The Biography of Elizabeth Iffert Assmus Elizabeth Iffert Asmus was born in May, 1882, in Ellenberg, Hessen, Germany, and died April 23, 1892, at the home of youngest daughter, Alice in Sandusky, Ohio, at age 70 years 11 months. Her father being mayor (Burgmeister) of that village for 20years, and pretty well educated as he would help people when they received letters from the United States and was able to read it. He would translate the letter in German to them thus making them happy. When Elizabeth was 17 years old, her mother died leaving her, her brother and father. She then kept house for her father who at a later date had a man chosen for his daughter, which he thought was a "good match", but who had means, wich meant a lot in those days. Papa iffert soon found out that his daughter Liz had other ideas of her own, and this man he chose for her was certainly not to her liking. In the meantime she met a young handsome man 3 years younger than herself. Adam Asmus was from another village and a butcher by trade and sold cattle at retail and wholesale in the entire area including Cassel. Adam Asmus and Elizabeth were married and had seven daughters born to them. The third youngest dying in infancy. They were as follows Elizabeth – born in 1845; Lena – born in 1846 or 47; Catherine – born 1849; Eliza – born in 1851; Martha – born in 1855; Alice born in 1857. When Elizabeth was 16 years old and Alice the youngest was 4 years old, Adam Asmus died at the age of 36 leaving his family in a destitute state. (1861) Father Iffert had died and Elizabeth Iffert Asmus brother had married and was living in his fathers home. Then later Elizabeth the oldest daughter was chaperoned to the United States and located in Sandusky, Ohio. Here her father (Adam) had a sister named Catherine, (Mrs. Schaefer) who was married and lived on a few acres of land on the outskirts of Sandusky. Elizabeth was about 20 years of age and through her aunt became employed in Sandusky. In 1863 she coaxed her two sisters, Catherine and Eliza to come to the United States. At that time a man living in Sandusky, Louis Heinmerling. Made trips to that part of Germany where he was aquainted and people were eager to come to live in the United States. He would chaperone them to the United States and take care of the trip, receiving a commission for his services. So Catherin and Eliza nineteen and seventeen years old, were chaperoned by this Louis Heinmerling, with quite a few others from this village and surrounding area. They all left Germany on the steamer Siberia, and in mid Ocean one of the propellers underneath the ship in some way flew off into the ocean. If it had struck the ship, it would have made a hole in the ship and they would have sunk. They sent rockets for three days for help, as the ship was just drifting at sea. Finally a boat answered and when they arrived they tied a heavy rope to the Siberia and was towing her back to Queenstown, Ireland. In the meantime it became stormy and the rope tied to the Siberia broke, and being night, they were lost at sea again. At day break they went to look for the Siberia again and finally found her and got her safly back to Ireland where they awaited another ship, the Tripili, and went on to Boston, Mass. To top it all off they had already seen land, wich was boston, where they were to soon landwhen a waiter of the steamer staff from the kitchen was bring them food on a tray (the evening meal), and just entered their berth, when some youngster, 11 or 12 years old, yelled fire! The waiter left the tray and rushed upstairs where he found it to be a false alarm from the kid, who should have been punished severly for the scare so close to land! Such a trip and Catherine and Eliza both vowed that they would never again cross the ocean as they had left Germany the first week in May and arrived at Boston, Mass. On the 10th of July 1868. Elizabeth had become worried about her two sisters, who had not arrived on time. It turned out to be a very happy meeting when they finally arrived. Catherine and Eliza both became employed in Sandusky and in 1870 Elizabeth Iffert Asmus and her daughters Lena, Martha and Alice were chaperoned by Louis Heinmerling to the United States. The oldest, Elizabeth had in the meantime met and married a man named Pete Otter had three daughter born to them, Kate, Lena, Martha and a son Henry. At a later date they moved on a farm in Belleville, Michigan, where they both died. Catherine Asmus who also met a man in Sandusky, August W. Tamn, to whom she marriedin 1873. August Tamn's trade was making new footwear, but later he conducted a shoe store on Camp Street. They had a son Oscar, and a daughter, Harriett. Catherine died Feb. 6th 1920, and August died June 10th, 1924. Lena Asmus met a man at the place she was employed, Mike Gumbert, whom she married. After living on different farms, and the last farm they lived on burned. They located on Rt. 20, Monroeville, near Ridge Street. They had six children Charles, Elizabeth, William, Herman, Alice, and John. Mike died at this place in 1897, at the age of 51. Lena died there about the age of 67, in 1913. * Michael Gumbert was run over by a train crossing the track in his horse and buggy, as the story is told he was intoxicated quite heavely.Then cameEliza Asmus who met and married Andrew Frandsen, who also had six children; Emma, who died at age of one year, Gertrude, Lawrence, Alice, Catherine and Martha. They lived in Sandusky and Andrew Frandsen was a carpenter by trade and later built houses. Andrew Frandsen died in July, 1899 at the age of 53, and Eliza died Feb. 7th , 1910 at age of 59. Then came Martha Asmus, who met and married Charles Reber, he being a cabinet maker and lived in Norwalk. They had a daughter Alice and a son William. Charles Reber was born April 4th, 1853 and died August 21st, 1923. Martha was born Oct. 7th, 1885 and died May16th, 1928 in Norwalk, Ohio Then came Alice Asmus, who married a man wh was a widower with three children. This man George Traub, only lived two months after their marriage, died in 1887. Later she met another widower, Jacob Kunze, who had a son John. She married Kunze in 1891 and they had one daughter born to them, Elsie. Jacob Kunze had a lucrative position in a wood plant in Sandusky, Alice Kunze died in May 1915 at the age odf 57 and Jacob died a few years later. After all the six "Asmus" sisters had died, Mrs Catherine Frandsen Peckman daughter of Eliza of Sandusky, Elsie Bemis Rosswurm daughter of Alice Gumbert Bemis ( or grand daughter of Lena Asmus Gumbert) conceived the idea of having a yearly "Reunion" of the Asmus Family. So the Asmus "Reunion" was origanized in 1931 being held at the home of Mrs Rueben (Alice) Bemis in Monroeville Ohio, on August 23, 1931 being thr birthday of Alice Bemis the daughter of LenaAsmus Gumbert. This "Reunion" has been held at various places – Bellevue, Ashland, Lorain, Clyde, Sandusky, ect. Not so many of the first cousins are left now and the fifth generation of Elizabeth Iffert Asmus is of course still multiplying and we hope that the older and younger generations will still continue to have these joyous "Reunions" every year for the sake of Elizabeth Iffert Asmus and her six daughters. By Harriet M. Tamn (This has been copied from a copy of an original letter handed down to me)Richard Henry Gumbert 3 rd great grand son of Elizabeth Iffert Asmus