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My Seefeldt Family

This Seefeldt is my father's father Charles' family. Charles Frederick William Seefeldt, who was married to Mary Sell. I have two blood lines with this surname, one on my father's mother Mary's side and one on his father Charles' side. Just a bit confusing. Grandma Mary was born Mary Sell, but her mother was Emilie Seefeldt Sell.

Charles' father, Carl Ernst Wilhelm Seefeldt, came from the town of Speck, Naurgard, Pommern, which is now Poland. They had previously moved to Holland due to the threat of war. Then to Hamburg, Germany. Since Charles' mother Wilhelma Gocks Seefeldt was with child, they were unable to embark upon the trip. This meant they stayed in Hamburg until Wilhelma gave birth to Charles. They were able to sail the following year which was 1869. They made this trip on the John Bertram Ship under Captain Heinrich Petersen in 1869, according to the ship logs.

Grandpa Charles, never knew his actual birthdate. He jokingly used to always blame his sisters when I would ask. He said they did not keep good records. Thus on his tombstone it says he was born in May 27, 1867 Hamburg Germany, on his tombstone, when in fact it had to be May 27, 1868. He was a wonderful man and his age did not matter.

Charles along with his parents landed in NY but made their home in Ontario Canada. After spending time in a few places, they settled in Berlin, Ontario, later to be renames Kitchener, Ontario. Charles moved westward when he was in his late teens. Spent one winter in Montana, too cold he said, so he headed further west the next year and eventually made his hom on Five Mile Prairie, Spokane, Washington where he was naturalized in 1900 as a citizen of the US.

Charles and Mary were married Jan 29, 1903 in Spokane Washington, and it was an arranged marriage, which lasted 53 years. They were the happy parents of my father, Fernando Clarence, Milton Charles, Delmer, who died young, Charles William and one daughter, Violet Irene.