Baron John Rodolph De Steiguer and Wilhelmina Muller
Husband Baron John Rodolph DE STEIGUER
Born: 1778 - Karlsruhe, Germany 1 Christened: Died: Oct 1834 - , Wood, Virginia 1 2 Buried: - Uhl Family Cemetery, Williamstown, Wood, West Virginia 1
Father: John Rodolph De STEIGUER (1743-1805) 1 Mother: Elizabeth VON TAVEL (1757-1807) 1
Marriage: 1798
Other Spouse: Magdalina STALDER ( -1825) - Abt 1819 - Of Amsterdam, Holland
Wife Wilhelmina MULLER 1
Born: - Karlsruhe, Germany Christened: Died: 1835 - Geneva, Switzerland Buried:
Children
1 F Wilhelmina DE STEIGUER
Born: 1802 - Switzerland Christened: Died: 1853 - Harmer, Washington, Ohio Buried:Spouse: David (Junior) UHL (1768-Abt 1846) Marr: 20 May 1823 - , Athens, Ohio 3Spouse: Living
2 M John Rodolph DE STEIGER 1
Born: May 1805 - Berne, Switzerland Christened: Died: Oct 1864 or Nov 1864 - St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri Buried:Spouse: Laura W. AMES ( -1851) Marr: 23 Aug 1826 - , Athens, Ohio 3Spouse: Melissa NELSON (1830- ) Marr: After 1851
3 F Elisabeth DE STEIGER 1
Born: 1808 - Berne, Switzerland Christened: Died: 1836 - , Athens, Ohio Buried:Spouse: LivingSpouse: Leonidas M. JEWETT (1811- ) Marr: 26 Dec 1832 - , Athens, Ohio 3
General Notes (Husband)
NAME:
"Rudolf was a member of the so-called "black" Steiger family of Bern. The designation "black" was derived from the use of a black ibex on the family coat-of-arms. (Another patrician family of Bern known as the "white" Steigers were so designated because they used a white ibex on their coat-of-arms. The two Steiger families were of separate origins, although both held numerous positions in the aristocracy.) In 1786, the family was authorized to use the predicate of nobility "von" and, thus, their name became "von Steiger." Also, because of the strong French influence among the Bernese patriciate, some family members used the spelling "de Steiguer." This latter mode of spelling has persisted among the American family members.
The "black" Steigers were a politically dominant element in the Bernese patriciate. For over 250 years, the family members served in various government offices. Their story is inseparable from that of Bern." ( From "The Swiss-American Family de Steiguer" by Joseph E. de Steiguer)
BIOGRAPHICAL:
The following information was gleaned from a "History of the de Steiguer Family" by Judge John Rudolph de Steiguer of Athens, Ohio (grandson of the Baron) and quoted in "The Swiss-American Family de Steiguer" by Joseph E. deSteiguer:
"During his early life, Rudolf was afforded the education and perquisites of the aristocracy. He had been trained as an army officer, and as a young man he fought with the Bernese against the French. During one of the battles he was taken prisoner and, as a result, spent more than a year in French prisons.
"When Rudolof was released he returned to Bern, and what he found was traumatic. The aristrocracy had been deposed in favor of the Helvetic government, and the family fortune had been usurped by Napoleon to finance his ill-fated Egyptian campaign. In 1803 the aristocracy regained control of the government, but the reinstatement was brief and their rule ineffectual. The days of aristocratic rule were over.
"Rudolf married a young German girl named Wilhelmina Muller. After a few years of marriage and the birth of three children they were divorced. Because John Rodolph had a mobile life-style, the children were raised by their Great Aunt de Graffenried.
"Rudolf owned a flour mill which was managed by "a man named Stalder whose daughter Magdalena worked as a housemaid for Rudolf. She and Rudolf had fallen in love and wanted to marry, but Bernese law strictly prohibited marriages across social classes. As a consequence Rudolf decided to forsake his homeland so that he could marry Magdalena Stalder and begin a new life in America."
In the spring of 1819 Rudolf sold his flour mill and departed Bern with Magdalena, his children and a group of Swiss colonists. The first leg of the journey was to Amsterdam where Rudolf and Magdalena were married.
"Rudolf and his companions stopped at Marietta, Ohio and he purchased 3. 680 acres of land along Federal Creek in Athens County, where they settled. Rudolf built a log cabin to house his family and some of the colonists. This was replaced in 1826 by a Swiss-style cottage which still stands as a famous Athens County landmark. Shortly after the completion of the new home, Magdalena died and was laid to rest in a hill-side grave behind the Swiss cottage."
His grandson described Rudolf as:
"Physically he was a very large man, being over six feet, two inches tall, and large in proportion. He was naturally proud, imperious, irascible, and those uncomfortable qualitites had been increased by his military life and family surroundings. The removal to America was so far as he was concerned, without a doubt, a great mistake. His previous role had been spent in the army, and with surroundings, which had the effect to utterly disqualify him for business or life in this country. He was never able to assimilate with the people after the death of his second wife, and his life in this country was undoubtedly a very lonely and unhappy one."
General Notes (Wife)
While married to John Rodolph, Wilhelmina Muller eloped with Samuel Stettler, who she later married. They lived at Geneva, Switzerland and had a son Karl Stigmund Stettler who was born 1813.
General Notes for Child Wilhelmina DE STEIGUER
BIOGRAPHICAL:
Source for following information from "The Family of David Uhl II and Wilhelmina de Steiguer Uhl" by Mary Jean Johnson Lehman, pg. 136-137
"...she was a daughter of a Swiss baron who forced her into an arranged marriage in this country. She was then in her teens, a beautiful, accomplished girl, who had been reared in the courts of nineteenth century Europe. He married her to a rough, illiterate German widower over fifty years of age. David Uhl was for his time and place well-to-do...."
"I have not been able to find a will or record of her death, either in Marietta or Parkersburg. [However, others give 1862 Harmer, Washington, Ohio - HHH]
The 1850 Census of Wood County, reads:
Fanestock, William 60 Pennsylvania
Wilhelmina 45 Germany
Heber 9 Virginia
I looked at this on microfilm. William spelled his name Fahnstock. Wilhelmina wrote it Fanestock. Heber must have been Heber Uhl, her son by David Uhl."
"Caroline Schmidt, grandaughter of Caroline Foreman (Margaret Uhl's sister), as a child listened to many stories her grandmother told her. Susana Sisler, Margaret's mother, helped "lay out" Wilhelmina after her death. In those days bodies were not embalmed. She told the family that it was plain to see that Wilhelmina had been choked to death. Large blue indentations were on her throat. It was said in the family that William Fahnstock had murdered her. If that is so one wonders if he married her for her money, since David Uhl, her husband, was a wealthy man."
BURIAL:
Wilhelmina de Steiguer Uhl is buried in the Uhl cemetery next to David. The stones say simply Wilhelmina and David, and are in excellent condition.
-- Source: "The Family of David Uhl II and Wilhelmina de Steiguer Uhl" by Mary Jean
Johnson Lehman, pg. 8
General Notes for Child John Rodolph DE STEIGER
DEATH:
Death information from an article by his son, John Rodolph: He was in St. Louis on temporary business. He is buried in Athens, Ohio by the side of his wife Laura Ames. His son says he died in October, but his tombstone says November 6.
General Notes for Child Elisabeth DE STEIGER
CHILDREN:
All of her children died leaving no descendants (by 1888)
1 de Steiguer, John R., compiler, Family Records: deSteiguer, John R.
2 Family Knowledge.
3 State of Ohio: Marriage.
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