Simon Sterner

Name: Simon Sterner Company: D
Birth Date: June 2, 1830 Place: Kirchaussen, Wuerttemberg, Germany	Mustered In Date: September 3, 1864 Rank: Private Age: 34 Residence prior to military service: Kirchaussen, Wuerttemberg, Germany; Hollywood Township, Carver County, Minnesota Vocation prior to military service: Farmer
Death Date: February 14, 1911 Place: Carver County, Minnesota	Mustered Out Date: September 6, 1865 Rank: Private Age: 35 Residence following military service: Hollywood Township, Carver County, Minnesota Vocation following military service: Farmer

Simon Sterner Biography and Civil War Narrative

Simon Sterner was born in Kirchaussen, Wuerttemberg, Germany, on June 2, 1830, the son of George Peter and Helene (Bauer) Sturner. He came to America in 1849 he came to America, and in 1857 he married Anna Maria "Mary" Karels in Shakopee, Minnesota. She was born in Wahl, Luxembourg, on October 13, 1828, the daughter of Johann Peter and Anna Maria (Wilwers) Karels, and had come to America in 1854. At the time of the 1860 U.S. Census, Simon and Anna Mary lived and farmed in Hollywood Township, Carver County, Minnesota. They had one son: 6-month old Simon, born December 20, 1859. Two more boys were born to the Sterners before Simon served in the Civil War: John (born December 16, 1862) and Charles (born November 8, 1863).

In late summer 1864, 34-year-old Simon Sterner left his wife, 3 boys, and farm to fight with the Union Army in the Civil War. He was mustered in to Company D of the 5th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment on September 3, 1864. On that date, the 5th Minnesota had left Memphis, Tennessee, early in the morning, heading for the White River in Arkansas on a fleet of steamboats as part of General Joseph Mower's Arkansas Campaign. Depending on how much time was devoted to training before the new recruits were added to the rest of the regiment, Private Sterner may or may not have participated with the 5th Minnesota in their pursuit of Confederate General Price across the state of Missouri from September 17 to November 15.

On November 24, the Regiment left St. Louis, Missouri, to join General George Thomas and the Union Army at Nashville, Tennessee. After arriving on November 30 by steamboat transports, they camped and waited until ordered to attack the Confederate army in the Battle of Nashville. The two-day battle on Thursday and Friday, December 15 & 16, was a decisive victory for the Union Army. The Confederates retreated to the south and was pursued by Thomas' army for 10 days until they crossed the Tennessee River on December 26th.

After duty in Easport, Mississippi, the 5th Minnesota was moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, in February 1865. Then in March and April they participated in the campaign against Mobile, Alabama, and its defenses. From April through August they served garrison duty at Montgomery, Selma, and Demopolis, Alabama. Private Simon Sterner was mustered out with the regiment on September 6, 1865.

Returning to his farm in Minnesota, Simon and Anna Mary had four more children. Hubert was born November 3, 1866, and Louis was born about February 29, 1872. A daughter, Mary, was born May 17, 1873. Another child was also born but died.

An 1880 plat map of Hollywood Township shows Simon Sterner owning land in sections 30, 31, & 32 of southwest Hollywood Township. On October 2, 1884, a newspaper article was published in the Weekly Valley Herald which described Simon Sterner as the largest land owner, possessing 1 1/4 sections.

The 1900 U.S. Census shows Simon and Mary living with their son Louis and his family: his wife, "Martha" (aka Magdalena and Lena) née Fink (age 26), and his 2-year-old son, Francis. Living and farming nearby are Simon and Mary's other sons--Hubert, Charles, Simon, and John--and their families.

About June 1906, Anna Maria Sterner died. Obituaries were published on the first pages of the Weekly Valley Herald on June 28 and the Young America Eagle on July 6. Simon continued to live with his son Louis. In 1910, the census shows the Louis Sterner household as including Louis (39-year-old farmer), Magdalena (35-year-old wife), sons Frank (age 12), Joseph (age 9), Raymond (age 7), and Clarence (age 4), and Simon (80-year-old widower).

Simon Sterner died February 14, 1911, in Carver County, Minnesota. An obituary was published on the first page of the Weekly Valley Herald on February 23, 1911.

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This page is maintained by Tim Bode (timbode@juno.com ). Page created on 5/2/09. Last modified on 5/4/09.