Responses to My Inquiry About Caspar Albert, the son

After receiving emails and phone calls from several Staeheli's who had no information about the burial location for Caspar Albert Staeheli, the son, I heard from Daphne Dempsey. 

Daphne recently returned from a trip to Australia to visit relatives and reported she truly enjoyed her three weeks there.

Daphne recalls that her mother, Theresa, related that the son was in a military hospital in Sedro Woolley when he died and it might be possible that he was buried in the vicinity of Steilacoom, Washington.  This provides a new direction for my search which I will follow in the hope of finding an answer.


 

Solving a Puzzle - Where is Caspar Albert Staeheli the Son?

For several years I have researched where Caspar Albert Staeheli, the son, born April 24, 1879 is buried.  The most reliable story of his passing is that he died in a Sedro Woolley hospital from Typhoid Fever. 

My access to Washington State Digital Archives has provided no information and contact with Alison Costanza at the Northwest Regional Branch of Washington State Archives at WWU in Bellingham has also failed to find a death record for Caspar Albert. 

While reviewing documents I got from Paul Staeheli (see Paul's Treasure Trove, April 17, 2011) I read a document listing Albert's death date as October 11, 1901 in a hospital in Sedro, Washington.  The source is Joseph Staeheli's record book.  It is also noted he was called "Albert" by the family.

A page from the Staeheli family journal signed by the Father, Caspar Albert Staeheli, reinforces this information.

A statement by the author of The Staeheli Family - an unattributed history states he is buried in Sedro Woolley.  With this information I will continue work to find a record of his date of death and location of burial so I can document his final resting place. 

However, a document from Pauline Staeheli Hagan listing the 16 Staeheli children has pencil notes stating that Caspar Albert, the son, was buried in Stylacoom.  I read this to be Steilacoom, WA which is near Tacoma.

After checking cemetery records at the Union Cemetery in Sedro Woolley and the Western State Hospital Memorial Cemetery near Steilacoom I have found no listing for Albert Staeheli. 

I spoke by telephone with a librarian at the Sedro Woolley library where genealogical records of Skagit County are kept.  A local genealogical society has recorded deaths in the county from funeral home records.  From the 1880's until 1908 the state did not require or maintain death records.  Counties were responsible for those records.  There is no record for Caspar Albert. 

This is a mystery to me.  Family records are very clear about this information but I have found no supporting county or state documents.  And I have not yet found his burial place. 

I will contact several Staeheli contributors to determine if someone has specific information about Albert's place of burial.

Because Albert arrived in America a year before the entire family and is credited with encouraging the Staeheli's to follow I believe he was a significant influence establishing our families here. 


 

Website Changes

Several articles have been moved from the original website to the new website.  This was necessary because the original site had reached its memory capacity so no more information could be added. 

I also changed the home page to minimize redundancy.

The new site has sufficient memory for much more information and I have added new articles from documents provided by Paul Staeheli which he had obtained from Pauline Staeheli’s estate.

July Date for Laying the Grave Marker

Tienne Staeheli will be visiting the US in July and wants to participate in laying the stone memorial for Caspar Albert Staeheli.  A date of July 9, 10 or 11 is planned for placing the memorial at the Addy Cemetery. 

My wife, Kathy and I along with Tom Staly Sr., Jerry Staeheli and Tienne will place the granite marker.  We invite any other Staeheli/Staly family members to join us for that event.  I will note on this blog the date and time when we have finalized our plans.

In Search of a Staeheli Family Journal

Among Pauline Hagan Staeheli’s papers were photo copies of 5 pages from a Staeheli family journal handwritten by Caspar Albert Staeheli.  Recorded were birth dates of the children and information about the death of Caspar Albert the son.

Tienne Staeheli has interpreted the language from two pages.  The part about Albert states:

“In the year 1901 our dear son Albert died in hospital in Sedro, Washington on 11 October 1901. 22 1/2 years old. Albert was a good and loving son. May he rest in peace. The Father"

Just below that is the additional statement:

“it is my wish that my oldest of my children should keep this letter pouch...it belonged to my grandparents”

This reveals there is an important Staeheli family document in the form of a letter pouch or wallet and copies were made for others in the family, including Pauline.  It measures approximately 4 ½ by 7 ½ inches. 

If it was given to the oldest Staeheli that would have been Maria who married Al Kolbeck.  The only name of a descendant I have for Maria is Creighton Kolbeck from Edmonds. 

Tienne suggests the tradition at that time would have been to leave the letter pouch with the oldest son who was Robert Hermann Staeheli.  Stacy Pettitt and her mother, Claudia, are descendants of Lester Staeheli and Gladys Holst.  Lester was a son of Robert Hermann.   

Sharon Staeheli Thompson is the daughter of Lillian and Robert Carl Staeheli.  Robert was a son of Robert Hermann.

Our task now is to follow the family trail to see who may know about this letter pouch or have it in possession.

I would like to copy the contents of the pouch for presentation on the Staeheli Family website as it would give us a look back two more generations into the history of the Staeheli’s.

The 5 pages copied from the journal will be published on the Staeheli Family website.

Below is the page describing the letter pouch.  Click on the image to enlarge it.

 

 

Swiss Document Found Listing 16 Staeheli Children

Among documents held by Pauline Staeheli which Paul Staeheli provided to me is a copy of a birth record listing all sixteen of the children born to Caspar Albert and Maria. This document was issued by the Zivilstandsamt Egnach on May 10, 1984.

Two daughters born to the Staeheli's did not survive to make the trip to the United States. Their first child was Maria Johanna born May 26, 1878 in Gübsen.  She died April 1, 1881 in Altenwegen.

Another daughter, Theresia, was born April 23, 1885 in Straubenzell and died in Gübsen on September 26, 1887.

A handwritten note on the back of the copy states that Kaspar Albert Stäheli and Maria Rimml were married in Straubenzell (St. Gallen or Thurgau) on August 9, 1877.  Also written on the back are the names Jeff Moos and Rosalie Bray.

I have read family lore describing the deaths of these two daughters.  Given that Maria was not yet 3 years old and Theresia was not quite 2 ½ at passing I have questions about the reliability of those accounts. 

I will publish the document and add these daughters to the lists of Staeheli children on the websites.

 

Caspar Albert Staeheli Grave Marker is Received

Friday, February 22, the Caspar Albert Staeheli grave marker was delivered to my home via UPS.  I removed the top of the package containing the marker to reveal a stone looking exactly like the image provided by Affordable Markers of Atwater, California. 

The marker is beautiful.  Several people have contacted me about participating in laying the marker at the gravesite.  I will contact those interested to plan a date for doing the work. 

An internet search offered many choices for grave markers.  Affordable Markers was the most helpful in selecting the design and allowing flexibility in text size, placement and wording.  I am very satisfied with their service and product quality.