Note: After WWII, Breslau was renamed Wroclaw and is in the southern part of Poland.
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BOOK - RICE COUNTY FAMILIES. PUB. 1981
Carl Benjamin Hirdler Family. Carl Benjamin Hirdler, a shoemaker by trade, was married in Germany to Martha Mary Mihm in 1851. In 1860 they decided to leave Germany and come to America. Their sailing vessel, a 3-masted schooner named "Herzog von Brabont," had 179 passengers. Forty-two days were required to sail from Bremen to Castle Garden, NY, where they arrived October 31, 1860. It was a hazardous crossing. The Hirdlers suffered much. Their infant son, Samuel, died during the crossing and was buried at sea; wrapped in a gunny-sack and weighted down with a hunk of coal, he was lowered over the ship's side. The rest of the family included August born in 1852; Carl born February 14, 1854, William born January 8, 1856, and Theodore Carl born June 18, 1858. The Hirdlers arrived in America shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War, with no knowledge of the English language and a difficult time to find work.
Upon their arrival, they went to the German Baptist Church in New York city where they were assisted by the minister, Rev. Gaier. It was learned that work was more plentiful in the sawmills in Michigan, so passage was arranged there to work at Longpoint. When the family arrived there in April 1863 they learned about 40 acres of good wild land with a few acres cleared, and with a log barn. It was available for $300.00 ($25.00 cash and the rest on time). A friend made the down-payment and the neighbors helped to build a shack. They had no team so used grub hoes to dig up the ground as best they could for a garden crop. Carl Benjamin walked forth and back to Longpoint and farmed for 12 years. Two more children, Marie (Churchill) and Benjamin were born in Michigan. Carl, a Baptist lay preacher, held church services every Sunday in a log schoolhouse since no other Baptist church facilities or ministers were available.
The Hirdlers left Michigan for Jackson County, MN. There they lived in a sod house and used hay for fuel to cook their meals, even to baking the bread. The hay was twisted in hard, rope-like short lengths for slow burning. In August 1876 the family moved once again to a 119 acre-farm with improved buildings in Section 9 of Forest Township where they lived for the rest of their lives. Carl devoted some time to the practice of medicine. He and his wife, Martha, are buried in the Swedish Lutheran Cemetery in Forest Township. The land for his cemetery had been given to the church by Carl Benjamin Hirdler with burial rights reserved for him and his family.
Note: After WWII, Breslau was renamed Wroclaw and is in the southern part of Poland.
=============================
BOOK - RICE COUNTY FAMILIES. PUB. 1981
Carl Benjamin Hirdler Family. Carl Benjamin Hirdler, a shoemaker by trade, was married in Germany to Martha Mary Mihm in 1851. In 1860 they decided to leave Germany and come to America. Their sailing vessel, a 3-masted schooner named "Herzog von Brabont," had 179 passengers. Forty-two days were required to sail from Bremen to Castle Garden, NY, where they arrived October 31, 1860. It was a hazardous crossing. The Hirdlers suffered much. Their infant son, Samuel, died during the crossing and was buried at sea; wrapped in a gunny-sack and weighted down with a hunk of coal, he was lowered over the ship's side. The rest of the family included August born in 1852; Carl born February 14, 1854, William born January 8, 1856, and Theodore Carl born June 18, 1858. The Hirdlers arrived in America shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War, with no knowledge of the English language and a difficult time to find work.
Upon their arrival, they went to the German Baptist Church in New York city where they were assisted by the minister, Rev. Gaier. It was learned that work was more plentiful in the sawmills in Michigan, so passage was arranged there to work at Longpoint. When the family arrived there in April 1863 they learned about 40 acres of good wild land with a few acres cleared, and with a log barn. It was available for $300.00 ($25.00 cash and the rest on time). A friend made the down-payment and the neighbors helped to build a shack. They had no team so used grub hoes to dig up the ground as best they could for a garden crop. Carl Benjamin walked forth and back to Longpoint and farmed for 12 years. Two more children, Marie (Churchill) and Benjamin were born in Michigan. Carl, a Baptist lay preacher, held church services every Sunday in a log schoolhouse since no other Baptist church facilities or ministers were available.
The Hirdlers left Michigan for Jackson County, MN. There they lived in a sod house and used hay for fuel to cook their meals, even to baking the bread. The hay was twisted in hard, rope-like short lengths for slow burning. In August 1876 the family moved once again to a 119 acre-farm with improved buildings in Section 9 of Forest Township where they lived for the rest of their lives. Carl devoted some time to the practice of medicine. He and his wife, Martha, are buried in the Swedish Lutheran Cemetery in Forest Township. The land for his cemetery had been given to the church by Carl Benjamin Hirdler with burial rights reserved for him and his family.
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