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

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. 

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.

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.
 

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".

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.

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.