Frederick G. was born 4 Oct 1834 in Silesia, Germany. (His tombstone gives a birth year of 1836 but all other records consistently record it as 1834.) This was an area near what was once known as Bohemia. It has had a varied history and has also been called Schleisen and now is Slasz/Slask, Poland. [See Wikepedia.] Family tradition has passed on that his occupation was that of a German postal worker. I have not found any of the First Papers or Petitions for Frederich G. or Gustav F, his son, so am still rather undecided about some information and its veracity.
Frederick married Henrietta Kampf/Kempf in Posen, Germany (Present day Poznan, Polan. Not sure whether the records are referring to the city or the county. This area lies almost directly North of Silesia.) We do not have a marriage date, but from the birth of their son Gustav F. (who we believe to be the eldest child) it may have been prior to August 1859.
Henrietta was born 12 Aug 1835 in Posen. Some records give her birth year as anything from 1834 to 1838. Census, death certificate and her obituary give her birth year as 1835 and that is what I am going to use.
Frederick and Henrietta immigrated to the US by the Ship Neckar, leaving Bremen, Germany by way of Southampton, England and arrived New York, USA on 31 Oct 1885. They came through Castle Garden in New York, the entry point before Ellis Island was created. New York Passenger Ship arrivals records say that they reported their last residence in Kleinrose/Kleinvose, Germany. They traveled with their 3 youngest children, daughters, Emma, Hulda, and Helen/e. Traaveling on the same ship, but listed on a different page are Louise Reidel aged 28 and Arthur Reidel aged 18. Their is no previous residence for them given. So, as of 2013, we are still unsure whether they were related to our line or not. The ship Neckar was built by Caird & Company of Greenock, Scotland for Lorddeutscher Lloyd in 1873. Its maiden voyage from Bremen, Germany through Southhampton, England onto New York took place on 18 Apr 1874 with its last voyage on this run in 1886. It accomodated 144 passengers in first class, 68 passengers in second class and 502 in steerage with a crew of 100 persons.
Frederick and his family appear to have first settled in Plainfield, Wills County, Illinois (the above photo of them is taken in Plainfield) and lived there until 1891-2. He then shows up on a city directory for Rock Island, Rock Island County, IL living at 1417 - 42nd Street. It appears that much of his family either lives with him or near by.
Frederick G. dies on 19 April 1893 at his home in Rock Island. His funeral is held at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in that city, with his burial in the church cemetery. It seems that this German Lutheran church was first established in 1856 and later rebuilt in 1896. The Reidel family appears to have been members at this church until at least Henrietta's death in 1920. Early funeral records in the church ledgers are written in German, and were later translated by one of the church pastors. Henrietta lives on a few years, and then dies at the home of her daughter, Emma on 18 March 1920 with her funeral and burial from the same church and cemetery as her husband.
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