Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: User Home Page Genealogy Report: Ancestors of Margaret Ostermeyer

[ Home Page | First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page ]

Ancestors of Margaret Ostermeyer

Generation No. 3

4. Andreas (Andrew) Ostermeyer, Sr., born March 14, 1856 in Demhausen, Upper Bavaria, Germany ⁵; died September 20, 1940 ⁶. He was the son of 8. Joseph Ostermeyer and 9. Maria (Ostermeyer). He married 5. Theresia Meyer November 25, 1884 in St. Boniface R. C. Church, Harlan, Shelby County, IA ⁷.

5. Theresia Meyer, born 1863 in Woithofen, Germany ⁸; died October 28, 1948⁸. She was the daughter of 10. Aloysius Meyer and 11. Ursula Frey.

Notes for Andreas (Andrew) Ostermeyer, Sr.:
At the age of 80, Andrew received a Certificate of Citizenship from the Department of Labor, dated 19 May 1936 which said that he had been naturalized by the Superior Court of Council Bluffs, Iowa on November 4, 1889. This certificate has a photo of Andrew and describes him thusly: Color White, complexion Ruddy, color of eyes Blue, color of Hair Grey, height 5 feet 2 inches, weight 135 pounds, visible distinctive marks None, marital status Married. He was residing in Anthon, Iowa at that time.

More About Andreas (Andrew) Ostermeyer, Sr.:
Occupation: Farmer ⁹

Notes for Theresia Meyer:
Theresia and Andrew lived in Woodbury County, Iowa in 1936 when the Farm Security Administration photographer, Russell Lee, arrived in northwest Iowa to record the ravages of the Depression on rural life. The couple had just lost their farm along the Little Sioux River in western Woodbury County, about 2 1/2 miles northeast of Oto, Iowa, when Mr. Lee photographed them. A photo that he took of Mrs. Ostermeyer's hands was included in a famous photographic display, "The Family of Man," assembled by Edward Steichen and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, which opened on January 19, 1955. This display was later reproduced in a book.

Marriage Notes for Andreas Ostermeyer and Theresia Meyer:
Their great-great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Spotten Farance, says that they immigrated to the U.S. in November 1884.

A series in the Des Moines Sunday Register depicted the hard times in Iowa during the Depression. This series began on November 20, 1977 with the first article featuring Theresia's arthritic hands and other photos of the couple and their story of this era.

Margaret Hiller, their granddaughter, was quoted in this article as saying that "the year that her grandparents, the Ostermeyers, lost their farm 'was the year we dried out. We didn't raise any crop at all.' It was 1936."

"She said her grandparents were natives of Germany and immigrated to this country in the great European emigration wave near the turn of the century."

"They got off the train from New York in Harlan, which 'was as far as the train went then.' "

"They worked around Harlan for awhile, farmed around Panama and Earling, then homesteaded near Woodbine in Harrison County. They lost that farm after World War I, then rented until they bought the farm near Oto, which they lost in the 1930s."

"After that, their son George, with whom they lived, bought 80 acres near Albia, and the old folks lived the rest of their lives there. Andrew died on Sept. 20, 1940. Theresia died Oct. 28, 1948, without knowing that her hands were destined for fame."

The only descendant still farming in 1977 was Irene, whose husband was a farmer.

More About Andreas Ostermeyer and Theresia Meyer:
Marriage: November 25, 1884, St. Boniface R. C. Church, Harlan, Shelby County, IA ¹⁰

Children of Andreas Ostermeyer and Theresia Meyer are:

2	i.	Andrew Ostermeyer, Jr., born May 11, 1885; died February 12, 1962; married Catherine Rath.
	ii.	John Ostermeyer ¹¹
	iii.	Joseph Ostermeyer¹¹

Notes for Joseph Ostermeyer:
Died at the age of 3.

		iv.		George Ostermeyer¹¹
		v.		Mary Ostermeyer¹¹

Notes for Mary Ostermeyer:
Mary died at the age of 15.

[ Home Page | First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page ]