In Memory of John Sturmer, Sr.

On this day in 1910, John Sturmer, my 2nd great-grandfather, died of pneumonia in Cassville, Grant County, Wisconsin. He had just turned 90 years old a few weeks earlier, on March 25. He was buried two days later in the Burns Cemetery in Beetown, Grant County, Wisconsin.

John was born in Neufilzen, Rhineland, Germany in 1820 to Peter and Susanna (Cornelius) Sturmer. Peter was a shoemaker in Neufilzen and tried to teach his son the trade. John did not like that occupation and decided he wanted to be a farmer. He immigrated to the United States in 1847 and settled in New York for two years. He moved west and landed in Galena, JoDaviess County, Illinois.  He and Barbara Barton were married in JoDaviess County, Illinois on December 28, 1853. Soon after, they moved to Grant County, Wisconsin. By 1856, he had become a naturalized citizen of the United States and in 1860 he had bought 40 acres* of land and was farming.**

He and Barbara had eleven children, ten of whom grew to adulthood. Only Adeline died in childhood when she got the measles. John lived a full life and left a legacy for his many descendents.

*According to land purchase records at Grant County  Courthouse.
**1860 U.S. Census