Ancestors of Donald Eldon Tigges
Passenger and Immigration Lists: Germans to
America, 1850-1874, Date of Import: Aug 4, 2000, Internal Ref. #1.355.1.35303.3]
Passenger's Name: Bernhard Tigges
Age: 55
Occupation: Farmer
Last Residence: Lenskede in Germany
Date of Arrival: Jun 18, 1852
Final Destination: MO - Went to Iowa instead
Purpose for Travel: Staying in the USA
Ship's Name: Uhland
Captain's Name: J. Waechter
Manifest ID Number: 00018102
Port of Embarkation: Bremen
Mode of Travel: Steerage
Bernard was a farmer and owned 118 acres. He was 55 when he
arrived in Dubuque. He and Agnes came to America in 1852.
Bernhard was 55 when he came to Dubuque, Agnes was 39. Bernhard
was 42 years old when he married, Agnes was 26.
Bernhard Sr. and Agnes' farm was near Sherrill's Mount, Section
31, Peru Township. 118 acres. There were two houses at the farm
situated in the valley by the spring, where the family lived
first. One son, Bernhard Jr., often told the story how cold it
was in the winter to run from one house to the other to go to
bed, and then the next morning to run back to the first house to
eat breakfast.
The Bernhard Tigges family built themselves a new rock house
farther on up the hill from the spring in the valley. It was
built in 1861. The rocks were taken from the hills on the farm.
The Tigges family had two lime kilns on the hillside beside the
spring in the valley. I (Heneritta(Valentine)Tigges), visited the
site of the original homestead in 1973. Robert J. Tigges also
remembers being at the site and seeing the foundations of the
homes, and seeing the spring. The two kilns are still in
existence (very good shape, though now filled in with rock to
prevent cattle from falling into them). The kilns were used to
make lime to be used as mortar for building of rock houses,
foundations, plastering, etc. I (Henrietta(Valentine)Tigges)
picked up and have in my possession three lime-stone rocks which
I took from the firing door of one of the kilns. Wood was used to
fire the kilns. The rocks I picked up did not become perfect lime
in the firing and are known as "Slack" rocks, not
usable. The lime made by the Tigges family was also sold to the
folks in the area for building purposes.
The farm with the new homestead, where the new rock house was
built, passed onto a son, Frank Tigges. It was next lived on by
John and (Mary Tigges) Hirsch, Mary being the oldest daughter of
Frank and (Anna Klein) Tigges. During that time when John and (Mary
Tigges) Hirsch lived on the farm, (John was the son of Peter and
(Anna Utzig) Hirsch), John ended his own life in the woods of
Peter and (Kathrina Conrad) Von Utzig' farm, a distance East of
the Bernhard Tigges Sr. farmstead.
Bernhard and Agnes Lineman Tigges had 6 children; Friederick,
Katherina(Katherine), Frank, Bernard Jr., John(Sr.) and Paul (Paul
died early on in life and nothing is known about him). The first
three for sure were born in Rheinpruessen, Germany. Bernard Jr.
was born the year Bernhard Sr. and Agnes Tigges came to America.
(we don't not know if it was before or after they arrived in U.S.
that Bernhard Jr. was born).
When Katherina married Adam Fleckenstein they were given a parcel
of land, part of the home farm, on which to build their homestead
and farm. The homestead was a short distance south of the New
Rock House homestead. Foundations of the building are in evidence
today(1973). The Adam Fleckenstiens later bought and moved to
another farm on the main road to Sherrill where they lived out
their lives. Today that farm belongs to Ralph and Marcella
Schmitt Baol.
The original Fleckenstien farm on which Adam Fleckenstien was
raised was the John Foell farm, purchased by Eldon Waller and is
located across the road from the Raymond and Ceclia Bellman
Tigges(Adam Tiggeses) farm. The parents of Adam Fleckenstien were
Thomas and Caroline Fleckenstien. Their children were Mary,
Ignatz, Adam, Joseph, and Lizzie.
When Bernhard Jr. married he also received a farm from his
parents and built his homestead there. It was right beside the
father's farm. Here he lived all the days of his life from the
time of his marriage.
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updated August 17, 2006