Left Stettin, Pommern, Germany in 1879 with their 5 children. They originally lived near relatives in Chicago. After a winter of no work, and the family eating rutabagas every day, the move to Cherokee County, Iowa in 1887. They lived with another family for a bit before they purchased a farm in Amherst Township.

He worked as a woodcutter in Germany. One of the local history books says that the ocean journey to the USA form Germany was very stressful, as they did not expect Emilie or Albert to survice, as they were very ill.