Wilhelm apparently arrived in the United States from Mecklenburg, Germany in 1854 at the age of 6. He is the son of Heinrich "Henry" Steffen (1831-1897) & Sophia Frohrieb (1825-1882), who both emigrated to the United States from Mecklenburg, Germany. His parents landed at Elgin, Illinois, with an association to the Elgin Watch Company. Wilhem must have made his way to Chicago where he met and married Emilie Bernhagen in 1872 and they had their first son, my great grandfather William Emil Steffen in 1874.
According to the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index 1763 - 1900 "Fritz STEPHAN" marries Emilie BERNHAGEN in COOK COUNTY on 06/23/1872 listed in Vol. 78 and License # 0003543B. "Fritz" is the nickname that Wilhelm chose to go by at the time.
We know that Wilhelm had a German-American bible in his personal effects retained by cousin James Madden Gubbins II (James Gubbins III currently has this bible).
William Emil Steffen (my great grandfather) was the informant on the Death Certificate for Wilhelm Steffen. It shows him to have been born December 1, 1848 and he died June 28, 1910 of double pneumonia. (Double pneumonia means that the infection was in both lungs...)
Wilhelm's Death Certificate indicates that he emigrated 45 years earlier, and had lived in Chicago, Illinois that entire time. During that time he was a trunkmaker, a "finisher" and a house painter. He lived on Blackhawk street for much of his life in Chicago.
He had two sons, William Emil & Richard "Doc" Steffen. William was a Chicago Police department patrolman, seargent, and finally a detective. Dr. Richard Steffen was a doctor with St. Mary's Hospital in Chicago.
According to the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index 1763 - 1900 "Fritz STEPHAN" marries Emilie BERNHAGEN in COOK COUNTY on 06/23/1872 listed in Vol. 78 and License # 0003543B. "Fritz" is the nickname that Wilhelm chose to go by at the time.
We know that Wilhelm had a German-American bible in his personal effects retained by cousin James Madden Gubbins II (James Gubbins III currently has this bible).
William Emil Steffen (my great grandfather) was the informant on the Death Certificate for Wilhelm Steffen. It shows him to have been born December 1, 1848 and he died June 28, 1910 of double pneumonia. (Double pneumonia means that the infection was in both lungs...)
Wilhelm's Death Certificate indicates that he emigrated 45 years earlier, and had lived in Chicago, Illinois that entire time. During that time he was a trunkmaker, a "finisher" and a house painter. He lived on Blackhawk street for much of his life in Chicago.
He had two sons, William Emil & Richard "Doc" Steffen. William was a Chicago Police department patrolman, seargent, and finally a detective. Dr. Richard Steffen was a doctor with St. Mary's Hospital in Chicago.
Wilhelm apparently arrived in the United States from Mecklenburg, Germany in 1854 at the age of 6. He is the son of Heinrich "Henry" Steffen (1831-1897) & Sophia Frohrieb (1825-1882), who both emigrated to the United States from Mecklenburg, Germany. His parents landed at Elgin, Illinois, with an association to the Elgin Watch Company. Wilhem must have made his way to Chicago where he met and married Emilie Bernhagen in 1872 and they had their first son, my great grandfather William Emil Steffen in 1874.
According to the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index 1763 - 1900 "Fritz STEPHAN" marries Emilie BERNHAGEN in COOK COUNTY on 06/23/1872 listed in Vol. 78 and License # 0003543B. "Fritz" is the nickname that Wilhelm chose to go by at the time.
We know that Wilhelm had a German-American bible in his personal effects retained by cousin James Madden Gubbins II (James Gubbins III currently has this bible).
William Emil Steffen (my great grandfather) was the informant on the Death Certificate for Wilhelm Steffen. It shows him to have been born December 1, 1848 and he died June 28, 1910 of double pneumonia. (Double pneumonia means that the infection was in both lungs...)
Wilhelm's Death Certificate indicates that he emigrated 45 years earlier, and had lived in Chicago, Illinois that entire time. During that time he was a trunkmaker, a "finisher" and a house painter. He lived on Blackhawk street for much of his life in Chicago.
He had two sons, William Emil & Richard "Doc" Steffen. William was a Chicago Police department patrolman, seargent, and finally a detective. Dr. Richard Steffen was a doctor with St. Mary's Hospital in Chicago.
According to the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index 1763 - 1900 "Fritz STEPHAN" marries Emilie BERNHAGEN in COOK COUNTY on 06/23/1872 listed in Vol. 78 and License # 0003543B. "Fritz" is the nickname that Wilhelm chose to go by at the time.
We know that Wilhelm had a German-American bible in his personal effects retained by cousin James Madden Gubbins II (James Gubbins III currently has this bible).
William Emil Steffen (my great grandfather) was the informant on the Death Certificate for Wilhelm Steffen. It shows him to have been born December 1, 1848 and he died June 28, 1910 of double pneumonia. (Double pneumonia means that the infection was in both lungs...)
Wilhelm's Death Certificate indicates that he emigrated 45 years earlier, and had lived in Chicago, Illinois that entire time. During that time he was a trunkmaker, a "finisher" and a house painter. He lived on Blackhawk street for much of his life in Chicago.
He had two sons, William Emil & Richard "Doc" Steffen. William was a Chicago Police department patrolman, seargent, and finally a detective. Dr. Richard Steffen was a doctor with St. Mary's Hospital in Chicago.
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