John and Fredricka Meisel

Johann H. Meisel was the son of Johann and Christine Meisel. He was born on 2 November 1830 in Odenhausen, District of Erfurt, Province of Saxony, in modern-day Germany. As a teenager, he learned the trade of linen weaver. He left his parents' house as a 23-year-old, when he married Fredricka Staugie. The newlyweds set up housekeeping in a home of their own in Odenhausen. There Johann worked for two years at his chosen profession.

But Johann and Fredricka longed for a new life in America. They sailed westward in the early spring of 1855. Fredricka was then in the advanced stages of pregnancy. Her first child, Augusta, was born aboard ship on the 17th day of May in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Upon arrival in the United States, the Meisels settled first in Pennsylvania, They stayed but a year in the Keystone State, then moved to Peru County, Illinois, near the town of Princeton. Initially their farm totaled a mere 80 acres, but within a few years they had purchased another 96 acres.

Johann and Fredricka spent a total of 29 years on their Illinois farm. While there, Fredricka gave birth to six more children: Anna, Johanna, Emma, Maria, Heinrich, and Benjamin.

In 1885, the Meisels decided on a move to Carroll County in western Iowa. With money generated from the sale of their Illinois properties, they purchased 120 acres in Roselle Township. They later added another 85 acres in Washington Township, and - a little while later - another 160 acres, bringing their Carroll County land holdings up to a total of 365 acres, more than one half section of land.

Johann Meisel retired from farming in 1894, and moved his wife to an elegant house in the town of Carroll, Iowa. He died there on 28 May 1900 at the age of 69. His wife, Fredricka, survived him by just over six years. When she died on 15 June 1906, she was buried beside her beloved husband, Johann, in the Carroll City Cemetery.

Fredricka (Staugie) Meisel

Johann and Fredricka's seven children were:

1- Augusta Meisel - Born 17 May 1855. Married George Schneider and, after his death, Anton Hoffert.

2- Anna Meisel - Born 1857. Married Nickolaus Backes.

3- Johanna Meisel - Born 1859. Married Fred Hoscheit.

4- Emma Meisel - Born 1862. Married Heinrich Rose.

5- Maria Meisel - Born 1865. Married Albert Hoscheit.

6- Heinrich Meisel - Born 1867. Married Julia Guegel.

7- Benjamin - Married Katharina Williams.