Notes for Charles (Carl) Edward Lietzke: (written by one of his great-grandsons)

....as I [piece] together information about Charles Lietzke & his activities in America.

First he arrived at an [uncle's] farm between Sandusky & Clyde Ohio.  He then 
worked for the railroad & this was bad because train robbers took the pay that 
the workers earned for months, so after this he came to Michigan, as the railroad
didn't pay off anybody & [there] was no money to do anything with in Ohio.  
So being very disgusted with the railroad, he decided to walk to Michigan, 
and did.  His uncle "Peen", as this is the only reference to the first name 
of the uncle who sponsored him from Germany, convinced them that they pack 
their clothes in big boxes that they had on the boat, eight years earlier.  
Much to the dislike of Great Grandpa, he went along with this, sure as can be,
5 months later their clothes and things came to Lansing.  But they had given up
by this time thinking that they were lost or stolen.  Grandpa Herman told me 
the Zischke's gave them wool, some cloth & Wilhelmena made clothes and things,
they also gave them some pots & pans.  

There [were] many stories told by Grandpa Herman as to how things were when 
they first came to Michigan, apparently they came in mild weather & Grandpa 
[talked] about getting a fireplace & roof on the cabin before very cold weather
came, this they did.  The whole family worked at this, their first living was 
poles around a large oak & bark placed so the rain & wind would be shielded.  
This was used for the first summer.  The Zischke's, who lived 3 miles from them,
gave "Charles" tools to work timbers with, to be returned when possible.  
Grandpa didn't have much experience with building as he had spent all of his 
working years in the military, but by the time he had the house, barns, sheep 
barns built, he had a lot of experience, also heavy calloused.  Grandpa Herman
said his father worried very much about making it through the terrible Michigan
cold weather as they had heard [others] tell from Ohio, that returned froze out.
But, as Grandpa said, we made it.

Charles E. Lietzke, oldest son of Fred was born March 20, 1839; my grandfather.
He lived in Germany and served in the German army 1854-1862 & 1871 serving in 
3 wars, The Danish war (1864), the Austrian war (1866) and the French war 
(1870-1871).  He was married to Willemina Zischke about 1865.  There was born 
to them 10 children: Adiline, Gusta, Herman, Artille, William , Albert, Otto,
Fred, Emma & Alvina.  In 1874 he came to America and settled in Ohio on a farm
midway between Fremont & Sandusky.  In 1882 he came to Michigan and settled on
a farm in section 1, Watertown Township, Clinton County where he cleared land 
and built a house & barn and other buildings that were necessary.... 

Grandfather (Charles) met (1863) Grandmother at her Uncle Pioch's, where she 
was working.  Old Pioch's ordered Granddad out, he didn't want him to hang 
around, until Grandfather (Charles) told him very plain that he was going 
to marry Willemina anyway.