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Jacob Schlichenmayer was born 3 May, 1848 in Hoffnungstal Cherson, Russia to Jacob and Barbara (Eriumbuch) Schlichenmayer. He as married to Margarete Kienzle on 17 October 1872 in Hoggnungstal. Margarete was born in Hoffnungstal on 16 December, 1852 to Gottlieb and Christine (Hohn) Kienzle. After having grown up and married in the German enclaves of S. Russia, Jacob and Margarete began to consider Immigration to the United States. During the 1870's to 1890's conditions were changing in the German areas of Russia. Many of the families had originally come to Russia as members of religious groups lured by free land, religious freedom and freedom from military service. By 1890 all this was changing and Jacob's sons were becoming old enough t o serve in the military. Faced with the imminent draft of their oldest son, Jacob, the family decided to join the migration of German Lutheran families to the plains of the Midwest and Western United States. Choosing the area north of present day Bethune, Colorado, they departed Russia in 1889, because of delays only eight family members traveled together sailing from Bremmen, Germany. Their oldest son, Jacob (born 1873) was unable to accompany the family because he had already reached military age in Russia. After many difficulties and adventures young Jacob eventually rejoined his family in Colorado. Upon arriving in the United States they traveled to the settlement by train in time for the birth of an 8th child. Fredrick on the 4th of May, 1890. Soon after arriving in the United States, the family applied for a homestead and Jacob applied for citizenship. Jacob lived long enough to "prove up" on his homestead and died in 1900 after the birth of their 9th child, Elizabeth in 1895. Margarete continued to live on their homestead raising their children until 1928 when she had a stroke and was bedfast until her death in 1931. Jacob and Margarete had 9 children, all of who survived to adulthood. They were: Jacob, Christina (Gilruth), Gottlieb, Margreta (Adolf), John, David, Carolina (Boll), Fredrick, and Elizabeth (Metcalf). |