(updated 11/28/2020)
Elisabeth Mitterholzer was born on November 6, 1866 in Limbach, Austria-Hungary (present day Slovakia, only about 12 miles from Bratislava). She was the daughter of Michael Mitterholzer and Christina Holeitner - they were part of the German diaspora living in the Austro-Hungarian empire, who worked as "vinicola" or "weingartner" (wine gardeners, or grape growers or wine makers). This has been confirmed by her baptism record from the Limbach Lutheran Church. (Please note that her death certificate incorrectly shows her birth date as August 5, 1868, and her father's name as "Charles" - this erroneous information was supplied by son John; her headstone incorrectly shows her birth year as 1867.)
Elisabeth had a daughter named Katharina Mitterholzer on September 24, 1887, before she was married. Katharina died on May 25, 1888 at the age of 8 months. About 5 weeks later, Elizabeth married Joseph Sandtner on July 01, 1888 in Limbach. From oral family tradition, it is believed (but there is no way to know for sure), that Joseph was the biological father of Katharina. After their marriage, they went on to have 8 more children:
1889 - Sigmund aka "Sigmond"
1891 - Theresia aka "Rose"
1893 - August aka "Gus"
1895 - Johann aka "John"
1897 - Elisabeth aka "Elizabeth"
1899 - Maria aka "Mary"
1902 - Emma
1910 - William
Because the Sandtners were Roman Catholic, and the Mitterholzers were Lutheran, they agreed that any sons would be baptized in the Catholic faith, and daughters would be baptized in the Lutheran faith.
The Sandtner family decided to take their chances by uprooting their family and starting over in the United States, with the hope of forging a better life for themselves there. On February 16, 1905, husband Joseph immigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City. He joined his younger brother Ludwig Sandtner in Middletown, Ohio. Ludwig had immigrated to the US in 1903 and was already working at the "Rolling Mill Office" (a steel mill) there. Joseph also took a job at the same steel mill, earning money to bring his wife and children over to the United States. In January of 1906, eldest son Sigmond (age 16) arrived in the US, followed by daughter Rose (age 16) in August of 1907. Elisabeth and 6-year-old daughter Emma arrived in January of 1909, followed in November of 1909 by son August (age 16) and daughter Mary (age 10). The last of the family to come to the US were son John (age 14.5) and daughter Elizabeth (age 13) in May of 1910. The 2 younger children were not accompanied by any adult! Youngest son William was conceived and born in Kentucky after the family was reunited.
By May of 1910, when all of the Sandtner family was finally reunited, they had moved from Middletown, Ohio to Newport, Kentucky. Life was hard for the Sandtner family, but husband Joseph had secured a job at another steel mill there. The family moved around as worked presented itself, eventually ending up in Cleveland, Ohio. Joseph was killed in an industrial accident in a Cleveland area steel mill on December 14, 1919. He is buried in Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Cleveland (no headstone).
After the accident, the Sandtner family switched from industrial work to agricultural work. By the early 1920's the Sandtners had moved to Michigan. Elizabeth became ill while working on a farm near Britton, Michigan in 1924. Her son John took her to live with her daughter Mary Sandtner Dipple in Melvindale, Michigan, where she died a few months later on December 8, 1924. Elizabeth was buried in nearby Woodmere Cemetery (Section 6, in a single grave). There is a headstone on her grave, which is very unusual for that section of the cemetery (and especially considering that the family was not wealthy).
The Sandtner family used several alternate spellings over the years - including "Sampson" while they were living in Newport, Kentucky; "Sander" or "Sanders" after moving to Cleveland; and eventually "Santner" and even "Sontner". The reason for the use of various spellings is not entirely clear - it may have been meant to mask their German heritage during a time of intense anti-German sentiments (WWI). It may also have been a way to apply for scarce jobs multiple times (by using aliases). In the case of "Sontner", it may have been an attempt to preserve the original pronunciation when spoken in English. We may never known for sure. Joseph's death certificate from 1919 uses the "Santner" spelling, but when wife Elisabeth died in 1924, her death certificate shows the original "Sandtner" spelling.
Elisabeth Mitterholzer was born on November 6, 1866 in Limbach, Austria-Hungary (present day Slovakia, only about 12 miles from Bratislava). She was the daughter of Michael Mitterholzer and Christina Holeitner - they were part of the German diaspora living in the Austro-Hungarian empire, who worked as "vinicola" or "weingartner" (wine gardeners, or grape growers or wine makers). This has been confirmed by her baptism record from the Limbach Lutheran Church. (Please note that her death certificate incorrectly shows her birth date as August 5, 1868, and her father's name as "Charles" - this erroneous information was supplied by son John; her headstone incorrectly shows her birth year as 1867.)
Elisabeth had a daughter named Katharina Mitterholzer on September 24, 1887, before she was married. Katharina died on May 25, 1888 at the age of 8 months. About 5 weeks later, Elizabeth married Joseph Sandtner on July 01, 1888 in Limbach. From oral family tradition, it is believed (but there is no way to know for sure), that Joseph was the biological father of Katharina. After their marriage, they went on to have 8 more children:
1889 - Sigmund aka "Sigmond"
1891 - Theresia aka "Rose"
1893 - August aka "Gus"
1895 - Johann aka "John"
1897 - Elisabeth aka "Elizabeth"
1899 - Maria aka "Mary"
1902 - Emma
1910 - William
Because the Sandtners were Roman Catholic, and the Mitterholzers were Lutheran, they agreed that any sons would be baptized in the Catholic faith, and daughters would be baptized in the Lutheran faith.
The Sandtner family decided to take their chances by uprooting their family and starting over in the United States, with the hope of forging a better life for themselves there. On February 16, 1905, husband Joseph immigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City. He joined his younger brother Ludwig Sandtner in Middletown, Ohio. Ludwig had immigrated to the US in 1903 and was already working at the "Rolling Mill Office" (a steel mill) there. Joseph also took a job at the same steel mill, earning money to bring his wife and children over to the United States. In January of 1906, eldest son Sigmond (age 16) arrived in the US, followed by daughter Rose (age 16) in August of 1907. Elisabeth and 6-year-old daughter Emma arrived in January of 1909, followed in November of 1909 by son August (age 16) and daughter Mary (age 10). The last of the family to come to the US were son John (age 14.5) and daughter Elizabeth (age 13) in May of 1910. The 2 younger children were not accompanied by any adult! Youngest son William was conceived and born in Kentucky after the family was reunited.
By May of 1910, when all of the Sandtner family was finally reunited, they had moved from Middletown, Ohio to Newport, Kentucky. Life was hard for the Sandtner family, but husband Joseph had secured a job at another steel mill there. The family moved around as worked presented itself, eventually ending up in Cleveland, Ohio. Joseph was killed in an industrial accident in a Cleveland area steel mill on December 14, 1919. He is buried in Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Cleveland (no headstone).
After the accident, the Sandtner family switched from industrial work to agricultural work. By the early 1920's the Sandtners had moved to Michigan. Elizabeth became ill while working on a farm near Britton, Michigan in 1924. Her son John took her to live with her daughter Mary Sandtner Dipple in Melvindale, Michigan, where she died a few months later on December 8, 1924. Elizabeth was buried in nearby Woodmere Cemetery (Section 6, in a single grave). There is a headstone on her grave, which is very unusual for that section of the cemetery (and especially considering that the family was not wealthy).
The Sandtner family used several alternate spellings over the years - including "Sampson" while they were living in Newport, Kentucky; "Sander" or "Sanders" after moving to Cleveland; and eventually "Santner" and even "Sontner". The reason for the use of various spellings is not entirely clear - it may have been meant to mask their German heritage during a time of intense anti-German sentiments (WWI). It may also have been a way to apply for scarce jobs multiple times (by using aliases). In the case of "Sontner", it may have been an attempt to preserve the original pronunciation when spoken in English. We may never known for sure. Joseph's death certificate from 1919 uses the "Santner" spelling, but when wife Elisabeth died in 1924, her death certificate shows the original "Sandtner" spelling.
(updated 11/28/2020)
Elisabeth Mitterholzer was born on November 6, 1866 in Limbach, Austria-Hungary (present day Slovakia, only about 12 miles from Bratislava). She was the daughter of Michael Mitterholzer and Christina Holeitner - they were part of the German diaspora living in the Austro-Hungarian empire, who worked as "vinicola" or "weingartner" (wine gardeners, or grape growers or wine makers). This has been confirmed by her baptism record from the Limbach Lutheran Church. (Please note that her death certificate incorrectly shows her birth date as August 5, 1868, and her father's name as "Charles" - this erroneous information was supplied by son John; her headstone incorrectly shows her birth year as 1867.)
Elisabeth had a daughter named Katharina Mitterholzer on September 24, 1887, before she was married. Katharina died on May 25, 1888 at the age of 8 months. About 5 weeks later, Elizabeth married Joseph Sandtner on July 01, 1888 in Limbach. From oral family tradition, it is believed (but there is no way to know for sure), that Joseph was the biological father of Katharina. After their marriage, they went on to have 8 more children:
1889 - Sigmund aka "Sigmond"
1891 - Theresia aka "Rose"
1893 - August aka "Gus"
1895 - Johann aka "John"
1897 - Elisabeth aka "Elizabeth"
1899 - Maria aka "Mary"
1902 - Emma
1910 - William
Because the Sandtners were Roman Catholic, and the Mitterholzers were Lutheran, they agreed that any sons would be baptized in the Catholic faith, and daughters would be baptized in the Lutheran faith.
The Sandtner family decided to take their chances by uprooting their family and starting over in the United States, with the hope of forging a better life for themselves there. On February 16, 1905, husband Joseph immigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City. He joined his younger brother Ludwig Sandtner in Middletown, Ohio. Ludwig had immigrated to the US in 1903 and was already working at the "Rolling Mill Office" (a steel mill) there. Joseph also took a job at the same steel mill, earning money to bring his wife and children over to the United States. In January of 1906, eldest son Sigmond (age 16) arrived in the US, followed by daughter Rose (age 16) in August of 1907. Elisabeth and 6-year-old daughter Emma arrived in January of 1909, followed in November of 1909 by son August (age 16) and daughter Mary (age 10). The last of the family to come to the US were son John (age 14.5) and daughter Elizabeth (age 13) in May of 1910. The 2 younger children were not accompanied by any adult! Youngest son William was conceived and born in Kentucky after the family was reunited.
By May of 1910, when all of the Sandtner family was finally reunited, they had moved from Middletown, Ohio to Newport, Kentucky. Life was hard for the Sandtner family, but husband Joseph had secured a job at another steel mill there. The family moved around as worked presented itself, eventually ending up in Cleveland, Ohio. Joseph was killed in an industrial accident in a Cleveland area steel mill on December 14, 1919. He is buried in Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Cleveland (no headstone).
After the accident, the Sandtner family switched from industrial work to agricultural work. By the early 1920's the Sandtners had moved to Michigan. Elizabeth became ill while working on a farm near Britton, Michigan in 1924. Her son John took her to live with her daughter Mary Sandtner Dipple in Melvindale, Michigan, where she died a few months later on December 8, 1924. Elizabeth was buried in nearby Woodmere Cemetery (Section 6, in a single grave). There is a headstone on her grave, which is very unusual for that section of the cemetery (and especially considering that the family was not wealthy).
The Sandtner family used several alternate spellings over the years - including "Sampson" while they were living in Newport, Kentucky; "Sander" or "Sanders" after moving to Cleveland; and eventually "Santner" and even "Sontner". The reason for the use of various spellings is not entirely clear - it may have been meant to mask their German heritage during a time of intense anti-German sentiments (WWI). It may also have been a way to apply for scarce jobs multiple times (by using aliases). In the case of "Sontner", it may have been an attempt to preserve the original pronunciation when spoken in English. We may never known for sure. Joseph's death certificate from 1919 uses the "Santner" spelling, but when wife Elisabeth died in 1924, her death certificate shows the original "Sandtner" spelling.
Elisabeth Mitterholzer was born on November 6, 1866 in Limbach, Austria-Hungary (present day Slovakia, only about 12 miles from Bratislava). She was the daughter of Michael Mitterholzer and Christina Holeitner - they were part of the German diaspora living in the Austro-Hungarian empire, who worked as "vinicola" or "weingartner" (wine gardeners, or grape growers or wine makers). This has been confirmed by her baptism record from the Limbach Lutheran Church. (Please note that her death certificate incorrectly shows her birth date as August 5, 1868, and her father's name as "Charles" - this erroneous information was supplied by son John; her headstone incorrectly shows her birth year as 1867.)
Elisabeth had a daughter named Katharina Mitterholzer on September 24, 1887, before she was married. Katharina died on May 25, 1888 at the age of 8 months. About 5 weeks later, Elizabeth married Joseph Sandtner on July 01, 1888 in Limbach. From oral family tradition, it is believed (but there is no way to know for sure), that Joseph was the biological father of Katharina. After their marriage, they went on to have 8 more children:
1889 - Sigmund aka "Sigmond"
1891 - Theresia aka "Rose"
1893 - August aka "Gus"
1895 - Johann aka "John"
1897 - Elisabeth aka "Elizabeth"
1899 - Maria aka "Mary"
1902 - Emma
1910 - William
Because the Sandtners were Roman Catholic, and the Mitterholzers were Lutheran, they agreed that any sons would be baptized in the Catholic faith, and daughters would be baptized in the Lutheran faith.
The Sandtner family decided to take their chances by uprooting their family and starting over in the United States, with the hope of forging a better life for themselves there. On February 16, 1905, husband Joseph immigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City. He joined his younger brother Ludwig Sandtner in Middletown, Ohio. Ludwig had immigrated to the US in 1903 and was already working at the "Rolling Mill Office" (a steel mill) there. Joseph also took a job at the same steel mill, earning money to bring his wife and children over to the United States. In January of 1906, eldest son Sigmond (age 16) arrived in the US, followed by daughter Rose (age 16) in August of 1907. Elisabeth and 6-year-old daughter Emma arrived in January of 1909, followed in November of 1909 by son August (age 16) and daughter Mary (age 10). The last of the family to come to the US were son John (age 14.5) and daughter Elizabeth (age 13) in May of 1910. The 2 younger children were not accompanied by any adult! Youngest son William was conceived and born in Kentucky after the family was reunited.
By May of 1910, when all of the Sandtner family was finally reunited, they had moved from Middletown, Ohio to Newport, Kentucky. Life was hard for the Sandtner family, but husband Joseph had secured a job at another steel mill there. The family moved around as worked presented itself, eventually ending up in Cleveland, Ohio. Joseph was killed in an industrial accident in a Cleveland area steel mill on December 14, 1919. He is buried in Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Cleveland (no headstone).
After the accident, the Sandtner family switched from industrial work to agricultural work. By the early 1920's the Sandtners had moved to Michigan. Elizabeth became ill while working on a farm near Britton, Michigan in 1924. Her son John took her to live with her daughter Mary Sandtner Dipple in Melvindale, Michigan, where she died a few months later on December 8, 1924. Elizabeth was buried in nearby Woodmere Cemetery (Section 6, in a single grave). There is a headstone on her grave, which is very unusual for that section of the cemetery (and especially considering that the family was not wealthy).
The Sandtner family used several alternate spellings over the years - including "Sampson" while they were living in Newport, Kentucky; "Sander" or "Sanders" after moving to Cleveland; and eventually "Santner" and even "Sontner". The reason for the use of various spellings is not entirely clear - it may have been meant to mask their German heritage during a time of intense anti-German sentiments (WWI). It may also have been a way to apply for scarce jobs multiple times (by using aliases). In the case of "Sontner", it may have been an attempt to preserve the original pronunciation when spoken in English. We may never known for sure. Joseph's death certificate from 1919 uses the "Santner" spelling, but when wife Elisabeth died in 1924, her death certificate shows the original "Sandtner" spelling.
Family Members
See more Sandtner or Mitterholzer memorials in:
- Woodmere Cemetery Sandtner or Mitterholzer
- Detroit Sandtner or Mitterholzer
- Wayne County Sandtner or Mitterholzer
- Michigan Sandtner or Mitterholzer
- USA Sandtner or Mitterholzer
- Find a Grave Sandtner or Mitterholzer
