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Although it is not known where in Baden the family came from, they had spoken of seeing the famous clock in the cathedral of Strasbourg, which seemed to indicate they lived fairly close. They were as much French as German and their region had once been part of Alsace. (Erlach is about 20 miles from Strasbourg across the Rhine).

Anton and Katherine had seven children in Germany, but the twin girls and a girl and boy died under the age of three.

Anton sailed with his wife and three remaining children from LeHavre bound for New York. However, due to bad weather, the ship was blown off course and landed in New Orleans on Jan 27, 1852, after 4 weeks on the ocean.

The two youngest children died on the ship.

They planned to settle near Cincinnati because a relative had come there earlier, who was married to a Schott. The Schott family owned Coney Island, a famous amusement park in Cincinnati.

Two brothers of Anton: Wendell (who was unmarried) and another (name unknown), were said to have emigrated at the same time.

Wendell went to California to participate in the gold rush. He later returned & told of finding gold, then went back & died under mysterious circumstances.

The other brother was never heard from again.

Anton & family started up the Mississippi by river boat, but there was a storm & fire & they had to return to New Orleans to start over.

A boy was born on the river boat, but died soon after. He was buried at Petersburg, in Boone County, KY.

Anthony Raymond, was born the next year, 1853.

Not liking KY after 2 years, Anton moved his family across the river to either Indiana or Ohio. There he worked in a gravel pit but a cave-in occurred.

Then he bought a farm of 400-500 acres in Dearborn County near Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

They had no water when they arrived at their home site, and they had to make coffee from the water in a hollow tree stump.

Eventually Anton and Katherine (now known as Kate) had 5 more sons, including twin boys, Frank and Charles.

Tragically they too died at the age of three. Anton had been to town

to buy rat poison and while he was putting the team of horses away,

the boys found it.

Anton and Maria “Kate” Ziegler had a total of 13 children, but only four survived past childhood: one girl and three boys. The 3 surviving brothers married the 3 Wilhelm sisters who lived nearby. The oldest surviving brother, Anthony Raymond, married Veronica Wilhelm, who died after giving birth to their six children. Then Anthony married Caroline Reusch within a year, and had 8 more children, including Raymond B. Ziegler.

They all lived on adjoining farms probably divided from

the original homestead.

Kate’s brother, Bernhard Bimmerle, had also emigrated as well as their mother, and they, too, lived nearby.

Anton died at home on his farm, after he asked that his bed be moved near the window so he could watch the sunset for the last time on his beautiful land and orchards.

“It is a saga of incredible hardship and heartbreak. Yet they clung to their deep faith, eventually prospered, and survived to old age.”

--- MCK 2002