Caspar Biele and the Three Wise Men

Caspar Biele was the first Biele of my family to come to the United States.  In some records his name is listed as Caspar Melchoir Balhasar Biele.  Caspar, Melchoir and Balhasar are the names attributed to the three wise men or magi.  

More on the three wise men can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_Magi

  

Caspar Biele was born in Hovestadt, Germany on December 4, 1823.  He was the first member of his family to immigrate to the United States.  Caspar was the fifth child of August Clemens Bernard Biele and Maria Theresia Brigitta Adolphine Vernholz (also spelled Vernholtz) of Hovestadt.  Hovestadt is in the state of Westphalia in west central Germany on the Lippe River near Lippstadt.  

Some time before 1852, Caspar moved to Barmen where he married Wilhelmine Baacke.  Barmen, located about 50 miles southwest of Hovestadt near Dusseldorf and Cologne (Koln), is now part of Wuppertal.  Wilhelmine Baacke, the sixth child of Henrich Christian Baacke and Wilhelmine Wülfing was born in Barmen in 1830.

Caspar came to America around 1865 and was soon joined by his wife and five children.  Wilhelmine and the children arrived in New York City from Bremen on the S.S. America on Dec 19, 1865.  

The family settled in the lower East side of Manhattan in New York City.  A final child was born in New York.  

The children of Caspar Biele and Wilhelmine Baacke:  

Child	Place of Birth	Birth Date
Wilhelmine Bertha (Bertha)	Barmen, Germany	February 05, 1853
Friedrich Carl (Charles Fredrick)	Barmen, Germany	January 24, 1854
Emil	Barmen, Germany	September 27, 1857
Anna (Annie)	Barmen, Germany	March 14, 1861
Ewald	Barmen, Germany	September 15, 1863
Ida	New York City	January 18, 1869

Soon after arriving in America, Caspar worked as a cabinet maker.  He is listed in Trow's 1868 directory as a cabinet maker and in his occupation is listed as "showcases" This business was carried on by his son and eventually became Charles F. Biele & Sons.

Caspar died on June 16, 1875 in New York City of carcinoma vertricula (gastric cancer) and marasmus (progressive emaciation presumably cause by gastric cancer).  He died at his home on the second floor of 218 Rivington Street in southeast Manhattan.  Caspar is buried in Lutheran cemetery in Queens in lot 10802.  He is joined in the plot by his wife Wilhelmine and his son Friedrich Carl (Charles F.) and Charles' wife Fredericka.

Pictures of the plot can be found at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=130773237&PIpi=102755409