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THE QUEST
Herr Johann Baptist Feucht (b.-April 5, 1814 – d. Nov. 6, 1897)Herr (Duetch for Mr)Also referred to as:Herr Hans & Master John Feucht Married to Barbara Brummer Feucht (died at sea)Remarried Magdalena (Lena) Dierwimmer (b. Dec. 31, 1831 – d. Jan. 5, 1891) Children:
- Charles Feucht (b. Oct. 13, 1854 - d. June 6, 1927)
- Louis Feucht (b. July 18, 1856 – d. (?)
- Elizabeth Feucht Bayerl (b. April 19, 1858 – d. March 19, 1920)
- August Feucht (b. July 21, 1859 – d. March 5, 1929)
- Joseph Feucht (b. Jan. 10, 1861 – d. April 4, 1947)
- Magdalena Feucht (Sister Alberta) (b. March 11, 1862 – d. March 27, 1944)
- Frank Feucht (b. October 4, 1863 – d. (?)
- Joseph Baptist Feucht (b. Jan. 18, 1865 – d. April 4, 1947)
- Maximelion Feucht (b. Oct. 4, 1867 – d. Dec. 19, 1869)
- Sabastian Feucht (b. Jan. 18, 1869 – d. March 11, 1871)
- George Feucht (b. Jan. 3, 1871 – d. Aug. 25, 1871)
- Michael (Mike) Feucht (b. Sept. 19, 1872 – d. July 24, 1941)
- Andrew Feucht (b. Nov. 10, 1874 – d. Feb. 13, 1875)
- Anton Feucht (b. April 17, 1876 – d. March 1952)
Coming to America
- Herr (Mr.) Johann B. Feucht was approached by the Count, who asked John if he could purchase his beautiful land for hunting purposes. Herr Hans was not willing to part with his beautiful forest; therefore, the Count was bound to force him to give it up by filing a lawsuit. Afraid of losing everything, Herr Hans sold the mill, his house, and remaining property, and took his wife and children Magdalena, 5, Karl, 4, and Barbara, 2, and headed to America in 1853.
- They set out to America from Hamburg. While at sea, John lost his wife and infant, Barbara.
- Upon reaching New York, John inquired about the whereabouts of Max Steer and Johann Dierwimmer in hopes to locate them. A land agent connected John with a stagecoach, and upon gathering his wooden trunks and boxes in which he nailed his gold in for safe keeping, they left for the West shore of the great lakes.
- Once John reached Chicago, Illinois, he stopped at an Inn in order to make arrangements to hop aboard a train to head to Milwaukee, WI. While making arrangements, an old man watched out for Magdalena and Karl. When John returned, the old man told John to get out of town as soon as he could because the Inn had a bad reputation. Therefore, they loaded his trunks and boxes on the train and headed out of town. During the trip, Karl became very sick, and passed away (Upon arrival to LeRoy, WI, Karl was buried in Andrew Steer’s field upon which is now the property owned by Norbert Hoffman, great grandson of Johann Feucht, grandson of Andrew Feucht and is located east of the Leroy church).
- Once John reached Milwaukee, WI, he bought a lumber wagon and horses and set out for the east shore of the Horicon Marsh in hopes of locating John Dierwimmer, who immigrated to America from Germany years earlier.
- John eventually came upon a log cabin on the east shore of the Horicon Marsh, and to his dismay found the Dierwimmer’s. John Dierwimmer has a large grant of land from the sate of Wisconsin. He and his daughter made their living by cutting down the trees, making cordwood. In the winter, when the marsh froze solid, they haul the wood across the marsh and sold it to the Waupun prison. They also hunted and trapped wild animals and skinned them and sold the skins in Milwaukee, WI.
- Wanting to begin his new life in America, John went to see a land agent. When John opened his boxes of gold, there were only bricks. He was robbed of his gold while at the inn in Chicago. Having little money on him, John was able to acquire 60 acres of land rich with stones. In fact, he hauled so many stones off his property that he was able to make stone fences, which still stand there today. He was nicknamed John Feucht “Rich in Stones”.
- John worked to clear a spot, and settlers came from afar to help him build a two-story log cabin with an attached granary.
- John later remarried John Dierwimmer’s daughter, Magdalena (Lena) and together they thirteen children.
- John’s daughter, Magdalena later entered the Dominican Convent at Racine and embraced religious life under the name of Sister Mary Alberta.
- To be continued.................
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