Sophia Rachow was born in Mecklenburg, Landkreis Nordwestmecklenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Germany (then Prussia) on 25 July 1830. At age 21, Sophia Rachow's first child (Caroline Marie Sophie ) was born in Germany. On Caroline's baptism record the mother is recorded as Marie Elizabeth Dorothee Rachow. Therefore we presume that "Sophie" was her preferred first name and not an official name. Henceforth we call her Sophie Rachow as she appears on Ontario and Canadian census/marriage/death documents. ( Sophie's maiden surname was recorded on her son Louis's Registration of Death certificate as "Rocho" and on her son Raymond's Court Register of Marriages as "Clasen". These later spellings are presumed to be misspells as Sophia was deceased many years previously when recorded. )

Sophia (born 1830) and her partner, Johann Friederich Goldbeck (born 1813) immigrated to Canada in May 1851 when Caroline was 3 months old. They travelled across the ocean between Hamburg Germany and Quebec on the English ship named Anna Maria. Upon arrival in Canada in 1851, Sophia and Johann married on the 21st of September in Preston, Twp. Waterloo, Ontario ( today Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario).

Over the span of 28 years, Sophia and John had twelve children together: Caroline; Susanna; Louis; John; Sophia; Josephine; Maria; Elizabeth; Annie; Katherina; William; and Jacob (as per 1881 census) changing to Raymond (as per 1891 census and documents thereafter). Sophie at age 48 was pregnant with Jacob/Raymond when Johann died at age 65 years in 1878.

After Johann's death, still residing with Sophia were all living children except Caroline who had married and left with husband Frederick W. Hofstetter. The 1881 Census lists Sophia Goldbeck ( Widow) with sons Louis & John (farm hands), Josephine and Anna (maids ) and Catherine (age 13), William (age 9) and Jacob ( age 2).

On April 25 1896 Sophia died at age 65 years whilst her youngest child, Raymond, was 17 years old.

Sophia is buried in plot 7, row 8 in St. John's Lutheran Cemetery, Bamberg, Waterloo Region, Ontario. The inscription on her stone reads: Hier ruhet/ Sophia/ Ehefrau von/ Johan Golbeck/ gest. 25 Apr. 1896/ im Alter von/ 65 Jahren 9 Mo./ [German verse]

Her children were:

1. Carolina Golbeck, b. 1851

2. Susanna Golbeck, b. 7 Sep 1855.

3. John Golbeck, b. 27 Aug 1857.

4. Josephina Golbeck, b. 1858.

5. Louis Golbeck, b. 17 Mar 1858

6. Josephine Goldbeck, b. 7 Sep 1860.

7. Annie Goldbeck, b. 2 Dec 1865.

8. Catharina Golbeck, b. 1867.

9. William Golbeck, b. 17 Aug 1871.

10. Jacob Raymond Golbeck, b. 1879-1960.