Margaretha Magdelina (Suess) and Christoph Frederick Zimmermann

Information

My Grandmother was Mary (Zimmerman) Roesch. Her parents were Margaretha Magdelina (Suess) Zimmermann who married Christoph Frederick Zimmermann in 1861. Frederick and Magdalena Zimmermann, and their five younger children left Antwerp, Belgium on the ship Rhynland and arrived in New York on Dec. 2, 1887.

Coming to America had to be difficult for our ancestor Margaretha Magdelina (Suess) Zimmermann. She had four children buried in Germany and had to leave their graves behind knowing you can never visit their graves again. She had to leave behind her oldest daughter Christina who was married with a son and about 8 months along in expecting a child.

I think that she felt she had no choice. She had a Grandfather Jakob Friedrich Gamer drafted into Napoleons army and he had died in Russia during the war of 1812. So she must have had a fear of the draft and war. She had her oldest son Karl Friedrich Zimmermann recently drafted into the German Kaiser army and two other sons older than my Grandma Roesch who were almost old enough for the draft. If she did not come to America immediately then her next two oldest sons would also be drafted.

Her fears were well founded. When the her son, Karl's military training was over, he came to this country, but he had contracted an ailment while in the military service He died less than a year(a day after Christmas, 1891) after coming to this country with T.B of the bone.

From the Suess family bible bought by descendant Gary Jones who used to live in suburban Kansas City Kan.- Jerry's Nursury on US73 & Kans 6 (he has died):

“Magdalena Suess Zimmerman- born in Graben 22 July 1839, Married in 1861. God gave them 11 children. God took 5 back. Karl would have been 25 years old. The other four were only about 8 days old. They would fall again soon because of all the bad luck.

Karl Fried Zimmerman- 27 Febr. 1866, Graben, Baden Germany- died 26 Dec 9 PM Year 1891. His parents had him 25 yrs, 10 mos. & 1 day. Had tears in her eyes on Memorial Day & was homesick (for old country) Rathaus, Graben, Baden Germany.”

I think the bad luck referred to was the death of her husband Frederick Zimmermann. In 1897, Frederick Zimmermann, drove his team and wagon into Falls City to do some shopping. On his way home something scared his horses. The wagon tipped over and Frederick died of the injuries he received. Magdalena Zimmermann remained on their farm home with members of her family until her death in 1908. I think the accident happen North of Falls City on what is now highway 75, on the East side of the road just before the road turns West and goes up the high. Does any one know?

The Zimmermann's daughter, Christina, her husband and children, also followed her family to this country a few years later.

It is said my Grandma Roesch, (who was ten years old at the time when they came to America) that they never talked much about coming to America, because it upset her mother. My Grandma Roesch was twenty years old when her father died in a run away horse accident. She got married less than four months later after her father died. She made her own wedding dress and it was all in black. They were married at St. Peters Lutheran Church near Barada, Nebraska.

Frederick and Magdalena Suess Zimmermann are buried in St. Peter's Lutheran Church Cemetery 12 miles northeast of Falls City, Nebraska They also have three children, in-laws, and grandchildren buried in this cemetery In early days at this cemetery they buried the dead side by side and finished the row, then they started another row, for that reason they are not buried side by side. You count the graves from the east. Frederick Zimmermann's grave is in row eight, the second grave. Magdalena Suess Zimmermann's grave is in row nine, grave fifteen The lettering is so badly worn off that it is almost impossible to read the names on the monument.

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Last Modified November 2009

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