Julianne's Wedding

This video is of Julianne DeSombre and Donald Kemmer's wedding on 04/12/1958.

I will create still pictures from the movie and work on identifying some of the people in the video in the near future. I think I noticed Eugene DeSombre in the movie. I'll have to get my father to verify it.

Home Movies

My family has about 50 8mm home movies from the 1940s through the 1960s. They are movies taken by my family and by Les and Clemawelle Engelhardt.

I selected one and had it transferred to DVD. I then ripped the dvd to avi files to post here for folks to see. Please don't try to adjust the volume. These movies are all silent.

This one is the second half of the dvd. It is of Dee Renee Engelhardt. The lady in the first half with her may be her mother or grandmother. Her father, Les, is in the second part blowing bubbles.

Les and Clem had a room set up as a playroom off their dining room for Dee Renee. I remember visiting them often when I was young. All us kids would head for the playroom shortly after we arrived. I was surprised to remember the seal with the red nose that Dee is sitting on in the movie. It was fun to see Les looking younger than I had remember him also.

Dad Babysitting

Richard "Dick" DeSombre feeding Thomas "Tom" DeSombre. Mark DeSombre behind bars and Candy in the foreground. Taken about late 1960 or early 1961.

William DeSombre

Vernetta DeSombre, Milton DeSombre, their father William "Bill" DeSombre and Bill's granddaughter Sandralee DeSombre.



Milton DeSombre, his father William "Bill" DeSombre and Bill's granddaughter Sandralee DeSombre.

Our German Connection

Based on death records, obituaries, marriage records and church records our German ancestors are from a region of Germany called Uckermark in the Northeast part of the state of Brandenburg. See map at left.

The capital of the Uckermark is Prenzlau. The Uckermark is a forest and lake-rich landscape between the rivers Havel and lower Oder. Main branch of economy was always agriculture.

Since two of the earliest DeSombres took up farming in America, I believe that they may have farmed while in Germany as their source of income.

Our ancestors grew up when the country was still Prussia. It became Germany in 1871, about nine years before they began to come to America.

With the edict of Potsdam 1685 Friedrich William “the Great Elector” invited the Huguenots from France into his country (Prussia). Could it be around this time or thereafter when our ancestors came to Prussia from France?

Our European History

Ferdinand DeSombre told my father that the DeSombres left Germany for America because of religious persecution. He said they were well off financially and that the money came from providing lodging in Germany. Prior to Germany, the DeSombres were in France. Prior to that, the DeSombres began in Holland with the name Von De Sombre (or a variation of that).

I do not believe they left Germany due to religious persecution. Germany was hardly the place for Lutherans to be persecuted. The actual reason for their departure may never be known.

Michael and Augusta DeSombre Mueller were the first from the family tree to come to America. That makes Augusta the first DeSombre from our family tree to be here. One of her decendants told me that a family story states that the couple had seven children that passed away in a fire in Tantow, Germany. Since Mueller is a common name here in Sheboygan, could Michael have known someone here and they both decided to start a new life and leave behind their tramatic loss?

If that is the reason, then the others that followed shortly after with Augusta being the connection to Sheboygan. America could have offered them new and possibly better opportunities than if they stayed in Germany.

There are quite a number of DeSombres (spelled Desombre) living in France today. There may be even more DeSombres there than in America and definately more than in Germany. Since the surname is obviously French, I do believe that our ancestors were in France prior to Germany. They may well have been French Huguenots.

The Huguenots were French Protestants most of whom eventually came to follow the teachings of John Calvin, and who, due to religious persecution, were forced to flee France to other countries in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It's possible that this is where the religious persecution happened that Ferdinand mentioned in his story and not in Germany as was thought.

I have found nothing to suggest that our country of origin was Holland and that our surname began with 'Von'. I'm inclined to believe that that part of the story is not true but is something to remember being said when doing further research.

Bill & Helene

William DeSombre (1889-1964) and his wife Helene Schmidt DeSombre (1891-1921). Date of pictures unknown.

Wedding?

It is thought that this is Ella DeSombre (1902-1987) and August Pfeiffer's (1901-1960) wedding photo. The wedding took place in Swanville, Todd County, Minnesota. They were married 06/03/1930. (The man on the left is unidentified.)

Jeanette

Photo of Jeanette Laubenstein (1923-1984). Daughter of Anna DeSombre Laubenstein (1895-1970). Year of photo unknown.

DeFere Wedding

Wedding photo of Jeanette Laubenstein (1923-1984) and Donald DeFere.
Year of photo unknown.

Carl's Corner

Carl DeSombre (1859-1929) owned 3 properties in Sheboygan. The photo is of the South East corner of 12th Street and Michigan Avenue. The building on the corner housed The North Side Drug Co. and had 5 apartments upstairs with a shared bathroom. Carl also owned the house to the east of the store (left side of photo). He lived in the house until his son William DeSombre built the home to the south of the store (right side of the photo). His children Ella and George lived in the house after his death in 1929.