staeheli of Gubsenmoos) and LaVern Dempsey.  Most were photos taken during their gold mining days in Alaska before and after the Second World War.  Bob reviewed the photos with me describing the activity happening in each photo.

Daphne prepared dinner and we enjoyed this meal while talking about recent events.  Bob and Daphne are in generally good health having recovered from recent accidents or illness.  I learned that Bob had a business building cabinets in his parents garage in Wallingford then built a cabinet shop in 1958 in Kenmore.  He operated this shop until 1964 building cabinets for homes developed by Burt and also their sister, Eileen and her husband who were homebuilders.

After WWII Bob had flight training and earned a private pilot license.  His favorite plane was the Cessna 140.  He has considerable experience driving trucks and operating heavy machinery for the Washington Department of Transportation. 

Bob's sister, Eileen, who was born in Priest River, Idaho April 8, 1920(?) passed away June 26, 2010 in Arlington, Washington.  She left a son, Jerry, and a daughter, Sharon.

We talked about arranging a Staeheli family reunion in 2011 and the issue of travel for family living in Western Washington and Eastern Washington. 

I enjoy meeting with Bob and Daphne and look forward to my next opportunity.

Bob 1943/44

Jerry Staeheli

On Friday, September 10, while I was still at dad's home in Spokane we had a visit from Jerry Staeheli who drove from his home in Post Falls, Idaho.  Jerry is a brother of Jack Staeheli from Tieton who I had met June 8 when he came to Kennewick.  They are children of Harold Lawrence Staeheli who was a son of Caspar Hermann Staeheli from Gubsenmoos. 

Jerry lived in Everett, Washington most of his life until about a year and a half ago when he relocated to Post Falls.  He served 10 years in the Navy on submarines.  Jerry has experience selling real estate and is handy doing carpentry and mechanical work.  He shared details of his family which I will present on the Staeheli family website.  Jerry has two adult children: Pamela, who lives in Seattle and James, who is in Cle Elum. 

My dad, sister Beth and I enjoyed this first meeting with Jerry and expect we will get together again and maintain contact through facebook and email.

Dad, Jerry and me

Meeting Staeheli's in Spokane

Bob and Rose Staeheli and family

Tuesday I drove to Spokane to visit my dad.  Wednesday we arranged to meet Sharon Staeheli Thompson and her husband, Travis.  We arrived at their home around 4:30 PM and were introduced to Sharon's mother, Lillian and daughters Tina Thomas and Tricia Skidmore.  Lillian, who will be 94 November 4th and was married to Robert Carl Staeheli, provided photos of Staeheli's from her collection.  Tina had scanned those photos and put them on a CD.   

Lillian, Sharon, Tina and Tricia are descendants of Robert Hermann Staeheli who emigrated from Switzerland with the Staeheli's in 1899.  We enjoyed an hour or more of conversation about their family and descriptions of the photos.  Several photos were of Robert Hermann's homestead in Swiss Valley north of Addy.  Other photos document the Staeheli dairies in Addy and Colville.  Of particular interest to me was a photo of Caspar Albert Staeheli, the patriarch.  I believe this is the only known photo of Caspar Albert and am pleased to be able to add it to the website collection.  That photo was loaned to me so I can arrange for restoration and printing of more copies.  I will contact several restorers about digital restoration as the condition of several areas of the photo requires considerable work.

The new information about Lillian and Sharon and Travis' family will  be posted on the Staeheli Family website.  I am very grateful to them for providing detailed notes and excellent photos.  There is interest in a Staeheli family reunion in 2011 so I will continue planning for that event.

Robert Hermann Staeheli in the Addy creamery

Click on photo to enlarge it.  Click twice for maximum size.

Genealogy Research

Bernadette Grob-Oertig informed me that the microfilm records she accessed at the Kanton Thurgau Staatsarchiv also exist at the Mormon archive in Utah.  Anyone can do research at the Mormon archive.  It would be possible for any of us to confirm the work done so far and to possibly expand the research. 

Knowing that would not make the task easy for the reasons I noted on my blog titled A Productive Summer - Major Revelations.

A Productive Summer - Swiss National Museum

Battle scene model at Swiss National Museum

On Friday, July 16 Kathy and I visited the Swiss National Museum in Zurich and spent nearly 5 hours looking at exhibits and learning about Swiss history and culture. A few bits of information have stuck with me.

My understanding is there was a lot of conflict in Switzerland during the 1400’s, 1500’s and 1600’s. Numerous wars were fought to secure the power of one leader or another. A civil war was fought in 1847 and in 1848 Switzerland drafted the constitution which governs the country today. Detailed maps in the exhibits illustrate the regions or cantons taking certain religious or political stands during each period of conflict. It seems the Thurgau and St. Gallen regions where the Staeheli’s lived largely remained outside of the wars and were committed to the Catholic Church. I’m sure my Swiss relatives and friends will explain where I have misunderstood Swiss history.

There was a wooden dining table in one exhibit with bowls carved into the table surface. This was common in poor families. In the early 1800's a common type of work done by poor people was making yarn with spinning wheels because spinning wheels were relatively inexpensive. The yarn would then be used to produce linens on hand looms.  By 1850 weaving became a factory industry. Evidence is clear that some in the Staeheli family worked in making embroidery. It has been said that Maria Staeheli, my great grandmother, wanted to leave Switzerland so her daughters would not have to work in factories.

Labor strikes in the early 1900’s were problematic for Swiss workers and business so in 1937 labor strikes were made illegal with arbitration required to settle disputes. This has contributed to stability and social well being in Switzerland. Suffrage for Swiss women was approved in 1971 but it was only in 1990 that the last holdout canton was forced to introduce women’s suffrage.

In 2002 Switzerland joined the United Nations.

A Productive Summer - Winden

Rolf Blust

I am backtracking with this entry.

On Tuesday July 13, Kathy and I scheduled a train trip from Bern to Zurich. Our alarm was set for 6:30 AM so we would get an early start. After breakfast we walked briskly to the Lion Monument in Bern. Kathy is fascinated with this lion carved into the rock wall and the story behind it. During the French Revolution in 1792 the Swiss Guards protecting the French king were killed or executed protecting him and the Royal family. The Lion has a broken spear in his back and an expression of agony on his face immortalizing the dead Swiss. It is very moving.

We got on the 9:35 train to Zurich and settled in to very comfortable first class seats. My experience last summer was that the trains are seldom full and that is the case this summer. It is possible to take over 4 seats facing each other and have a comfortable nest with a table for computer work. The ride to Zurich took less than an hour and the walk to our hotel took 15 minutes. Since we were early it was not possible to check in so we returned to the station to take the train to Winden. We got on the train to Weinfelden where we would change trains. In Weinfelden we got a train to Romanshorn which has a lovely setting on the Bodensee. From Romanshorn it was a short ride to Haggenschwil-Winden station where we met Tienne. The station in Winden is only a stop and the ticket office is now called the Hair Station, a beauty salon. Near the station there are two houses and two industrial businesses. We have evidence the Staeheli’s came from Kuegeliswinden which is now Winden.

Tienne arrived by car and drove us several miles to the home of Rolf Blust a retired teacher who has written a book, soon to be published, about the history of Winden. For about two hours Mr. Blust gave us local history and his assessment of tracing Staeheli family ancestors. A sticking point for us had been finding records for several decades after Napolean took control of Switzerland around 1798. Tienne believes we will be successful looking into church records of that era (this was the case the next day in St. Gallen).

The only significance of Winden, known as Kuegeliswinden in earlier times, is that it was a border town on the road to St. Gallen and served as a toll station. A new train station was built there in 1910. There was a local dispute over naming the station. The residents of Haggenschwil wanted it named for their town (even though the station was in Kuegeliswinden). The railroad would not print a name as long as Haggenschwil-Kuegeliswinden on a train schedule. So the name of the Kuegelin family was dropped leaving the name used today. Winden means windy.

Maps from earlier times show a cluster of 16 or so houses with some likely occuppied by our Staeheli family. Tienne knows that three farms near the village of Winden today are operated by families named Staeheli. We thanked Mr. Blust for his information and Tienne drove us back to the station. We agreed to meet again tomorrow in St. Gallen and Tienne left for her drive home.

Winden Train Station

A Productive Summer - Major Revelations

Thursday, July 15, Kathy decided to stay in Zurich so I took the 8:07 train from Zurich to Frauenfeld (this means Field of Women in German). It was a short 3 block walk to the Kanton Thurgau Staatsarchiv where I was greeted by Tienne and Bernadette Grob-Oertig who were already at work selecting microfilms to search for Staeheli family records.

It should be noted that genealogists worldwide are indebted to the Catholic Church and the many priests who over the centuries created and maintained records of births, baptisms, marriages and deaths for the residents in the communities of their churches. As well, the Mormon Church is to be credited for locating these records and making them accessible to the public by microfilming and digitizing them. The key to successful family research is having a professional who is skilled in reading the documents and who knows the culture and history of the region being researched.


Lorenz Staeheli in the Church Records - click to enlarge


Today was an exceptionally successful day with the result that we have evidence tracing the Staeheli’s to the village of Erdhausen near Egnach with a marriage record dated 1653 and a birth record dated 1657. There is a continuous line of Staeheli’s from the present day until then. It was the teamwork of Tienne and Bernadette that produced this result. I observed them in awe for five hours as they scanned the records, found critical documents, made copies and placed ancestors in context. The limiting factor to further research is there are no readily available church records prior to these dates.

This is not work to be done by amateurs. Hand written records from only a hundred years ago can be very difficult to read and interpret. Going back two, three or four centuries the style of writing differs, the writing style of a particular priest could be neat or not, spelling of family names was not standardized but based on how the pronunciation of the name sounded to the writer and the shapes of letters of the alphabet were not standard over time.  Some family names were Latinized by the priest recorder. Tienne commented that at a point in the study of documents she could no longer read the records and she speaks, reads and writes German. Bernadette possesses a unique set of skills enabling her to get to the heart of the work and ferret out the desired information.

Tienne and Bernadette engaged in research

Tienne now has hard copies of all documents leading back to 1653. She will organize this information and add it to her family tree. Eventually this tree will be available to all Staeheli’s. I am indebted to Tienne for her diligence with this project. Her energy and enthusiasm as well as her insights to know what must be done and her knowledge of Swiss history, culture, language and society have advanced our understanding of the Staeheli family enormously. Success could not have been possible without her.

Our work at the archive was done around 3:30 and by 4 we were enjoying a drink at a nearby restaurant where Bernadette loaded family tree software on Tienne’s computer and mine, too. She was then able to transfer Tienne’s family data to my computer with ease. Bernadette left and Tienne offered to drive me back to Zurich on her way home. We stopped at the Staehli Bakery on the way to her car then hit the road for Zurich.

Tienne at the Staehli Bakery

An hour later Tienne dropped me off at the Zurich train station and I walked to the hotel. Kathy and I shared the events of the day then had dinner. We took a stroll through the old town and returned to our room to get a good night’s sleep.

What I understand of our family is that for many generations we had been farmers in northeast Switzerland near the Bodensee. In the mid 1600’s we were in Erdhausen and the earliest record is of the marriage of Jakob Staheli to Maria on October 25, 1653.  A reasonable estimate is that Jakob was born around 1630. Over time the family moved south to Kuegeliswinden (now Winden) then further to the area near St. Gallen. Events provided our family with the means and motivation to emigrate to America. This big picture has substantially satisfied my desire to know my roots. Even though there are many details to add to the story for me this had been another great day in Switzerland.

A Productive Summer - continued

On Wednesday, July 14 Kathy and I left for St. Gallen on the 8:09 train. This is a fairly fast train which is very comfortable. There were several stops before St. Gallen and we arrived at 9:15. After getting a map from Tourist Information we walked to the Staatsarchiv. Tienne met us as we approached the door and we went in together.

This place is well secured and many doors are locked. To leave the document area you must exit through a door locked from the inside. We put our bags in a locker and met with Marcel Muller who helped me last summer. His colleague, Patric Schnitzer also greeted us and we discussed a plan for the day. Marcel led us to a room with a very long table with documents laid out. Most obvious was a map of Guebsensee which was about 4 feet long.

Patric, Tienne, Kathy and Marcel

Marcel had a hand written copy of the sales contract between Kubel Elektrik and Albert Staeheli with a typed copy easier to read. He went through each point of the contract explaining its significance. Attached to the contract were some amendments or points of clarification. We looked at the map dated 1898 prepared by Kubel with excellent detail of Guebsenmoos and the proposed Guebsensee illustrating where shorelines would be. Tienne identified the property lines and Marcel noted from the contract who the neighboring property owners were. The Staeheli house and barn were shown on the map. From the contract and map it was clear Albert Staeheli owned two parcels separated by the property of another farmer. A road or trail crossed the neighbor’s land allowing Albert access to both of his acreages. There was a bridge on the road that Albert and his neighbor maintained jointly. The map and contract are a goldmine of information. Again, Patric and Marcel have done extreme detective work with excellent results.

Marcel lead Tienne and me to meet Ueli Risch, a retired SAK executive who is reviewing historical records from the early days of Kubel Elektrik. Mr. Risch had found the contract of Albert Staeheli after conversation with Marcel about our family research. Marcel showed me the stacks in the document storage room where the Kubel files are kept while Mr. Risch does his work. There are hundreds of thousands of documents. Some have been processed but most have not. It was serendipity that he spotted the contract among the documents. Mr. Risch also had some photos from the construction of the powerplant.

Marcel and Ueli

It was time for lunch so we took a break and walked to a nearby restaurant serving typical Swiss dishes. It was a warm, sunny day suitable for outdoor dining. For just under two hours we enjoyed fine Swiss cuisine and talked about contemporary life, politics, religion, medicine, travel and salaries among other topics. We learned that both Marcel and Patric have been to the U.S. Marcel studied in Nebraska for 10 months and experienced the U.S. medical system when he broke his leg playing soccer. After military service Patric started in San Francisco and drove a rental car through the southwest to LA and north along the coast highway back to San Francisco.

Back at the archive Tienne researched Staeheli’s by accessing microfilm records. Marcel and I researched property records kept by fire insurance companies for mention of the Staeheli’s. Briefly we attempted to locate a photo of the Staeheli house in Guebsenmoos believed to exist in an encyclopedia or publication about St. Gallen. This was determined to be looking for the needle in the haystack. We resumed our study of fire insurance records. I use “we” even though it was Marcel doing the looking and me standing by. His detective skills in overdrive, Marcel had three or four large volumes open and was flipping pages like Superman. Suddenly he exclaimed it was time for a “high five”. Success! He confirmed with Patric and affirmed we had the story of the Staeheli house in Guebsenmoos. It is fascinating but you will have to wait for it to come out in book form. Just kidding… I will update the website soon.

Kathy and I needed to return to Zurich so I collected all the documents Marcel had prepared and we left the archive feeling it had been another eminently successful day of discovery. Back in Zurich we had dinner and showered. It had been the hottest day of the year in Switzerland and sure felt that way even though we had spent most of the day underground. I called Tienne to confirm our meeting in Frauenfeld tomorrow.

Tienne shared joy for her discovery of our great, great, great grandfather during her record search today. Wow! It just kept getting better.

Staeheli Property in Gubsenmoos before flooding Reservoir

Click on images to enlarge them.

A Productive Summer

Much has happened since my last posting.  My wife, Kathy and I traveled to Europe and spent more than a week in Switzerland.  Our first meeting with my cousin Tienne Staeheli was at Ballenberg Outdoor Historical Museum on Friday, July 9.  This is where I fell and broke out several teeth on August 1, 2009.  Tienne met us with a happy greeting when we arrived by train in Brienz and drove us to the ticket office at Ballenberg.  She informed us it was the hottest day of the year so we would need to pace ourselves. 

Tom and Hans

First we met Hans Uhle, the man who took me to the medical clinic in Briez after my accident.  Tienne translated and communicated my gratitude to Hans who was pleased that I had recovered and appreciated that we had returned to Ballenberg.  The remainder of the day we walked from village to village in the park while Tienne described details of the houses and barns and placed them in the context of their origins in the geography of Switzerland. We finished our Ballenberg visit looking at homes from the St. Gallen region where the Staeheli's lived. Tienne then drove us to Brienz to see traditional buildings in the center of town. 


Tienne and Kathy at Ballenberg

Ballenberg

At times during our visit Tienne and I discussed the progress of our family research and priorities for continued investigation. Also of interest to me was that Tienne owns two homes which she is renovating. The home she and her children occupy was originally built in the 1930’s and has undergone significant upgrading which she has had a hand in directing and managing. Her other home located in southern Switzerland was first built in 1610. This home will have upgrades as Tienne has time and resources to do the work. Certainly she knows traditional Swiss homes and has a clear vision of how proper restoration and remodeling should be done.

We agreed to meet the next Wednesday in St. Gallen at the Staatsarchiv.  It had been a thoroughly enjoyable day.

The Rock Where I Broke My Teeth in 2009

Staeheli Reunion

Tienne is considering visiting the United States next year (2011) and would like to be included in a Staeheli family reunion.  Likely this would take place in the Seattle/Tacoma area.  I am looking for comments on this blog either supporting this reunion, suggesting an alternative or perhaps offering to assist with planning.  And the first Staeheli to reply is...

A Meeting With Jack

Yesterday, Jack L. Staeheli from Tieton, Washington came to my home with documents about the Staeheli's in Switzerland.  Jack was on business he does in Kennewick routinely as an insurance adjuster.  He has been to Switzerland three times and in 1981 and 1986 had requested documents from the courthouse in St. Gallen.  Jack's research from 25 years ago provided some details of Caspar Albert's parents and siblings.  It also confirmed there were two Staeheli daughters who had died very young which affirms there had been 16 Staeheli children.

Since the primary goal of my research this coming July in Switzerland was to learn about Caspar Albert's parents and this has already been done, I will redirect my inquiries to go back still another generation.  Jack's documents take the Staeheli's back to the birth of Kaspar Staeheli in 1819 and Jack believes there is information going back to the 1700's.

Tienne is using Jack's documents to continue our search backwards.  From her home in Switzerland she is capable of effectively requesting access to documents which has been advancing our work rapidly.  Tienne has made progress with Staeheli's and the Riml's from Austria.

I am indebted to both Tienne and Jack for their interest and support for this project.  I enjoyed meeting Jack yesterday and we had a good conversation about the past and present.  Jack and his wife, Lynne, are world travellers who recently spent two weeks in Africa in five countries.  They saw many animals in the wild on Safari and were awed by the splendor of Victoria Falls.  Jack and Lynne are planning future trips to the Mediterranean and possibly Egypt and back to Switzerland.

Jack and I discussed the possibility of hosting a Staeheli family reunion next summer.  We agree this would be a worthwhile event.
    

More Staeheli Contacts

I called Jack E. Staeheli, age 91, in Ephrata, Washington because I had been given his name as a Staeheli who would know about the family.  I left a message and received a call back from Sharon Hansen who is married to Frank Hansen.  They just moved from Western Washington into Jack's home.  Jack suffered a heart attack and is now in a nursing facility and Sharon and Frank are directing his care.  Sharon is Jack's daughter and Jack is the son of Caspar Hermann (Cap) Staeheli, one of the immigrant's from 1899.  Sharon's mother is Thelma Marie Nail, now 89, who has been married to Jack for 63 years. 

Sharon has family information to share and recommended I also contact her cousin, Jack L. Staeheli who lives in Entiat, just west of Yakima.  Jack L. is reputed to have documents of the Staeheli's.  I emailed Jack L. and had a reply from him when I checked my computer this evening.  He has travelled to Switzerland and Austria collecting documents.  Jack has visited with descendants of the Riml's in Austria.  He has a picture of the Staeheli family home in Gubsenmoos which was published in an encyclopedia in Switzerland.  What a find!  Jack is willing to share his information to be published on the website which certainly will add to the story of the Staeheli's.

Through Facebook I made contact with Jerry Staeheli of Post Falls, Idaho.  Jerry also recommended I contact Jack L. Staeheli.  My circle of relatives is expanding.

Tienne's Research

Tienne sent a picture of the Staeheli family crest or signet (wappen in German) from a book she obtained telling the story of Staeheli's in St. Gallen.  The village, Almensberg, can be seen on Google earth maps and is not far from Egnach, the town of citizenship, and Kuegeliswinden, the village of residence of the parents of Caspar Abert Staeheli (Caspar and Waldburga).  There is no direct link yet confirmed between Jorg and our family but Tienne is reading the book and will report what she finds out.

I am unable to attach the picture to this blog so will send an email with the attachment.

This week has been good for new developments in Staeheli family history.  Tienne received the marriage certificate of Albert and Maria with the names of their parents.  Sharon and her mother will provide information about the descendants of Robert Hermann Staeheli including photos of the homestead and dairy. 

Tienne has received documents from Austria with information about Maria's mother and her mother's brother.  She has contacted a hobby archivist who knows the history of Egnach and who will give us access to his computer when Kathy and I are there to copy photos of Egnach and Kuegeliswinden.  She learned from a county clerk that a book which would help us to know more of Caspar and Waldburga Staeheli and their children (including Caspar Albert) is missing a page.  That page would have the information we are seeking.  She is waiting for more information from the town of Arbon, Switzerland and from Austria.  She is following numerous leads in pursuit of new information of the Staeheli's.  And I just learned from Tienne that the book she received with information about Staeheli's from Almensberg apparently does not pertain to our family.  There are some close relationships but no direct relationships.  Well, even when you don't get the answer you want you learn something useful. 

Tienne thinks that since we are not aligned with the Almensberg Staeheli's we must look in a new direction.  Her father spoke of Staeheli's from Bern.  Perhaps that will become the next line of research for our family.  Tienne is operating as a genealogy detective finding and verifying clues.  It looks like the Staeheli family is much more complicated than we had imagined.  Kathy and I had planned to spend a day at the archive in Frauenfeld with Tienne and a genealogist, however, access may be closed because records are being moved to a new location.  Tienne will confirm that.  We will be flexible about this project and go where we can. 

Descendants of Robert Hermann Staeheli

Sharon Staeheli Thompson informed me that her mother, Lillian, has photos of the Staeheli homestead in Addy and the Staeheli dairy in Colville.  She and her mother will prepare a list of all the descendants of Robert and Rose to be published on the website.  Tienne wants the names and dates for those descendants for the family tree she is developing of the Staeheli family.  I will put Sharon and Tienne in touch with each other so they can communicate directly.

Rapid Progress

Tienne has been very actively pursuing records and information about the Staeheli's and Riml's in Switzerland and Austria.  She has learned that Caspar Albert's parents were Caspar Staeheli and Waldburga Hermann who lived in the village of Kuegeliswinden (now Winden) and were citizens of the village of Egnach.  My plan to visit the Kanton Thurgau Staatsarchiv in Frauenfeld was to obtain this information.  Tienne has done that in just a few days on her own.  What progress! 

Patric Schnitzer provided Tienne with the marriage document of Caspar Albert and Maria Riml showing their marriage in Straubenzell on August 9, 1877.  Albert listed his occupation as embroiderer and Maria was a maid.  Albert's father was deceased at the time of his marriage to Maria.  Tienne explained that at the time of the marriage St. Gallen was a center for embroidery and lacemaking and the oldest Staeheli daughter, Maria, had been trained in embroidery. 

Maria was born in Tyrolia, Austria on June 2, 1856. Her father was Adam Riml and mother was Elisabeth Riml (born August 26, 1829).  They lived in the village of Schonwies.  Elisabeth's brother was Adam Riml who was a photographer in Schonwies and took photographs of the village.  The name Riml is spelled Rimml in some documents and Rimmel in the US.

Tienne suggests that when Kathy and I visit this summer we could see the antique embroidery machines and go to Schonwies to see the old photos taken by Adam.

More information from Tienne is that two Staeheli daughters born in Switzerland died in 1892 at ages 5 and 6.  Indications are that two other children were stillborn.  The girls, Johanna and Theresia, died of poisoning from berries eaten in the local woods (one daughter) and being frightened or possibly being kicked by a frightened horse (the other daughter).  More research is needed to verify these deaths and Tienne has asked Patric Schnitzer to look for death certificates in St. Gallen archives. 

More Good News

Tienne has effectively filled numerous gaps in my story of Albert and Maria.  She has identified the village where Albert lived as a young man and gotten a map from 1888 showing the houses there.  And Staeheli family records from Egnach and Arbon will become available to us once approval is given by local administrators.  Tienne is a dynamo of energy accelerating progress with research in Switzerland.

Today I was contacted by Sharon Staeheli Thompson, grandaughter of Robert Hermann Staeheli and daughter of Robert Carl Staeheli.  Her mother, age 93, lives in Spokane and has stories and photos to share.  Sharon and her daughter, Tina, were in Colville Tuesday and had lunch at Stephani's Oak Street Grill in the former Staeheli dairy.  Sharon has visited the Staeheli homestead numerous times so knows much about the site.  I will arrange to visit with Sharon and her family at their convenience.

A New Swiss Connection

Good fortune continues to find me with a message left on our home telephone recorder.  Tienne Staeheli called to tell me she had found my Staeheli Family website and had information to add.  I called her late Saturday (5/22) because Switzerland is 9 hours ahead of the west coast.  We spoke for what seemed like an hour and I learned a lot more about her family and the Staeheli's. 

Tienne is the grand daughter of Louis Staeheli who was conceived in Switzerland but born in Marshfield, Wisconsin after the family arrived in the United States in 1899.  Her father was Ron, a son of Louis.  Ron and his family lived in California.  Although born and raised in California, Tienne moved to Switzerland and has become a Swiss citizen.  She lives near Luzern with her husband and children. 

While doing her own family research Tienne found my website and enjoyed reading Theresa Staeheli's letters.  Tienne has added missing information and has corrected some factual errors on other parts of the website.  She continues family history research and is sharing her finds with me.  I believe we can collaborate to develop a much more complete and descriptive story of the Staeheli's. 

Kathy and I will be visiting Switzerland in July and while there will arrange to meet Tienne and possibly her family.  For certain Tienne will meet with us at the Kanton Thurgau Staatsarchiv to assist our research there.  Being multi-lingual, Tienne will be able to translate the German language documents and also to translate the genealogist's information into English for our understanding. 

Last year I obtained a history of the Staeheli family name in German.  Tienne has agreed to translate that document into English so I can post it on the website. 

My experience with family research is making me richer not only in learning our history but in communicating with and meeting the many relatives previously unknown.  This is another very happy day.

Return to Addy

Wednesday, May 19, I drove to Spokane to visit my dad.  We went out for two meals and a movie then made plans for driving to Addy the next day.  Thursday we drove to Addy and, referring to a photo from 1949, looked for a house which had been owned by Robert and Rose Staeheli.  Unable to find the house we spoke with a local who informed us Addy had suffered numerous fires over time so many old homes had been destroyed.  He suggested we check the post office for photos and more information.

The woman at the post office was very helpful.  Some old town photos were displayed there and copies from several publications.  One told a story about Robert Staeheli and his goat.  Another had a group school photo with Waldburga Staeheli.  We were referred to the Mission on Main street to speak to a woman who had knowledge of the Addy Cemetery.  The woman and her daughter who operated the mission did provide information about Russell Gusdal who maintains the cemetery.  Also, the woman lives in the home, outside of Addy, originally owned by Robert and Rose Staeheli.

Leaving Addy, dad and I drove to Blue Creek to meet Russell Gusdal.  Russell gave us a map with dimensions of the cemetery so we could precisely locate the gravesite of Albert Staeheli.  At the cemetery dad and I did find the unmarked graves of Albert and his relative, Peter Staeheli.  Russell told us we could place gravestones ourselves when we were ready to do that.

From the cemetery we drove along Swiss Valley Road to the Staeheli Homestead near the intersection with Marble Valley Road.  The property is divided and part is for sale in two lots totalling 116 acres.  Logging is being done, too.  We drove a primitive road onto the property and located the remains of two structures.  One looked like it had been a home with a foundation made of large stones.  The foundation was collapsed on two sides with timbers lying around.  Some of the timbers were charred indicating there had been a fire.  A short distance away was a chicken coop made entirely of wood.  The design and condition of this building were consistent with having been built 100 years ago.  A stream ran through the property and large fruit trees and other non-native trees were growing on the property.  Ground near the home had been cleared and five large piles of stones were spaced along the fence line at intervals.  Dad and I believe this was likely the Staeheli family farm but must verify that. 

Chicken coop on Staeheli Homestead

From the homestead we drove to Colville to locate the Staeheli Dairy.  First we went to the museum where we spoke with two people who said the Staeheli Dairy had been in what is now Stephani's Oak Street Grill at 157 Oak street.  Ruth Ray kindly put us in phone contact with Gladys Staeheli who had been married to Lester Staeheli, a son of Robert and Rose.  She lives in Colville but had no information for us.  She recommend we contact Lillian Staeheli who had been married to Robert Staeheli, another son of Robert and Rose.  Lillian lives in Spokane and has a daughter, Sharon Thompson.

We located the former dairy on Oak street and I spoke with two workers inside who did not know much about the building's history.  We had been told the dairy was built and began operation in 1947.  Leaving the dairy site we drove a few blocks to the local newspaper, The Statesman-Examiner.  After explaining we were looking for news from 1912 we were directed the an area behind the counter.  From an enormous wall storage area a bound volume of newpapers from 1911/1912 was placed in front of us.  It took only a few minutes to find an article from The Colville Examiner dated Saturday, June 15, 1912 titled Stachli Commits Suicide.  It began, "Alfred Stachli, farmer, aged about 65 years, native of Switzerland, and resident of Stevens county for the past fifteen years, committed suicide...".  This article confirms family lore about Albert's death and relates details explaining the loss of the home to fire the day before.  I will publish the entire article on my website.

Dad and I returned to have dinner at Stephani's Oak Street Grill.

The Colville newspaper is a new valuable resource and when we return there I will research Peter, Robert, Rose, Lester and Ernest Staeheli.  I will look for information about the Staeheli Dairy.  I want to contact the realtor selling the homestead to help verify that the structures are truly the Staeheli farm.  There may be relevant information in the Chewelah museum where we will look next time.  Dad and I will go back in August or September.  In time I will have markers made for Albert and Peter to place on their graves.

The former Staeheli Creamery now a restaurant

Continuing Research - Return to Switzerland

Since my meeting with Staeheli's in January I bought a new computer to enable more data storage and better processing of photos and video.  That, unfortunately, led to a series of technical issues which stalled my progress but provided opportunities to learn more about managing my new computer.  With the purchase and connection of a new photo scanner I am back to the capabilities I need to keep working. 

Several months ago I learned my Google website had run out of memory and I would no longer be able to add photos or documents.  My mentor, Arlis, advised me to subscribe to Siteground and create a new website.  This has been done.  I have much to learn to make the best use of the new website but am committed to making a complete story of our family presenting all photos and documents available.  For now I will retain the Google website while I transfer information to the new site. 

Kathy and I will vacation in Europe again this summer and while in Switzerland will do research at the St.Gallen Staatsarchiv as well as the Kanton Thurgau Staatsarchiv in Frauenfeld.  Today I made contact with a Swiss genealogist who will meet us in Frauenfeld to advance our research.  My plan is to trace our roots back another generation and with what we learned last summer this should be possible.

I look forward to again seeing Marcel Muller and Patric Schnitzer in St. Gallen.  They were extremely helpful uncovering documents about our family last August.

More help from St. Gallen Staatsarchiv in Switzerland

Recently I have received several emails from Marcel Mueller, archivist at the St. Gallen Staatsarchiv.  Marcel and his associates have been researching the era of interest to me and have found records of considerable interest to the Staeheli's.  They have located meeting minutes of the SAK board of directors dated July 9, 1898 listing Albert Staheli as having been paid 28,000 Swiss Francs for his property in Guebsenmoos.  SAK is the power plant company which purchased the properties in Guebsenmoos and the nearby area to develop the reservoir.  On June 7, 1898 SAK representatives and evaluators visited Guebsenmoos and settled deals with the residents whose properties were being purchased.  Marcel sent a copy of the original handwrittern document.
Also, Marcel has located photographs of the Guebsenmoos area from before the reservoir construction.  It is my hope to find photos of the Staheli property showing the house and barn.  Kathy and I will see those photos during our visit to Switzerland this summer.  We are planning a day in St. Gallen to continue research at the Staatsarchiv with assistance from Marcel and Patric Schnitzer.
Marcel checked the Ellis Island website and noted that the hometown for all of the Staheli family members has been changed to Guebsenmoos.  I had initiated this change months ago and it has been done.  I must also check the Swiss Roots website to see if the change has been made there.  Progress comes in small steps but I am pleased to be helping to improve the records for those who value historical accuracy. 
My gratitude to Marcel and Patric for their continued support.

Meeting More Staeheli's in Tacoma

Ann and Dominic

Monday, January 11, I drove to Tacoma to see Ann and Therese Staeheli and meet Chris and Anita Staeheli and their children, Ian and Laura.   I also met Rita Troup and Dominic Staeheli.  Ann and Therese provided a brief oral family history on video and we discussed various early family members and their stories.  Dominic provided his laptop computer so we could view the website and discuss information on the fourteen Staeheli children.  I learned more useful information to be added to the website. 
Anita invited me to stay for dinner and when Chris got home from work we enjoyed a nice meal with the whole family.  Chris offered suggestions for continuing research as he related his trips to Switzerland and Austria. 
Tuesday, I drove to Kenmore to visit Daphne and Bob Dempsey who provided photos of Franziska's family.  Franziska married Vern Dempsey and they were gold miners in Alaska for many years.  Our two hours together went much too quickly but I will see them again. 
Personally, my exploration of the Staeheli family roots is growing more satisfying as I meet more Staeheli's and learn about our individual and collective success as Americans.

Rita, Therese and Dominic