Honoring our Immigrant Herritage Survey

Full Name

Ziegler, Pius Henry Nickodemis

What are your ties to Collyer?

I've been in Collyer all my life except when I was in the Navy. (Still live in town with wife Ilona Ziegler.)

Where did you live?

(On the family farm 3/4 miles SW of Collyer - the original Coyote Point.)

Which School did you attend?

St Michaels Grade School, Collyer High School, Wichita Business College.

What was your religious affiliation?

Catholic.

Do you have any stories to tell about family hardships resulting from building and oranizing a Collyer Church or Church Structure?

Just hard manual work.

Were your friends and neighbors all of the same religious affiliation?

No, there were Dunkards, Baptists, and Methodists.

Your ethnic background/which country did your ancesters call home?

German

What language was spoken in the home?

German

Did you experience any problems or barriers caused by speaking a different language?

When I started school, I spoke German.

What ethnic and/or religiuos traditions do you specifically remember growing up with? Does your family still practice the same traditions?

Just going to Midnight Mass. Yes, when the church has a Midnight Mass Service.

When did you and/or your family move to Collyer?

Do you know how "Collyer" was chosen as a home designation? (Why did your family move here?) Did they operate a farm on homesteaded property?

Did you/and or your family operate a business in Collyer?

Did you or your parents serve in the military?

I was in the Navy.

Were there problems caused by your ethnic background?

Was your family name changed after you arrived in the United States?

What year were you born?

1924

Where was you place of birth?

(The Family Farm, now known as) the Leo Ziegler Farm (outside of Collyer).

Why did your family leave their homeland?

Their land in Russia was taken from them by the government.

What form of travel did your ancestors use to get to their destination?

(Both) Ship and Train.

What hardships did they encounter on their journey?

I never heard them say.

What Ports of Call did they travel through to get to America?

Don't know.

Which Port of Entry did they come through when they arrived in America?

Ellis Island.

What possessions did they bring along with them on their journey? Did they have to sell most of their possessions to be able to obtain money for the journey?

Suitcase of clothing. Did they have to sell their possessions to obtain money for the journey: Yes.

How long did their journey take them from their homeland?

I don't know.

What was the occupation of your ancestors?

Farmers.

Did they change occupations once they settled?

No.

Did they face discrimination once they settled in Collyer?

Since most German children did not speak English when they started to school, They were teased by English speaking children.

How did they acquire their homestead land or business?

Through the Homestead Act.

Did there seem to be different social classes among the settlers?

People living in town had electricity and indoor toilets.

How did the war affect you or your family?

World War II affected (my brother) Julius and me. Later brother Bob was in the Korean War. (My brother) Leo was left to help his dad farm.

Do you have ties or are you in communication with anyone in your ancestor's country?

Have you ever been back to your ancestor's country?

How did your ancestors integrate into a community? In other words, what was the common thread that brought them together?

Because there were enough German relatives and friends, they were happy within their own.

Additional Notes:

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