Concerning the genealogical history of those surnamed 'Saalman' and related spelling
variants; for example, 'Saalmann', 'Saalmans', 'Saalsman', 'Sahlman' and 'Salman'...
Hi, my name is Todd Howard Saalman. In my teens, I was curious about whom
my ancestors were, from where they came and what their lives were like. My maternal
grandfather Roberts noted my interest and provided me with a copy of research done
by on of his cousins. It was exciting to read about my Roberts ancestors, who lived
in the Massachusetts Colony before and during the Revolutionary War.
But on my father's side, no one seemed to know much about or was interested in family
history. My best and only information came from the personal memories of my grandmother
Rubie Geeding Saalman, which went back only to the generation before hers on her
husband's side; my paternal grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Saalman, had died before
my interest sparked. And I wanted to know earlier details.
Then on a whim in 1994, my father visited the small, rural town of Birdseye, Indiana, where
his father was born. Unexpectedly, he discovered
our distant cousins — the Saalman clan of southern Indiana —
who ultimately answered many of the questions I'd had about my Saalman family origins.
Thanks to the many who remembered, researched and recorded, especially to my distant cousin,
Neil Arthur Anthony, here are stories and
images of my immigrant ancestors, Reinhart Gottfried Christian Saalmann and
his wife, Dorothea Christiana Rühling Saalmann, their descendants and
forebears.
Any Saalman is encouraged to post his or her history and stories here, too.
Anhalt Duchy, Saxony, North Germany — 19th Century
Reinhart Gottfried Christian Saalmann was born January
25, 1829 in the village of
Hoym, Anhalt-Sachsen (Saxony)
,
a region located in what is now eastern Germany, then, a member of the soon to be
defunct,
German Confederation.
As Christian came of age, civil unrest, oppression and military occupation plagued
the Germanic States and peoples, and much of Europe as well. So with hope for a
better life, 25 year old Christian fled Saxony with his wife Dorothea, infant
son Christopher Columbus and father Johann Christian and sailed to
the United States.
Settling finally in
Branchville, Indiana
to farm and grow his family, Christian soon learned America herself would not be
spared a most perilous time.…
read more »
Branchville to Bataan — 20th Century
Otis Edward Saalman was Christian
Saalman's great-grandson and farmed his great-granddad's land in Branchville, Indiana.
But World War II changed everything. Otis joined the army and soon found himself
stationed in the Philippines when the Japanese army invaded Manilla in 1941. Otis
was captured in the ensuing battle and forced with thousands of others onto infamous
Bataan Death March. But he escaped and fought his way back to Corregidor…
read more »
Joseph Christian Saalman family. TOP ROW (L - R): Benjamin Franklin
(my grandfather), Joseph Victor, Mary A. 'Maddie' Saalman, Jessie Eugene Grady.
BOTTOM ROW (L - R: Rubie Orilla Geeding Saalman (my grandmother), Joseph Christian
Saalman, Nancy Virginia Pollard Saalman, Calvin Eugene Grady, Herminia 'Minnie'
Dorothea Saalman Grady, Grace Alice Grady.
Part of My Saalman Family Tree
Dorothea Christiana Saalman
After 1864, Dorothea continued to live in Branchville, Indiana and made her living
as a midwife, delivering babies for the women in the area. She also did spinning
for her neighbors… read
more»
See also, Dorothea's
letter to President Theodore Roosevelt.
the Esareys
The Saalman and Esarey families are interconnected both in the past and in the present.
We are cousins, in-laws, nieces and nephews, husbands and wives.
Duane Esarey maintains the Esarey Family
website, which purveys photos, letters,
Esarey family reunion and genealogy information, including much about Dorothea Saalman
Esarey and her daughter Anna Amenda Saalman Esarey.