Susanna Sievert emigrated with her husband Vincent, and son, August, aboard the ship Johanna Elise on 15 May 1852. [1] They arrived in New York City on 23 June 1852. [2] They settled in Joliet, Will County, Illinois, first appearing on the 1860 census as a farmer, next door to his brother, John. [3] They attended St. John the Baptist German Catholic Church and their son, Peter, was baptized on 5 July 1857. [4] The records begin in 1855, so the baptism of their daughter, Julia Ann in 1854 is not at this church. Not only Vincent and John emigrated, but their sisters did also: Eva, who married Christoph Wienke, and Henrietta, who married Joseph Freitag. Susanna’s sister, Wilhelmine Hartung, also emigrated to the area. These families attended the German Catholic church. So, it is likely when they first came to America that they continued speaking German. Census Records Give Clues The 1860 census doesn’t give any indication of the language spoken. There is a column about reading ...
Researching: Davey, Gleeson, Gorrell, Hork, Hutson, Johnston, Jones, Lundquist, Nilsen, Selman, Sievert, Sullivan, Tierney, & Wollenweber.