The Seyfarth family’s history in Blue Island begins with William Seyfarth, born February 22, 1818, in Schloss-Tandorf near Weimar, Saxony. Arriving with his wife, Louise Bartling, in 1848, William established a tavern at Grove Street and Western Avenue and briefly operated a stone quarry. He served as Worth town clerk and assessor before his death in 1860. His wife continued the tavern, later marrying Charles Volk. William’s siblings, mother, and descendants contributed significantly to Blue Island’s community, with members branching out into Chicago and beyond while maintaining local roots in various trades and public roles.
The first member of the Seyfarth family to come to Blue Island was William Seyfarth, who arrived with his wife in 1848. William Seyfarth was born at Schloss-Tandorf, near Weimar, Saxony, February 22, 1818. As a young man, he served as interpreter at the Alsterhaus, Hamburg, where he met his future wife, Louise Bartling, a cousin of the proprietor.
When Mr. and Mrs. Seyfarth arrived in Chicago, they inquired of wholesale liquor houses regarding the location of a tavern which they wanted to open. William Seyfarth had met some of these dealers in Germany at the Alsterhaus, so he knew just whom to see when he reached Chicago. They were advised to locate outside of the city, so they came to Blue Island. They found a suitable building at the southwest corner of Grove Street and Western Avenue, which had been built in 1846.
In addition to the tavern, William Seyfarth also operated a stone quarry about one mile southwest of Blue Island, where stone had been quarried in the forties to build a lighthouse at Chicago. Here, a lime kiln was also erected. Both quarry and kiln were operated only a few years by the Seyfarths and then by Bernhard Knirsch, who also found it unprofitable.
William Seyfarth was clerk for the town of Worth in 1854 and 1855 and assessor from 1856 to 1860, the year he died. The village of Blue Island had not yet been incorporated. After his death, his wife continued the tavern, later marrying Charles Volk, who had been boarding at the Seyfarth tavern.
A few years after William’s arrival, his mother, three brothers, and two sisters came to Blue Island. His mother was Anna Seyfarth, born in 1794, who died in Blue Island on September 29, 1857. She was a sister of Mrs. Fred Steinbach (born 1800, died 1853), who came to Blue Island in the early fifties also and whose son, William, married Elizabeth Krueger, daughter of George Krueger.
William’s brother John came to Blue Island with his wife Anna (Gunderman) and daughters Henrietta and Emma, about 1852. John was a tailor by trade, and when he came to Blue Island, he lived near the stone quarry. Later, he moved into a cottage which his brother William had built for him on Gregory Street between Vermont and New Streets.
Frederick Seyfarth also reached Blue Island about 1852, and about this same time came Sophia and Fredericka.
Many of the descendants of these five Seyfarth brothers and sisters are still living in Blue Island.
John Seyfarth’s children were Henrietta, who married Louis Krueger, a son of Ludwig Krueger, another pioneer; Emma, who in 1876 married Andrew Reiner, only son of Bernhardt Reiner and the first child of German parentage to be born in Blue Island (she died July 7, 1935); Mary, who married George Grader, only son of Henry D. Grader; Ida, who never married; and Helen, who died in childhood.
Frederick Seyfarth and his family moved to Kankakee in 1861. None of his children married in Blue Island.
Sophia married William Loewe, a brother of Mrs. William Heckler.
Fredericka married Henry Werner, and their children were Ernst, William, and Hermina. William Werner, for many years, was connected with the banking business in Blue Island and is well remembered by many.
William Seyfarth had five sons: William, Edward, Henry, Herman, and Alexander. While they were all brought up and lived during their boyhood in Blue Island, three of them—William, Henry, and Alexander—eventually made their homes in Chicago. Edward and Herman remained in Blue Island, and they and their descendants have taken an active part in community life.
Edward Seyfarth (born 1851, died 1913) married Clara Biroth in 1870. Their children are Louise, who married William Stoll; Robert, who married Nell Martin; Natalie, who married Roy MacPhail; Clarence, who married Harriet Wald; William, who married Edna Krueger; Ward, who married Florence Klein; Eunice, who married August Schreiber; and Elizabeth, who married Paul Rohe.
Herman Seyfarth, born 1856 and still living, married Louise Krueger in 1879. Their children are Arthur C., married to Olive Foster; Benjamin, married to Kate Welch; Edwin, married to Ella Newkirk; Walter, married to Anna Ruff; Philip, married to Esther Anderson, now deceased; and Helen, married to John Runkle.
The Seyfarth Tavern
William Seyfarth had a tavern and boarding house at the south-west corner of Western Avenue and Grove Street, built about 1846. It was a two-story frame building with a long porch on the Grove Street side. There was a large barn in connection and several sheds. It was a favorite stopping place for German farmers. The business was continued until about 1880, when the sheds were torn down and the old building was moved onto the lot just south. A new two-story frame building was erected on the corner, which was used as a hardware store by Edward Seyfarth. This later building, and the old tavern just south of it (which had been remodeled into a store), were both destroyed in the big fire of 1896.
Source
Volp, John H., The first hundred years, 1835-1935: historical review of Blue Island, Illinois, Blue Island, Illinois : John H. Volp, 1938.