The
Imles have been traced back to 1558. They have always lived in the
neighboring hamlets of Gündelbach and Horrheim, Germany and Imles still
live there today.
These two old wine producing villages are located about halfway between Stuttgart and Karlsruhe near the eastern border of the old state of Württemberg and today
are located in the modern state of Baden-Württemberg.
The family has passed down a centuries-old family crest or heraldic figure(a real one, not one of those sold by various genealogical businesses today) showing ribbons
with three bees. In the middle ages, Imle or Imlin meant "bee" or "little" bee in high German. It is thought that the very early Imles were bee keepers. On March 23, 1881,
Christoph Frederick and Maria Reichert Imle and five children—Maria, Frederich, Christian, Gottlob, and my grandfather Adam (who was less than a year old) set out by
ship from Rotterdam, Holland, apparently coming down the Rhine to that port. About three weeks later, 16 April 1881, they arrived in New York and traveled immediately
to Clark County, Illinois. In Clark County, they had four more children (one of whom died young) and these, of course, had children. It is these children and grandchildren
that appear in the three photos.
Photo 1 shows the grandchildren of Christoph Frederick Imle and Anna Maria Reichert Imle and was taken on the same day at the same place as photo 2.
The grandchildren are identified below.
Photo 2 shows Christoph Frederick Imle and Anna Maria Reichert Imle with both their children and grandchildren. The photo was taken on the Chris and Alta Imle Farm
on Route 1 about 6 miles south of Marshall, Illinois, in Clark County on 18 Nov. 1916. The house at the back was always called the "Big House," by the family. This is the
first major house that Christoph Frederick and Anna Maria Imle built after immigrating to the U.S. in 1881. I say first major house because their first house was a log cabin,
which they occupied until they acquired sufficient money to construct a real house (i.e., from about 1881 to 1897 or 1898). The house was sold to Chris and Alta Imle (two
of Christoph's children) the year before the photo was taken (1915). At that time Christoph Frederick and Anna Maria retired and moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, and then
moved back to Marshall, Illinois. Other sons (including my grandfather Adam Imle) were "given" nearby farms and houses, the exception being Gottlob who did not want to
farm. The Chris and Alta Imle house still exists and look much the same as it did then, except the large front porch has been replaced with a smaller one. Many years ago,
before her death, Mary Emaline Imle identified most of the people in Photo 2, though there are some doubts. Few revisions have been made based on others memories
and other photos. The following are the identifications of the people in the photo:
Front Row, L to R
Logan Miller (could be Herman Miller), Harold Miller, Marie Imle, Harry Imle, Herman Miller (could be Logan Miller), Paul Imle, George Miller, Irma Imle, unknown
(probably one of Kern girls), Susan Imle, Glen Imle, Ernest Imle, Albert Imle
Second Row, L to R
Louise Imle (holding Marie Imle), Harold Imle, Mary Imle on Anna Maria Reichert’s lap.
Third Row, L to R
Emma Kern, Louise (or Margaret) Kern, John Imle, Bertha (or Louise) Kern, Christoph Frederick Imle (my great grandfather), Anna Maria (Reichert) Imle, Edgar Imle,
Edward Imle, Robert Imle
Fourth Row, L to R
William Archibald, John Seibert (?), Fairy (Gard) Imle, William Imle, Clara (Coldren) Imle, Fred Imle, Eugene Miller, Anna Miller, Adam Imle, Olive Imle, Gottlob Imle,
Richard Imle held by Clara (Schroeder) Imle, Chris Kern, Emma (Schroeder) Kern, Chris Imle, Alta Imle
Marie Imle was born in October 1915 and Richard Imle was born in July 1915. These two are infants in the picture. Josephine Imle, born in October 1916, does not appear.
It may be that she was too young to be taken outside for the photo.
Photo #3 appears to be taken at the same place as the other photos but not at the same time. From the ages of the few people identified, it is believed it was taken about
10 years earlier, around 1906, shortly after Adam Imle was married. From the caption, the photo appears to be primarily of Gottlob's family, but there are others. Unfortunately
few in this picture are identified. Gottlob was not as well known as the others because he was the only one that did not end up farming and he moved away from the immediate
area around Marshall to those "distant" places Terre Haute and, eventually, Vincennes. Some are immediately apparent. Maria, who stands at the right of the third porch post
(counting from the right) always wore her hair parted severely down the center. Christoph, was a large man with a black bushy beard and is the second person right of Maria.
Herman Imle, the youngest, stands between Christoph and Maria. Olive and Adam are standing together right in the center of the photo (he has a bowler). It is believed that the
man to Olive's right is Billy Imle. Many of the others are apparently Gottlob and Clara with Clara's siblings and her parents. The baby on the far left might be Gottlob's oldest child
Irma, who was born in 1905. His other children were born later. Certainly, the old man with the white beard is not an Imle since Christoph was the first to arrive in the U.S. and
was the oldest of the U.S. Imles.
These two old wine producing villages are located about halfway between Stuttgart and Karlsruhe near the eastern border of the old state of Württemberg and today
are located in the modern state of Baden-Württemberg.
The family has passed down a centuries-old family crest or heraldic figure(a real one, not one of those sold by various genealogical businesses today) showing ribbons
with three bees. In the middle ages, Imle or Imlin meant "bee" or "little" bee in high German. It is thought that the very early Imles were bee keepers. On March 23, 1881,
Christoph Frederick and Maria Reichert Imle and five children—Maria, Frederich, Christian, Gottlob, and my grandfather Adam (who was less than a year old) set out by
ship from Rotterdam, Holland, apparently coming down the Rhine to that port. About three weeks later, 16 April 1881, they arrived in New York and traveled immediately
to Clark County, Illinois. In Clark County, they had four more children (one of whom died young) and these, of course, had children. It is these children and grandchildren
that appear in the three photos.
Photo 1 shows the grandchildren of Christoph Frederick Imle and Anna Maria Reichert Imle and was taken on the same day at the same place as photo 2.
The grandchildren are identified below.
Photo 2 shows Christoph Frederick Imle and Anna Maria Reichert Imle with both their children and grandchildren. The photo was taken on the Chris and Alta Imle Farm
on Route 1 about 6 miles south of Marshall, Illinois, in Clark County on 18 Nov. 1916. The house at the back was always called the "Big House," by the family. This is the
first major house that Christoph Frederick and Anna Maria Imle built after immigrating to the U.S. in 1881. I say first major house because their first house was a log cabin,
which they occupied until they acquired sufficient money to construct a real house (i.e., from about 1881 to 1897 or 1898). The house was sold to Chris and Alta Imle (two
of Christoph's children) the year before the photo was taken (1915). At that time Christoph Frederick and Anna Maria retired and moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, and then
moved back to Marshall, Illinois. Other sons (including my grandfather Adam Imle) were "given" nearby farms and houses, the exception being Gottlob who did not want to
farm. The Chris and Alta Imle house still exists and look much the same as it did then, except the large front porch has been replaced with a smaller one. Many years ago,
before her death, Mary Emaline Imle identified most of the people in Photo 2, though there are some doubts. Few revisions have been made based on others memories
and other photos. The following are the identifications of the people in the photo:
Front Row, L to R
Logan Miller (could be Herman Miller), Harold Miller, Marie Imle, Harry Imle, Herman Miller (could be Logan Miller), Paul Imle, George Miller, Irma Imle, unknown
(probably one of Kern girls), Susan Imle, Glen Imle, Ernest Imle, Albert Imle
Second Row, L to R
Louise Imle (holding Marie Imle), Harold Imle, Mary Imle on Anna Maria Reichert’s lap.
Third Row, L to R
Emma Kern, Louise (or Margaret) Kern, John Imle, Bertha (or Louise) Kern, Christoph Frederick Imle (my great grandfather), Anna Maria (Reichert) Imle, Edgar Imle,
Edward Imle, Robert Imle
Fourth Row, L to R
William Archibald, John Seibert (?), Fairy (Gard) Imle, William Imle, Clara (Coldren) Imle, Fred Imle, Eugene Miller, Anna Miller, Adam Imle, Olive Imle, Gottlob Imle,
Richard Imle held by Clara (Schroeder) Imle, Chris Kern, Emma (Schroeder) Kern, Chris Imle, Alta Imle
Marie Imle was born in October 1915 and Richard Imle was born in July 1915. These two are infants in the picture. Josephine Imle, born in October 1916, does not appear.
It may be that she was too young to be taken outside for the photo.
Photo #3 appears to be taken at the same place as the other photos but not at the same time. From the ages of the few people identified, it is believed it was taken about
10 years earlier, around 1906, shortly after Adam Imle was married. From the caption, the photo appears to be primarily of Gottlob's family, but there are others. Unfortunately
few in this picture are identified. Gottlob was not as well known as the others because he was the only one that did not end up farming and he moved away from the immediate
area around Marshall to those "distant" places Terre Haute and, eventually, Vincennes. Some are immediately apparent. Maria, who stands at the right of the third porch post
(counting from the right) always wore her hair parted severely down the center. Christoph, was a large man with a black bushy beard and is the second person right of Maria.
Herman Imle, the youngest, stands between Christoph and Maria. Olive and Adam are standing together right in the center of the photo (he has a bowler). It is believed that the
man to Olive's right is Billy Imle. Many of the others are apparently Gottlob and Clara with Clara's siblings and her parents. The baby on the far left might be Gottlob's oldest child
Irma, who was born in 1905. His other children were born later. Certainly, the old man with the white beard is not an Imle since Christoph was the first to arrive in the U.S. and
was the oldest of the U.S. Imles.