Senzig Saga

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 was a disaster of the first order in my
family. We were well established as millers in several locations, and
Senzigs owned and operated some prestigious mills. The family now extended
outward in a large circle, but unfortunately the French - German border
went virtually through the center of the circle of our family. Amidst all
of this turmoil, Nicholas and his wife Catherine (nee Muller) struggling
to raise a good Catholic family, but already 4 of their 8 children had
died as infants. What hope would there be in a war amongst the family.
This Village of Woelflingen was only three kilometers from the German
border, and even though located at the bottom of an isolated valley,
surely could not avoid entanglement in the battles to be fought. He didn’t
relish the idea of going to war against his relatives, and whichever side
he went on, that would certainly be the case. He decided to start a new
life in America. No small undertaking in those days.

The walk to Antwerp would take many months. They couldn’t even take too
long of a rest for Catherine to give birth to my father’s last European-born
aunt. When they came to book passage, there were now 5 surviving children.
There are some discrepancies in the ages listed on the paper of passage,
Roger feels there was a little fudging to take advantage of lower rates for
some of the children. Conjecture of course, and yet Roger has really done
his homework in most areas.

Sailing from Antwerp on the 16th of April, 1880, the family arrived at Ellis
Island to begin a new chapter in the history book. The two Senzigs already
in America were a New Yorker, and veteran of the Civil War that apparently
left no descendants, and Peter Senzig, who had arrived alone in 1870 at the
age of 17 to seek his fortune. (His descendants are the Indiana Senzigs)