Publisher's Synopsis
Who in the Ambellan family is a baseball legend? Who was crushed by an elevator? Whose child was hit by a train? Why is the mysterious Civil War veteran, Mr. Offner important? Who led a life of crime? Why were names changed? These and other stories are contained in this history of the Ambellan family. In the late 1800s Buffalo, New York was a bustling city, with plenty of industry and jobs. From 1860 -1890, its population tripled to 250,000 people. Steel mills and grain silos lined its Lake Erie shores. Buffalo was a major railway center. Across the ocean, Hardenbeck, Germany, a farming hamlet of only 600 people, was emerging from feudalism. Downtrodden by the poor economy and wars, Germans, looking for more opportunities, left family and friends for an uncertain life in the United States. Immigrants were attracted to Buffalo's location and good jobs. Germans moved to east side neighborhoods where churches provided social connections that helped new arrivals adapt to their new surroundings. Twenty-one Ambellan family members immigrated to Buffalo over a 26-year period (1869 -1895). Ambellans worked and stayed in the Buffalo area for the rest of their lives. None returned to Germany.From these humble beginnings, life improved. They and their families found work or owned businesses. They served in the military. Some immigrants and their descendants died from illness, accidents, or suicide, while others lived long lives. Amongst the many descendants, the artist, Harold Ambellan, and baseball great, Warren Spahn are particularly noteworthy. This book is about a family of German immigrants who risked everything to come to the United States. It shares stories of both triumph and tragedy in the lives of the Ambellans who settled in Buffalo with the hope of improving their lives and the lives of their descendants.
