The American Dream - The Spreitler Family

During the middle part of the 19th century word spread throughout Europe that there was a new land of promise - The United States of America. A land rich in bounty, a land of promise, a land of hope and dreams. This is the story of our family as they left Germany and Wales to grasp their dreams.  It is a story that continues to unfold as the generations pass.

The first footprints.

During the spring of 1854 a young German immigrant, Lorenz Spreitler  stepped off the Caroline in New York and began our family tale.  It was Wednesday the 3rd of May and I can only imagine the wonderment of arriving in the United States.  The hustle of the city filled with thousands of immigrants. We will never know the thoughts that passed through his mind that day. We are left to imagine the excitement, awe and possibly second thoughts as he began his journey westward from New York to Illinois.

A few years later in the winter of 1857 a strapping young man from Denbighshire, Wales stepped off the ship New World in New York and began his journey westward. His name was John Jones.  A miner by trade he would continue his profession as he searched for the black veins of coal in Southern Illinois.

The grandson of Lorenz and the grandaughter of John would later meet in the precint of Blair (Randolph County), Illinois and marry.  Thus begins my family tree. 

I hope you enjoy our little piece of history. Our families do not possess great financial wealth, we are not famous but we are the threads of the fabric that became the American Dream.   

We can use your help!

If you have any information about a member of our family we would love to hear from you.  Few pictures exist of our earliest ancestors and we would love to share them on our website.

Contact us at admin@spreitler.com