Hi All, My family was German also, but came to the area in 1830, just after the Indians were pushed west (again). These are the surnames I'm interested in, and I will gladly share any information that I have with interested parties: Shaver, Green, Debolt, Trumbo, Dunnavan, Snelling, Lowman, Moss, Pitzer, Parr, and others. Perhaps I should add, after leaving Germany before 1738 after being persecuted because of religious beliefs (Mennonite), the Shaver's landed in Bucks Co. Pa and then were prominent in Rockingham Co., Va and then on to Licking Co. OH (1805), and then as mentioned above in LaSalle Co. I would love to hear from anyone on these names. Sue (Shaver) Koller Colorado -----Original Message----- From: Kay M. Diers <kmdiers@mninter.net> To: ILLASALL-L@rootsweb.com <ILLASALL-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Sunday, October 11, 1998 8:47 PM Subject: [ILLASALL-L] Re: ILLASALL-D Digest V98 #29 >> From: The Michels <rpmichels@earthlink.net> wrote: >> To: ILLASALL-L@rootsweb.com >> >> Is there any publication or listing that tells about the German migration to > Illinois, how they found out about it and why was LaSalle chosen? >> Roger > >Hi! >I have not heard of any publication, but maybe migration patterns would >help you.... > >My family also came from an area of Germany, now in Poland. Flyers were >passed out, seen on the local community board of the day and heard of in >Germany and Europe in the 1800's. Many folks left for one of seven >reasons: famine or lack of food, poor conditions in general, war or >draft into army, poor farming conditions - poor land, opposition to the >government, religious freedom..... > >Can not remember the rest, now. > >My relatives wanted to move out of the city. Anyone who came on a ship, >arriving on the eastern USA coast, heard of "Great opportunities" out >west. Many were disappointed, others were not. All found many hardships. > >Flyers and agents tried to convince immigrants to book passage with them >on particular ships to inland ports. > >My relatives wanted to head to Chicago, so family stories go and in >Chicago, they encountered agents who convinced them to come to LaSalle >to work at one of the factories, in this case, a clock manufacturing >place and eventually he did more masonary work which he was familar >with. > >Any town with access to rivers had commerce lines coming into the area >and with the opening of the railroad, more folks and commerce moved >around. > >Hope this helps. > >Kay Diers >MN reader and Genealogist >