Bohlmeyer, William Frederick Family Pictures, Macoupin County IL, all rights reserved Thomas Meyer

Above seated in front: Emma Middle row: Almeda, William Fredrick Bohlmeyer, Laura Moor Bohlmeyer, Otto Back Row: Clara, Ida, Benjamin, Ellen, Eva

Emma, the one in front, is my grandmother. Her hair is short because she was recovering from several illnesses.

William Frederick Bohlmeyer came to Shipman from Bunde, Prussia (before it was Germany) in 1854. He was fourteen and came with his 16-year-old brother, Carl, who settled in Madison Co., IL. Their parents stayed behind in Prussia. From the passenger list I found that they were part of a group of several dozen from the same small town. Most were young men of military age or their likely girl friends. There were two families that accompanied them, so it looks like it was an organized group, probably anti-war. The family story is that their parents sent the boys to America because they didn't want them in Bismark's army. In 1864, after obtaining US citizenship, both brothers returned to see their parents. The story is that William's mother refused to believe it was him until he showed her a scar, at which point she fainted. The parents gave both boys a suit of clothes for their upcoming weddings. The German military came and tried to draft William, but his US citizenship got him off. The boys returned home, crossing the North Atlantic in February. Records of their re-entry into the US exist.