This family history was a labor of love compiled by Ben Stitgen, assisted by his daughter, Irene Stitgen Reilly. Ben had a strong sense of family belonging that he passed on to his children and grandchildren. He wrote this history originally for his children so they would have a record of their heritage.
As he worked on it year after year, so many people expressed an interest in it, it became his pleasure to share this with all his relatives.
Ancestors in the direct line of Ben Stitgen and Catherine Birrenkott Stitgen are underlined and capitalized.
The Doane family starts with Christina Barnet from Annandale Scotland, whose husband _____ Doane, died while in Scotland. She settled in Waunakee Wisconsin in 1853, with her twin sons, Andrew and Peter.
The progenitor of the Rapp family, Peter and Susan (Marsh) Rapp, started in Pennsylvania and moved their family to Dane Township, Wisconsin in 1848.
The Steele family starts with Robert and Nancy (Dunshee) Steele of Armagh County, Northern Ireland, who met on the voyage to America in 1801. They settled near Bovina, Delaware County, New York.
The Newman family starts with John and Mary Newman of Polajewo, Poland. They immigrated to America together in 1853 and settled in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Stitgen family comprises most of the book and starts with Theodor and Barbare (Wollgrafs) Stutgen (the family would variously spell their name as Stutgen, Stuttgen, Stuettgen, and Stitgen.) Theodore Stitgen, grandson of Theodor Stutgen would immigrate to Richfield, Wisconsin about 1850 and eventually settled in Hillsboro, Oregon.
Notes:
- No copyright page found.
- There is a table of contents, and the manuscript contains extensive b/w photographs.
Source
Stitgen, Ben and Reilly, Irene Stitgen. Genealogy: Stitgen, Steele, Doane, Newman, Rapp. Self-published, c1979.