NameBertha Fehrenbacher
BirthFeb 26, 1847, Kappel am Rhein, Baden, Germany
DeathNov 5, 1920, Duluth, Minn.
BurialCatholic Cemetery, Sleepy Eye, Minn.
FatherMichael Fehrenbacher (1810-1897)
MotherMaria Anna Stumpp (1812-1850)
Spouses
BirthFeb 1848, Darnvatersed, Hesse, Germany
DeathJul 18, 1918, Brown County, Minn.
MarriageOct 14, 1867, St. Nicholas Church, Nicktown, Pa.
ChildrenMary Ann (1868-<1920)
 John L. (1870-)
 Mary Anna (1872-)
 Elizabeth (1875-)
 Michael A. (1878-1931)
Notes for Bertha Fehrenbacher
Bertha immigrated with her father Michael, step-mother Gertrud and siblings on the Collins line vessel, The Pacific, arriving in New York City on 18 Sep 1854. She was raised in Carroll Township, Cambria County, Pa. Her marriage to Michael Kiefer was the first marriage ever conducted at St. Nicholas Church in Nicktown, Pa.

They moved to Minnesota the year after their marriage, and in 1870 they lived in Beaver Falls, where Michael worked as a young shoemaker. In 1873, Michael Kiefer paid cash for a land patent for the east half of the eastern quarter of section 18 within Birch Cooley Township, a few miles east of Beaver Falls. In 1880 they were still living in Beaver Falls, next door to Bertha's father Michael. A 65 year old shoemaker, Wilhelm Oldenburg, appears to be head of household and was perhaps Michael’s mentor. Michael and Bertha moved to Sleepy Eye in 1882, and in 1885 they were in New Ulm. An 1888 map of Birch Cooley Township indicates that “M. Keefer” still owned the parcel on the eastern border of section 18, amounting to 80 acres.

The 1900 Census places them in Home Twp., Brown Co., Minn., where Michael was proprietor of a shoe store. 1910 finds them back in Sleepy Eye, where Michael had his “own income.”

By 1920, Bertha, as a widow, was living at the home of her grand-daughter Florence Wheeler in Duluth. It was there that she died in 1922, “while she was seated in a chair.”
Notes for Michael (Spouse 1)
Michael was a shoemaker. He immigrated from Bremen on the ship “Republik,” arriving at New York City on September 12, 1863. The manifest identifies Barbara Kiefer (56), Michel Kiefer (15) and Jacob Kiefer (12), all from Hesse and with the intended destination of Pennsylvania.

Michael’s Last Will was executed at his temporary residence in Santa Ana, Ca., on April 2, 1913, and directed that all assets go to his wife Bertha, “in memory of her faithful care and many kindnesses to me.” It was probated in Brown Co., Minn. on April 2, 1918.
Last Modified Jun 25, 2022Created Sep 1, 2022 using Reunion for Macintosh