Catherine Roos

   Cause of her death was Old Age.

  Research Information:

Catherine's actual place of birth would not have been Alsace-Lorraine. At the time of her birth the two regions were settled by, and controlled by, two nations. The area of Alsace would have been German and the area of Lorraine would have been French. Therefore, Catherine was born in Alsace. The area became known as the united Alsace-Lorraine around 1890.

The year that Catherine was born, the rich and fertile region of Alsace was primarily occupied by German citizens. During and following the Napoleonic wars (1797-1816) in which Napoleon claimed the region of Alsace for France, the area saw an influx of French Catholic migration. The Roos family were German Lutherans. In other words, the simple nationality, culture and religion of the Roos family would have been in direct conflict with the then self crowned Emperor Napoleon. Looking at this time in history from this vantage point it is not hard to perceive why Catherine and her new husband, J.Michael Stuempfle, fled Catherine's lush and scenic homeland to settle in the very rural and very unsettled area of Preston Village, New Berlin, Waterloo, Ontario. This area is now known as Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario - Preston Village now just being Preston. Life must have been very hard for the newly immigrated family and their young children.

Both Catherine and Johann were German by language and culture.

It is assumed that Catherine's husband, Johann Michael Stuempfle, was probably a German soldier that was part of the German military presence in Alsace in the early 1830's. Distrust between the two nations of France and Germany was rampant during this time; a military presence was needed to ensure that Alsace remained German after Napoleon temporarily claimed this region around 1812 - his stranglehold on Alsace waned by 1816, the year he was deposed as Emperor. He would attempt to reclaim the area once again in 1817 without luck. It is also assumed that Johann and Catherine migrated to Canada around 1835 time.

By the time that the 1871 Canadian Census was taken (both Catherine and Johann are listed in it), a series of military battles once again won the entire region of Alsace-Lorraine back for the Germans. This area of Europe, and the struggles between the French and Germans gain possession of it, was a direct cause contributing to the First World War.

Beneath is some basic history of the Alsace-Lorraine area of North East France. It lies between Germany and France and is now (and has been for over a century) a famous wine land.

A General History of Alsace-Lorraine - Home of the Roos/Stuempfle Families:

http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/alsacelorraine.htm

"As border regions Alsace and Lorraine have been fought over for centuries by France and Germany as witnessed by numerous military strongholds and cemetaries. Since 1871 these two provinces have changed nationality four times."

"In 1870-71 the German army attacked France. The Germans won this short war. As a ‘prize’ they took the regions of Alsace and Lorraine from France. The Germans claimed that they were rightfully German, the majority of people living here were French however. The French were very upset by this and wanted the land back. They were also fearful of the Germans attacking again. The consequences of the Franco-German war (the war between France and Germany) were that France became suspicious and mistrustful of the Germans. They made sure that they had a large army and lots of defences to stop invasions. This in turn kept the Germans suspicious of the intentions of the French. "

Catherine married Johann Michael Stuempfle, son of Johann Stuempfle and Anna Catherina Klein. (Johann Michael Stuempfle was born in 1807 in Kircheim, Germany and died on 30 Sep 1879 in Preston, Ontario.) The cause of his death was Cardiac Peritonial Dropsy.