They lost 2 children in infancy.

Bernard's parents:
Michael Heisten born in Luxemburg
Maggie M. Welbes
They are buried in Germany.

BARNEY HEISTEN

Barney Heisten, who owns farming and dairy interests in Campton township, is of French descent, having been born in Sedan, France, October 23, 1867, the son of Michael and Maggie M. (Welbes) Heisten. His father was born in Luxemburg, Germany, to which place he returned from France when our subject was quite small, and engaged in farming. Here he passed the remainder of his days and is now resting by the side of his devoted wife in the Catholic cemetery. They were both communicants of the Catholic faith. They were the parents of four children, namely : Lewis, a merchant of Luxemburg; Lizzie, the wife of John Meder, a school teacher of Luxemburg; Anna, who married Nick Mangen, a farmer ; and Barney.

Barney Heisten is indebted to the public schools of Luxemburg for his education. He attended regularly to the time he was thirteen years of age when, through force of circumstances, he was compelled to leave school and aid his father in the work of the farm. He remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-four years of age, when he emigrated to America, locating in Virgil township, Kane county. Here he secured employment as a farm hand and remained in the position for five years, saving his earnings with the ultimate object of engaging in farming for himself. This he was eventually enabled to do and his progress from that time on was much more rapid than it had been hitherto. He now keeps fifty cows for dairying purposes and owns personal property to the value of not less than four thousand dollars, a record of which he may well be proud in consideration of the fact that at the outset of life he had no capital with which to begin excepting the innate forces that were bound up in his own nature, while adversity and hardship but served to
develop and bring forth the strong qualities within him.

In 1895 occurred the marriage of Mr. Heisten and Miss Matilda Gieger, who was born in Switzerland in 1870. Unto this union have been born nine children, namely : Ben J., Mary, Willie, John, Paul, Helen, Leonard, George and Nick, all of whom reside at home with their parents. In politics Mr. Heisten is a republican. Religiously he is a member of the Catholic church.

This was in the Kane County Journal about 1909- 1910.