The Life of Charles Louis Eberle

Charles Louis Eberle left home in his 17th year and went down the Rhine to his uncle’s in Dusseldorf. He worked there for about two years with a desire to go to France. He took lessons in the French language. Leaving Dusseldorf, he proceeded to Bonn on the Rhine. He worked there for awhile with one Dossler, then took the road to France first through the Elsass. He worked at Colmer with one Hochstaller, in Strasbourg with Mr. Bogner and from there he started to Paris. In Paris he worked for one Morreaux in Rue de la Harpe principally in fine pocket knives, scissors, and penknives. After that he engaged with one Baumele mostly in fine table knives and forks rivoted and capped with gold and silver with ivory handles, rosewood, ebony, etc.; also dirks, knive in scabbards, and a number of strait work.

From there he went to Mons. Cuvier. There he worked in plain razor line but they had to be good and warranted. Having become good at what he did, he received a note from a Monsieur Mesman, a surgical instrument maker on petit Marche proche Notre Dame promising him employment only in instruments, which he accepted.

During his employment with Mr. Mesman, the long dreaded revolution broke out on 14 July 1789. He was forced out of his rented room and forced to become a volunteer. He at first stormed the Hotel of the Invalides, took arms and ammunition from there and marched to the Bastile and took it in about two hours. They let all the prisoners out, hung the Commandant, then toward evening the mob dispersed. “This was short, dangerous and disagreeable work. I hate to think about it.”

A few days later, the multitude went out to Versailles to bring the King to Paris. They were armed with muskets, guns, axes, spikes, dung forks, hay forks, and scythes straitened and put on poles, large knives, etc. It looked dreadful. They took the King of Paris to the Maison de Ville (State House) where he signed a constitution and then returned again to Versailles.

Nowhere did the military make any resistance. They all joined the multitude. After this uproar subsided and some order reigned again, M. Mesner opened his boutique and we all began work as usual. After the King had left the city, there was a great illumination, in particular the Maison de Ville was tastefully decorated, an oblong square show the following illuminated inscription: ‘Louis XVI Roi de Francais et peredun Poeple Libre.’ The old title of the king was Louis XVI Roi de France et de Navarre. For a few days the green cocade was used, afterwards blue, white, and red. Now in September following a government order was published that all those foreigners who intended to stay in France should swear to the country, or quit it and passports should be given without pay.

Charles chose the last, took a passport, and left Paris about the middle of September 1789. Several other Germans did the same thing and went with him. After a march of ten days they arrived safely in Strassbourg. There he tarried about four weeks, working with Mr. Weber and made him several sets of Obstetrical instruments. Toward the end of October, Charles left Strassbourg and in a few days arrived safely at his parents in Dalheim.

Well, you can imagine this would be a wonderful find if it did tie to the client’s family. The client had several Charles Eberly individuals in his mother’s line, but the earliest was one born in 1800 who married February 14th, 1824 by Rev. Hecht, Charles Eberly to Miss Sarah Ann Barnet in Pennsylvania. He would have been born about 1795/1800. He may have been the son of the man above. First we had to determine if the facts in the papers were correct. Were the years accurate for the events they were describing? Yes. Did these addresses appear in Paris? Yes. Were these events plausible? Yes.

These papers were giving the complete description, occupation, relationships, etc., of the first immigrant to America. He goes on to explain how the rest of the family arrived, and his marriage.

Marriage to Maria Catherine Reuter

During the winter he applied for permission to settle in Kirchheim, the residence of the Prince of Nassam Weilbourg. Having received permission, he removed there early the following spring. On 18 May 1790 he was married to Miss Maria Catherine Reuter daughter of the late Philip Reuter and his wife Elizabeth born Rosman. The father was a teacher at the Evangical Lutheran School in Oppenheim. He died in 1784. The mother left the world when Maria Catherine was but an infant. Philip Reuter was an intimate friend of Charles’ father and a distant relative.

The couple was established but a short time when the war commenced between the Germans and the French. The French Army took Metz. The German Prince over Charles, with his whole court, left them and crossed the river. Charles principle dependency was gone. There was nothing but battles, plundering and quartering troops, German and French. Charles and Maria Catherine Eberle never had less than two and sometime as many as 21 soldiers in their house at one time and many other troubles.

Metz was taken and retaken several times with the last being in 1794. With the River Rhine cleared of troops by the retreat of the French Army, and no prospects of peace appearing, Charles resolved to emigrate with his small family to America. He informed his brother-in-law Mattes who decided to go with them. So did two of his brothers, George A. and Henry I. Eberle.

Emigration from Germany

They were ready by the 26th of April and took leave of their dear parents by sailing down the Rhine. In about a week they arrived in the Haag in Holland and were put up at their brother Frederick’s who was living in the city. There they remained until they heard of the death of Charles’ father. 15 June when they went to Ampsterdam to the ship Columbia, Capt Maldy Commander. On the 5th of September they arrived before Philadelphia. On the 12th of September they left the ship and moved into the city. On the 15th of September, Charles started work with Henry Schively on 3rd below Chestnut street, a cutler. His two brothers found employment at the Echfeldt son on 5th street, a First Rate Smith.

Charles continued with Mr. Schively until Spring, when in company with his brothers they took a contract with the U. S. to make bayonets and ramrods. They made in all about 3000 sets, but did a good deal of other work as well.

Bringing the Family to America

Shortly after their arrival, they wrote to their mother and desired her to come to America with the rest of the family. This they did in the month of October 1796. He went to Baltimore where he picked them up and brought them to Philadelphia. (Namely his mother, sister Gertrude Meng, a widow with two children, both Philip Peter and brother Frederick, his wife and a son Jacob from the Haag. Now all the Eberles were in America.

This was a wonderful example of what can be found in a manuscript collection. We checked with a linguist about the word order and other details of the entire manuscript (which listed earlier grandparents for several generations back). He concurred that it had been written by someone who spoke German first, then some French, and English last. Perhaps it was dictated by the man to his child. At any rate, after much other research on all the people mentioned in the story, several generations of the family were able to be linked together through vital records, ship passenger lists, and other documents. We shudder to think of what would have been lost if he had just thrown out the papers.