Barbara (Meidlin) Forster (1822 - 1902)

Born 26 Mar 1822 in Kaltenbrunn, Taus, Böhmen, Österreich

Ancestors

Wife of Franz Forster — married 21 Jul 1845 in Kaltenbrunn, Taus, Bohemia, Austria

Descendants

Died 22 Jul 1902 at age 80 in Minnesota, United States

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Biography

Barbara was born in 1822, the daughter of Blasius Georg Meidl and Anna Maria (Seidl) Meidl.^[1]

Barbara married Franz Forster on July 21, 1845.^[2] The couple resided in Schneiderhof.

The following births for children of Barbara and Franz are recorded in the parish books for Schneiderhof:

• Maria (July 23, 1846 - August 10, 1846)^[3]
• Franz (June 20, 1847 - July 19, 1847)^[4]
• Martin Forster
• George (March 8, 1851 - ?)^[5]

Franz and Barbara immigrated to the United States in 1853. They first settled in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, where they had several more children: Joseph, Mary and Barbara.

Franz and Barbara later moved to a farm in Home Township, Brown County, Minnesota. Several relatives of Franz had previously settled in the same county, but a different township (Sigel).

By 1885, Barbara and Franz were living with their son Joseph and family in Sleepy Eye, Brown County, Minnesota. ^[6] After becoming a widow, Barbara continued to reside in her son's household. ^[7]

According to her tombstone, Barbara passed away on July 22, 1902 and is buried in the Catholic Cemetery in Sleepy Eye. ^[8]

Research Notes

Last Name at Birth: Barbara's family name was Meidl. However, it was a German custom to add “-in” to the last name of daughters, and this is how Barbara was listed in the church registry where her birth was recorded. Also, as per the Czech naming guidelines for females, “in” should be added to German surnames.^[9]Hatling-15 14:59, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

Death Date: The stated death date is taken from Barbara's tombstone. Her death does not appear to have been noted in the local newspaper, nor recorded in various sources such as Minnesota County Deaths or the Minnesota Death Index.Hatling-15 13:32, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ Birth of Barbara Meidlin, Plzen Statni Archiv (Czech Republic), www.portafontium.eu, Vseruby (DO ) 11, image 153 (page 199)
2. ↑ Marriage of Barbara Meidl & Franz Forster, Plzen Statni Archiv (Czech Republic), www.portafontium.eu, Vseruby (DO) 12, image 54 (page 163)
3. ↑ Birth/death of Maria Forster, Plzen Statni Archiv (Czech Republic), www.portafontium.eu, Vseruby (DO) #14 register, image 40
4. ↑ Birth/death of Franz Forster, Plzen Statni Archiv (Czech Republic), www.portafontium.eu, Vseruby (DO) #22, image 33
5. ↑ Birth/Baptism of Georg Forster, Plzen Statni Archiv (Czech Republic), www.portafontium.eu, Vseruby (DO) #22, image 40
6. ↑ Barbara Forster in the 1885 Minnesota Census, courtesy Minnesota Historical Society: https://archive.mnhs.org/people/statecensus/1634343
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M99B-B3B : accessed 21 April 2023), Barbara Forster in household of Joseph Forster, Sleepy Eye village (pt.), Brown, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 49, sheet 1A, family 7, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,758.
8. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/232605658/barbara-forster: accessed 21 April 2023), memorial page for Barbara Forster (14 ??? 1822–22 Jul 1902), Find a Grave Memorial ID 232605658, citing Catholic Cemetery, Sleepy Eye, Brown County, Minnesota, USA; Maintained by VeeRich (contributor 50801391).
9. ↑ Help: Name Field for Czech Names

• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD4Y-K6H : 28 May 2021), Barbara Forster in entry for Franz Forster, 1870.

• Barbara Forster in the 1875 Minnesota Census, courtesy Minnesota Historical Society: https://archive.mnhs.org/people/statecensus/1634342

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ99-4B4 : 14 January 2022), Barbara Forster in household of Franz Forster, Home Township, Brown, Minnesota, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm .