John
immigrated from Germany around 1856. He
made his way to Illinois where he enlisted in the 17th Illinois
Calvary in 1864. After the Civil War, John worked as a farmhand
and eventually made his way to Black Hawk County, Iowa. The 1870
Federal
census
finds John as a 28 year old "day laborer" living in a boarding house
in Cedar Falls. Also enumated in the boarding house was 21 year old
Emma Moyer, the house cook. John and Emma were married the next year
at Waterloo. Six children were born to the couple in Iowa. About
1883, the family moved to Nortonville, Kansas where five more children
were born.
Despite having five sons, the Deeringer family name died out when
son Roland died in 1966.
This family seemed to have a run of bad luck. Mother Emma died relatively
young at the age of 57. Father John lived to the age of 71, but died
after suffering burns in a gas stove explosion in Atchison. Son John,
also died from burns he suffered after spilling kerosene on his clothing.
Son Charles lost one of his two daughters at the age of
23. Son Frank died under mysterious circumstances in St. Jo, Missouri.
Son
Frederick
committed
suicide at the age of 12 in the family home. Daughters Eva and Katherine
died at the ages of 34 and 32, respectively. The other children faired
better.
