During my research I found the emigrant  Robert Eugen Kemmler, born July  6, 1867 in Rudersberg, Germany.  His father was,  Gottlieb Kemmler, was a teacher and originally came from Reicheneck. Due to his profession he moved 1844 to Waldenbuch, 1852 to Oberboebingen and stayed several years in Rudersberg, where 3 of his 5 children were born. His wife, Anna Maria Geisel, was born in Pfullingen.

There were several fascinating aspects in respect of  Robert Eugen Kemmler:

• He emigrated in 1891 via London, where he stayed his brother  Carl in London who very likely owned a piano factory to the U.S.
• One of his uncle obviously gave him a scrapbook where a copy of his letters remained in the book  – during a visit in Chicago I met his granddaughter Gretchen Flores who showed me this precious book and also provided me with some copies of letters of Robert Eugen Kemmler to his family and friends
• After his arrival in New York he was searching for his uncles Sigmund Kemmler and Johann Daniel Kemmler,  as well for his aunt Regina Kemmler, who emigrated already before 1850 to the U.S.  Within 10 day he got the information that his uncle Sigmund had settled in Waterstreet, Huntington Co, PA and he travelled to PA! To manage this there must have been an information system, which directed the new emigrants to their relatives
• Via his uncle he also found his aunt Regina, who was living close to her brother in Altoona, Blair Co. and was married to Johann Zeilinger, an emigrant from Bavaria, as well his uncle Daniel who settled in New Orleans
• Robert Eugen Kemmler was a relative of mine via his roots to Reicheneck.

Over the years I was able to find nearly all the descendants from Robert Eugen Kemmler and his emigrated relatives from Reicheneck. With a lot of my distant cousins I could establish a relationship by email. Unfortunately some of the links are broken and I would appreciate if we could re-establish them. Please write me an email if you are a descendant of this Kemmler lines.

After he stayed quite a bit of time in Pennsylvania  with his relatives, Robert Eugen Kemmler moved to St. Louis, MO to work in the construction company of a cousin of his mother, Adolf Geisel.

Transcription and translation of one of Robert Eugen Kemmler letters

Please find enclosed the transcription and translation of the original letter to his mother. The original pages  6 und 7 can be downloaded using the link in the full size.

January 24th
Sunday afternoon

Dear mother and siblings,

I have received Bertha’s card from January 10 and thank you very much for the news. In the meantime you should have received my letters from December 27 and my card from January 17. Please write me always the dates of the letters you have received from me, that I can trace, whether you have all received.

It is always an internal satisfaction for me, that, thanks God, I can tell only positive news from America the land, from which I have been attracted so strongly already as a young boy. My wish to find my unknown Kemmler cousins, has become true in a way, you have to admit yourselves, 100 percent more as I did in my phantasy.

If I would have stayed in England, I would be like it was 2 years ago, with one word it would be stuck. I’m wishing, you could put yourself in my position and see yourself. A total new spirit has taken care of me, it don’t know myself how it is.

I experience a new desire to live and a joyfulness to work as I never did before. (Gone so far Jacob .. with son and daughter gave me the honor of a visit and therefore this letter will be short, because I still have to write 4 – 5 letters to my Pennsylvanian cousins.

Yesterday I received my wonderful gift from my Pennsylvanian cousins, packed in a case weighting over 100 pounds (50 kg). It contained a big ham (at least 25 -30 pound), apples, different types of dried fruits, honey, 2 pound butter, sausages, sauerkraut, a bottle of win and around 10 pots of .preserved. things etc. They have even paid the freight costs (13 DM). It’s simply wonderful. I never ever dreamed  to be treated like that from people, where I didn’t have any idea 12 months ago that they exist. I wish you would understand perfectly English, then I would forward you these letters. The spirit of these letters is so sweet. As you know I have written my (expected) father-in-law a letter on New Year, but which was not answered so far, that means indirect. Jacob told me in his last letter, that Mr. Hilemann has invited him. When he arrived, he found Hilemann ill. H. did show my letter to Jacob, which I have written to him and as you can imagine, was perfectly done. With one word, I have hit the nails head  [1] , the family was very pleased and H. promised to answer as soon he has recovered. He wanted, that his daughter should write for him, but she cautiously refused. Jacob said, that the Reverend was running around and they had to answer a lot of questions, what they did to their best according my instructions. Jacob told me, that I’m highly favored by the older people and the rest does only depend on me.

4th February 1892

Today I’m be able to add something to the above. In the meantime my future father-in-law has answered my letter in the loveliest way with one word triumph follows a relative.

[1]This is a German expression, which was directly translated.