Another daughter, Sofia, was born two years later and lived to three years of age. Finally, a third son, Charles (called Carl) was born. Of the six children born to Caspar and Franciska while they were still in Renchen, only two, Ignaz and Charles, survived to make the trip to America. After they reached the New World, the couple had three more children, all of whom lived relatively long lives. (Note: Although related to us through their father, Caspar, none of the children of Franciska Meyer are in our direct line of ancestry).

The family left Baden in 1846 aboard the ship, ​​Leodes, out of the Port of Le Havre, France. N. B. Robbins was the Commander of the vessel. At the time of the voyage, Caspar was 37 and his occupation is listed as "farmer." His wife was approximately 33, his son, Ignaz, was five and Charles was one. Two of Franciska's brothers, as well as a sister-in-law, were traveling aboard the Leodes as well. Her parents, as well as two more brothers, had also immigrated to America. The families arrived at the Port of New Orleans on Tuesday, October 13, 1846. 

Several of Casper's siblings had immigrated to America before him. His eldest brother, Marcus Ignatius (Ignatz) arrived in Perry County, Missouri, in 1832 with his wife, Petronilla Hurst. Theresa, his eldest sister crossed over with her husband, Joachim Bernard, in 1831 or 1832, and his brother, Lucas, arrived in 1839.

Only two months after arriving in Perry County, Missouri, Caspar bought his first tract of land, 80 acres east of Longtown, for the price of $232. For Caspar, the son of a day-laborer in Baden, it must have seemed like he had realized a dream.

In the 1850 Federal census, Caspar, 40 years old, lived in Brazeau Township in Perry County, Missouri. He and his wife, Francizka (listed as Frances) had two more children, Ferdinand, age four, and Louis, age two. The last two boys were noted as being born in Missouri. The family were listed as farmers with real estate with a value of $300. In 1854, eight years after arriving in America, Caspar was granted citizenship.

On September 15, 1852, Caspar and Francizka welcomed their daughter, Barbara. Then, sometime between September 15, 1852 and January 3, 1853, Franciska died. Neither records of the date of her death or the cause of her death have not been found. However, childbirth resulting in death was extremely common at the time.

On November 12, 1852, two months after the birth of their daughter, Casper presented himself at the Court House in Perry County to declare his intention to become a citizen of the United States. Whether he would have proceeded with this intention at this time in the wake of his wife's recent death makes one speculate that she may have still be living at this time.

Only two months later, Caspar chose to wed his newly widowed sister-in-law, Elizabeth, who had just lost two children and her husband, Caspar's brother Lucas, within the span of three months. With an infant daughter and four young sons of his own, Caspar needed a mother to care for his children and Elizabeth had been left with no means of support for her family as well. For information on Elizabeth's life up to and including her marriage to Lucas, see the Lucas Bohnert biography page.

Although both were devout Catholics, Elizabeth and her brother-in-law, Casper, were not originally married in the Catholic church. Whether it was because their marriage was originally one of necessity or because there was no time to obtain an official dispensation from the Church (for in-laws marrying each other) we do not know. The document below, dated January 3, 1853, shows that they were married by a Justice of the County Court in Perry County, Missouri. 

Caspar Bohnert and Klementina Elizabeth Hurst Bohnert 

Marriage Certificate - Justice of the County Court, Perry County, Missouri

In addition to Caspar's five children, Elizabeth brought two children from her marriage to Lucas with her, sons William and Joseph. Together, Caspar and Elizabeth had five additional children.

The 1860 Federal census described the Bohnert family as living in the Cinque Hommes Township, Perry County, Missouri, in a very full house of 10 children. Casper and his two oldest sons by his first wife, Ignatius and Charles, were listed as farmers. His real estate value had increased to $1000 and his personal estate was valued at $425.

The adjacent farm was owned by the Leible family, also from Renchen, and consisted of parents Vincent and Martha (Maria Martha Boschert), four children - Teresa, William, August, Elizabeth, and Vincent's father, Vincent Leible, Sr.​​​​​​ Already intertwined (Vincent's wife, Martha, was the first cousin of Caspar's first wife, Franciska), the two families became even more so when Ignatius, Casper's eldest son married Theresa, Vincent's eldest daughter.

Eventually, Maria Elizabeth, Vincent's second daughter, then wedded William, the eldest son of Elizabeth and her first husband, Lucas. Later, Rosalia, the daughter of Vincent and his second wife Helena (Ellen) Riehl married Anton, son of Casper and Elizabeth and, finally, Maria Helena (Vincent and Ellen's daughter) married Andrew, son of Casper and Elizabeth

Twenty two years after being married be a Justice of the Peace, the Caspar and Elizabeth married again in St. Joseph Catholic Church in Apple Creek, Perry County, Missouri. We do not know the circumstances that had changed that allowed them to be married in the church or if it was simply a matter of choice on their part. 

The document states that the couple "had been married by a secular judge 22 years ago, without having requested and obtained a dispensation from the first degree of the court."  It continues to state that, "on March 25, 1875, in the presence of the parish priest and two witnesses, they were validly married."  The witnesses were Carl Bohnert (Caspar's son by his first marriage) and Carl's father-in-law, John Becker.

Whether or not Caspar and Elizabeth held each other in anything more than mutual respect when they first wed, it seems that, by the end of his life, Caspar did, indeed, love his wife as suggested by the wording in his Last Will and Testament.

In his Will, Caspar mentioned each child by name. The reference to Carl Bohnert is his son, Charles. Andreas refers to Andrew, called Andreas after a brother that had died at 8 months old. However, the reference to the child "Severius," whom he definitively stated as his child is unclear. The only known child not specifically named in the will is Louis who was living at the time the will was drafted. It is possible, although speculation, that "Severius" referred to Louis, as it was common to call people by a name that wasn't their given name. However, the 1920 Federal Census lists Louis' son as C. Louis Bohnert, Jr. with the "C" standing for Caspar. It it logical to assume, therefore, that Louis' middle name was Caspar, not Severius. Or, even more likely, that Louis was his middle name and his first name was Caspar (as it was commonplace at the time to call people by their middle name).

Louis, a Catholic, had married Mary Anna Amschler, who was of the Lutheran faith. One could also speculate that Louis might have been intentionally excluded from the will for this reason. However, Louis named his child after his father, several years after his father's death, which would also seem unlikely if he had been excluded from his father's will. No other link between the name Louis and the name Severius has yet been found. 

Caspar died on July 15, 1876. Elizabeth lived another five years and died on April 18, 1881. There is a monument in the cemetery of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Apple Creek, Perry County, Missouri, to their memory, including his first wife, Franciska Meyer. Inscribed on the stone is the date that he immigrated to America ("Einwanderer" Oct. 13, 1846). The stone was dedicated in September, 2000.

However, it has been suggested that this stone does not mark that actual site of their burial. According to Henry F. Weiss, the son of Adella Bohnert Weiss (daughter of William Ignatz Bohnert and Granddaughter of William Bohnert - Caspar's stepson), his mother "heard that his actual grave may be located outside of the cemetery proper because of a falling out that Capsar had with the church at Apple Creek." 

If true, then the actual location of their graves is unknown. Regardless, the inscription on the memorial is truly a fitting tribute:

"Their courage gave us our future."