Hello list,
I am Peggy Geissler of Burbank, IL, a small suburb on the southwest border of the city of Chicago and have been trying for too long to break through my brick wall.
My great-grandfather, Ferdinand Friedrich Geissler was born on June 3. However, the year of birth varies from 1826 to 1832 depending on which U. S. record you're looking at at the time. All the info I have is from U. S. sources; I have not been able to place him in Germany.
Ferdinand arrived in New York at Castle Garden on Febraury 13, 1857 via Liverpool on the Ship Great Western. The passenger list shows the family as: Ferdnet Geisler, storekeeper, age 33, 2nd cabin; Mina Geisler, wife, age 26; Richard Geisler; son, age 7; Martha Geisler,
daughter, age 9/12th.
I have not been able to locate any church records for Ferdinand but I do know that all of his families (he had 3 of them here in Chicago, Mina died in 1865; his second wife Mariette Boesch died in 1882 and his third wife, Christine Rilling of Gomaringen is my great-grandmother) were all German Lutheran.
I have located the marriage record for Martha Geisler to Friedrich Lebrect Zinke in 1878 and indicates her year of birth would equate
to 1856 and lists Aschersleben as her place of birth. Unfortunately the church records do not mention anything about parents or other family members.
I have rented the different LDS films for the churches there in Aschersleben but haven't had any luck locating anything. I have also gone through the films for the Hamburg Passenger List for the years 1856 and 1857 and the indexes but again, no luck.
Any help or suggestion would be very greatly appreciated.
Peggy Geissler