Samson Family GenealogyIMMIGRATION TO AMERICA
About 100 people from Oberschopfheim left Germany for America between 1850 and 1860. One crop failure after another brought the area of Ortenau to poverty and starvation. Oberschopfheim was also not spared this. In many areas there were Soup kitchens opened to help save the people. Many people saw no future for their families and children that they decided to join the “poor wanderers” to America to search for a better life. Many also went out of political reasons, some for adventure. Why the Samson family went to America is not exactly not sure. Main point is: many left to follow their “luck” in America, including the Stone quarry family Karl Samson and his family. Karl Samson owned a quarry with his uncle (also named) Karl Samson. The uncle Karl Samson was the Mayer in Oberschopfheim from 1838 to 1846. The quarry was between Diersburg and Oberschopfheim. Stones from the Ortenberger Castle and the evangelical City Church in Offenburg came from this quarry. Maybe the Samsons sold their quarry to begin a new life in America? Maybe they sold the quarry because it was almost “used up” and they saw their future in Oberschopfheim as slim?
In November 1852 the 37 year old Karl Samson, his wife Josephine Feist (from Diersburg) and their children: 9 year old Anton, 16 year old Heinrich, baby Richard left for LeHavre, France. They also brought their family members, 16 year old Theresa and 9 year old Karl Samson (children from Karl’s brother). There was also a 20 year old man Kilian Samson, but exactly who he is is not clear. Possibly he was the child of a “nobel landlord” Karl Samson from Niederschopfheim (probably in the same region). They all boarded the ship “Irene” and arrived in New York on the 9th of February 1853. The family thought that the arrival in America was the most difficult part of the trip, but they were wrong. A horrible storm took the sail ship, with which they were to travel on to New Orleans from New York. The mast broke and a catastrophe began. Many passengers lost their lives. How the captain of the ship actually got them there is not quite known. The Samsons were very lucky—they had a future in America! The trip then went up the Mississippi to Missouri and ended just north of St. Genevieve.
Upon landing, Karl Samson bought 80 acres of land on March 19th 1853. He must have planned this from the beginning. The land he bought lies between Weingarten and New Offenburg and was pure wilderness. Many trees, bushes, every type of brush imaginable. First it needed clearing in order to build a home. The new immigrants had a lot of work, but they lived well. In 1854 Karl Samson received citizenship. There were also four new children: Marie, Joseph, Bernard and Christina. Little Marie died and also Karl’s wife, Josephine Feist died in 1870. Karl Samson was alone with seven children.
Karl needed a new wife and mother for his seven children and met a widow Eva Yonk. In 1872 they married. From this marriage cam twins Rosine and Magdalena and then Charles.
Karl Samson was very healthy. He could work during the horrible summer heat waves in the fields and was never really sick. In the summer of 1887 there was a heavy downpour (rain) and he caught a horrible cold. He never wanted to believe that he would die from this “horrible cold”, even to the final end. He always wanted to give his oldest son Anton, who came to America when he was 9 years old, and said his final words: Tony should watch over everything and over the children” At 7 a.m. on July 25th 1887 Karl Samson died. The “big” Anton cared for, as promised, for his younger siblings and Eva Yonk. He was 43 years old and had married Magdalena Roth in 1864 and had his own children and lived on his own. Anthony (as he was called in the U.S.) had the same pride as his father. He was a court-marshal judge in the city council and a “Street commissioner”. His farm was very large and he was seen as an up-standing citizen.
The American Samsons has grown from year to year. Karl's oldest son Anton married Magdalena Roth. One of their sons, Charles Samson, married Regina Braun. Their son Henry Samson married Emily M. Samson and their son is Warren Samson, the father of John Samson.