We’re all related

All of the Gottsackers in America are related to a few brothers and cousins that emigrated from Mayschoss, Germany in the mid 1800s. Only one Gottsacker family remains in Mayschoss–the family of Franz Gottsacker. If you’ve read the section on how this genealogy project got started (“How This Started”), you are familiar with Franz. There are several groups of Gottsackers in Germany and a very few scattered in other places in the world.

The first Gottsackers in Mayschoss

Around 1640, a person critical to the Gottsacker family was born in Muenstereifel, Germany. His father was Christantius Gottsacker and his mother is unknown. His name was Johannes Gottsacker and the reason he is so critical to the family is that he is the common ancestor of all Gottsackers who can trace their ancestral home to Mayschoss. Johannes was a teacher and moved from Muenstereifel to Mayschoss to teach in the village school. Johannes and his wife Dorthea Kolborn had 8 children. This family was the beginning of the Mayschoss Gottsackers and eventually all of the Gottsackers in the United States and most Gottsackers in Germany.

Three brothers…

Of the six primary Gottsacker immigrants, three were brothers from one Gottsacker family in Mayschoss. One could guess that this family was also a prominent and industrious Mayschoss family–for one family to provide the money for both passage and settlement in a new land meant they must have been a family with at least some financial resources. The three brothers who emmigrated from Germany and settled in Wisconsin were Jacobus Wilhelmus Joseph Gottsacker (known in the US as Wilhelm Gottsacker), Petrus Josephus Gottsacker (known as Peter J. Gottsacker) and Petrus Gottsacker (known as Peter Gottsacker). All of these immigrants first settled in Two Rivers, Wisconsin and most moved on at some point to Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Two brothers who remained in Germany, Nicholas and Jacob, are the ancestors of cousins currently living in Germany. Nicholas is the ancestor of our cousins born and raised in Mayschoss. Jacob is an ancestor of cousins born, raised and currently living in Essen.

In the photo above, Nicholas’ son Michael is seated at the right. His wife Anna Marie (Cosman) Gottsacker is at the left. Franz Gottsacker, father of cousins Marie, Eli, Margret, and Anita (all raised in Mayschoss) is at the upper right. The picture was taken in the 1930s.

…and three cousins

In addition to the three Gottsacker brothers, there were three additional Gottsacker immigrants, all cousins of the three brothers. One of these cousins, Charles (Carl/Karl) Gottsacker was actually the very first immigrant. According to his naturalization papers, he arrived in the US in May of 1852, and it was probably letters home from Carl that enticed the additional Gottsacker immigrants to come to Wisconsin. His sister, Sophia, also immigrated around this time, but little is known of her other than she married a man named Simon Pies and settled in Manitowoc/Two Rivers. Simon and Sophia had two children.

Another cousin immigrant was Joseph Peter Gottsacker. Joseph Peter arrived in December of 1855 and is the ancestor of the branch of the American Gottsacker family that settled in and around Portland, Oregon. The third cousin immigrant was Jacob Gottsacker, who eventually settled around Racine, died at a relatively early age and left only two children. A few currently living Gottsackers are decendants of Jacob.

Finally, another Gottsacker family, the last known to arrive from Germany, is listed at the bottom of this page.  Little is known of this family and due to their relatively late arrival (14 years after the first Gottsacker immigrant), they are not shown on the immigrant timeline below.

Jacob Wilhelm Joseph Gottsacker

Wilhelm was born on October 31, 1823 in Mayschoss. Wilhelm was, of course, a vintner in Mayschoss. Most everyone in Mayschoss could call themselves vintners since most families worked small plots of grapes located the hills surrounding Mayschoss. Wilhelm was also a shoe and boot maker. In August of 1850, Wilhelm married Anna Marie Franciscus Hoemig in the Catholic Church in Mayschoss. Within three years of marriage, on June 15, 1852, Wilhelm and Marie had their first son, (Sebastian) Frank. Later, as an adult in Sheboygan, Frank was to become one of the most prominent citizens of the city.

On August 15, 1853, Wilhelm arrived in NYC on the ship Unicorn. Wilhelm, 26 years old, left his wife Marie and son Frank in Germany. The ship Unicorn departed from Bremen and even though its destination was the Port of New York, the ship manifest listed Wilhelm’s destination as Wisconsin. Wilhelm initially settled in Two Rivers, WI where he set up shop as a shoe and boot maker. Gottsacker immigrants (and likely others) appear to first send the head of household to America to establish themselves and then later send for the remainder of the family.

Wilhelm’s Birth Record

Above is a copy of the original birth record of Wilhelm Gottsacker with German translation above the actual entry. The document lists father Peter Joseph Gottsacker as vintner, 50 years old and mother Maria Christina Schorn. Peter Joseph and wife Maria are the parents of 3 of the original Gottsacker immigrants. Note Peter Joseph’s signature at the lower left.

Tom Lutz has noted in his family genealogy that the well known tailor Adam Trestor also lived in Two Rivers when Wilhelm and his family lived there. Mr. Trestor also relocated to Sheboygan about the same time and Hubert Trestor, Adam’s brother, operated a grocery store one block from Wilhelm’s shop. The Gottsackers and Trestors were acquaintances if not good friends–Trestors appear as Godparents and witnesses in several of Wilhelm’s family events. Hubert Trestor was a pallbearer at the funeral of Anna Brand Gottsacker, Frank Gottsacker Sr.’s wife.

Wilhelm’s wife and son arrive…

Approximately two years after Wilhelm’s arrival in America, wife Marie and son Frank arrived in the Port of New York on the ship Republic. On the ship manifest (below), Frank is listed as ‘Sabaste’. Frank’s full birth name according to Mayschoss church records was ‘Sebastian Frank Gottsacker’. The ship arrived in September of 1855 and Marie and Frank were accompanied by another Gottsacker–Wilhelm’s nephew Jacob. Birth records and dates indicate Jacob is the son of Wilhelm’s brother Nicholas. Jacob was 26 and single at the time of the voyage and within a year of arrival he married Catherine Niesen and settled around Racine. Below is a copy of the manifest of the ship Republic listing ‘Jac. Gottsacker’ (#205). Under Jacob’s name are listed Marie and Sabaste–wife and son of Wilhelm Gottsacker. The point of origin is listed as Mayschoss and destination is Wisconsin.

Destination Two Rivers

The reason is unclear, but Two Rivers in Manitowoc County was the first stopping point for most of the Gottsacker immigrants. Most stayed for a few years and then moved to Sheboygan. Below is a map of Two Rivers in 1850.

The move to Sheboygan

In 1860, Wilhelm, Marie and son Frank moved to Sheboygan where Wilhelm set up shop as a shoe and boot maker. His shop was located on Michigan Ave. between 10th and 11th streets. Son Frank, later known as Frank Sr., eventually became one of the most prominent citizens of the city and began a long tradition of political and social activism in the Gottsacker family.

The children of Wilhelm & Marie

In all, Wilhelm and Marie Gottsacker had six children. Frank Sr. was born in Mayschoss as mentioned earlier. It is his chronicle (see “How This Started”) that led to the rediscovery of the Gottsackers in Mayschoss. Other children of Wilhelm and Marie include: William, who eventually married Elizabeth Becker in Sheboygan and had one child; Angelika Amalia, who married Anton Sukowatey; Clara, who married Peter Hildebrand; And, Elizabeth, who apparently did not marry.

Above is the family of Frank Gottsacker Sr. Frank Sr. (at the back of the photo) was born in Mayschoss and came to America with his mother Marie about 2 years after his father Wilhelm arrived. The photo was taken in 1889. Pictured are wife Anna Brand seated with son Peter on her lap. Peter later married a Schladweiler, moved to South Dakota and became a farmer. Daughter Amalia (Mollie) is standing to the left of her mother. Anna (Addie) is sitting in the floor at the right of her mother. She later married John Schladweiler and moved to South Dakota. Joseph, my grandfather, is sitting on the chair. Like his father, he learned the printing trade and owned a print shop in a small building that still stands at 1706 N. 11th Street in Sheboygan. Sitting on a chair next to the table and book is Anna Matt, an adopted daughter. Son William is standing at the back, next to Anna Matt. William also became a printer and eventually took over as owner/editor of the National Demokrat after his father moved on to other community roles. Son John is standing at the right with his hand on the shoulder of Frank Jr. Frank Jr. eventually married but his wife died after 6 years of marriage and a son from that marriage, Leo, died at 7 years of age. After these two premature deaths, Frank Jr. joined the Franciscans and became Brother Giles and lived the remainder of his life at the Franciscan Monastary in Washington, DC. Another daughter, Antonia, was born 7 years after this picture was taken. She became a nun–Sister Franka–and lived in Chicago.

Wilhelm died on August 7, 1898 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Sheboygan. The Sheboygan National Demokrat noted Wilhelm’s passing in an article in German probably written by Wilhelm’s son Frank who was then owner and editor of the Demokrat. Much is known about Frank since he was very active in the political and social life of Sheboygan.

Pictured above are newspaper delivery boys for the National Demokrat in 1895. From left to right: Reinhold Capelle, Frank Gottsacker, Otto Ewerhardt, John Gottsacker and William Gottsacker. Frank Gottsacker later became Brother Giles, a Franciscan monk. William Gottsacker, like his father Frank Sr., became a printer and eventually took over the National Demokrat.

Above is Frank Gottsacker (center top), two sons (left and right) and some folks from the National Demokrat while attending the World’s Fair in 1904. My grandfather, Joseph is at the top right.

Peter Joseph Gottsacker

Peter J. Gottsacker was born in Mayschoss on September 24, 1813 and arrived in America on the ship Henry Reed in 1855, the same year as Jacob Gottsacker and Wilhelm’s wife Maria and son Frank. His wife Maria Barbara Poesch (also spelled Pesst and Pesch), and son arrived later–in 1857. Peter J. initially settled in Two Rivers. Several real estate transactions (mostly mortgages) for a lot in Two Rivers involving Peter Joseph and wife can be found on the ‘Documents’ link. Some of these transactions involve cousin Carl Gottsacker, mentioned below. Later the family moved to Sheboygan, although the date is uncertain. The family first appears in Sheboygan in the census of 1880. Peter J. was listed as a laborer in that census. Many of his children eventually worked in the chair factories in Sheboygan, so it is likely that Peter J. was a laborer in the same factories.

The children of Peter Joseph Gottsacker

Sons Joseph P., born in 1849, and Anton Huberticus, born on April 8, 1851 accompanied their mother Maria Barbara on the ship Hariet Hoxie sailing from Antwerp and arriving in NYC on June 22nd, 1857. On the ship’s manifest, their last name is spelled ‘Gotsucker’ and Maria Barbara is listed as ‘Marie’. Two additional children were born in Mayschoss–Marie Veronica Huberticus, on August 10, 1852 and Antoni Josephus on July 5, 1854, but both appear to have died either in childbirth or shortly after. Margaret Gottsacker, born in 1861, eventually married a man named (this is real!) Jacob Jacobs. A son Simon was born on April 16, 1864 in Two Rivers, but there are no further records of Simon, suggesting he died very young. John Anton was born on October 13, 1865 and married Elizabeth Gerend. Elizabeth’s father Jacob Gerend was a successful grocer in Sheboygan and one of her brothers was a local physician.

The Real Estate legacy begins

I owe a measure of gratitude to John Anton and Elizabeth Gerend Gottsacker. It was their descendents who eventually became involved with real estate, insurance and a Cadillac dealership in Sheboygan. It is because of them that I was able to get excited about the “GOTTSACKER SELLS REAL ESTATE” signs whenever we drove to Sheboygan to see grandma and grandpa. Peter Joseph and Barbara had another daughter Marie, born September 9, 1867. She later married Peter Frey. In an interesting real estate transaction recorded in Manitowoc County, Peter Frey is the mortgage holder on a property owned by the first Gottsacker immigrant, discussed later, Charles (Carl) S. Gottsacker.

Another daughter of Joseph Peter and Barbara, Katherine appears to have not survived childbirth. Finally, a son Benedict H. was born April 19, 1870 in Two Rivers. He eventually married Theresa (Tracy) Schwaller and several living Gottsackers are decendents of this couple.

Peter Gottsacker

Peter was born in Mayschoss on March 19, 1819 and was the eldest of the three brothers to emigrated from Germany. Apparently, Peter had a wife in Germany and together they had a son, Joseph Peter on June 15, 1847 in Kesseling, a town just a few miles south of Mayschoss. Little is known about Peter’s first wife or the date of their marriage.

Peter and his son came to America in 1856, within a year or so of his two brothers’ immigration. Peter was also a shoemaker and likely worked with his brother Wilhelm. Peter married Anna Marie Ort (Orth/Opt) in Two Rivers. In 1858, Peter and his family moved to Mt. Calvary in Fond du Lac County. In the 1876 Centennial directory of Fond du Lac county, Peter is listed as a widower with three children at home, so apparently his wife Anna died sometime after the move to Mt. Calvary. Peter was a shoemaker in Mt. Calvary for the remainder of his life.

The children of Peter Gottsacker

A son, Joseph Peter, was born May 13, 1847. Below is a picture from his obituary that appeared in the Sheboygan Press. Joseph Peter married Margret Spilles (Spieles) on October 15, 1872 in Mt. Calvary. In the 1876 Centennial Directory of Fond du Lac county, Joseph was listed as a shoemaker in Mt. Calvary with 5 children at home. After 15 years as a shoemaker, Joseph became a barber and worked as a barber for 5 years in Mt. Calvary. In 1887, the family moved to Sheboygan and Joseph worked as a laborer and for eight years worked for Wisconsin Power and Light. Although there are no records to confirm it, it is possible that Peter and Anna had a third son, John Mathias, who eventually married Louisa Gruenberg in Houston, MN. Both John Mathias and his wife Louisa died while several children were still young. The children ended up in an orphanage and were renamed Meyer. There was a Meyer family in Sheboygan at the time and it is suspected that this family adopted the children.

Another son of Joseph and Anna, Peter Joseph, was born in 1857. In the 1870 census, Peter Joseph is listed as a servant in the household of Edward Voigt in Brothertown (near Mt. Calvary). Peter Joseph was one of Sheboygan’s first four uniformed policeman and at one point operated a tavern at 913 Michigan Avenue, 1 block from Wilhelm Gottsacker’s shoe shop. He died while on duty as night watchman at the Reiss coal company offices. At the left is a photo from Peter Joseph’s obituary in the Sheboygan Press. Peter Joseph and brother Joseph (below) died within 6 weeks of each other.

Carl/Karl Sebastian Gottsacker

According to immigration records, Carl came to America in 1852, making him the very first of the Gottsackers to arrive. It is likely that he was the catalyst for the Gottsacker brothers and cousins listed above to also come to America. Carl apparently was born in or lived in Kesseling, Germany prior to emigrating to America. Kesseling, a village very near Mayschoss, was also the stated birth place of Joseph Peter Gottsacker. Frank Gottsacker Sr. (son of Wilhelm, noted above) wrote in his family chronicle that his second wife, Margret Gottsacker, was the daughter of his cousin Carl Gottsacker.  Frank and Carl also shared the same given  middle name–Sebastian, likely the namesake of a common relative.

Carl married Katherine (sometimes spelled ‘Catherine’) Gergen. There are several records in the Manitowoc county recorders office documenting land purchases, sales, and mortgages between Carl and Katherine and others in the Two Rivers area, including transactions with other Gottsackers. It is possible, that as the first immigrant, Carl assisted later arriving Gottsackers with real estate matters. As the first immigrant, he certainly would have known the most about how things worked in America.  Carl had a sister Sophia, also born in Mayschoss, who immigrated either with Carl or shortly after.   In 1858, she married Simon Pies in Two Rivers.  Simon had immigrated in 1852, the same year as Carl. 

Carl died at a young age from heat stroke. His wife, Katherine, remarried Peter Sausen. Katherine Gergen Gottsacker and her second husband, Peter Sausen are pictured below. Photos courtesy of Helen Roster.