Johann Rudolf de Steiger

He was the son of Baron Johann Rudolf de Steiger and Elizabeth von Tavel, and born in Karlruhe, Germany in 1778.

Johann himself was a captain of the guards for Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden,[1] as well as a business owner.

The Swiss aristocracy was indecisive in dealing with this threat, but Johann's cousin, Niklaus Friedrich von Steiger was not.

[2][3] Niklaus participated in the battle of Grauholz in 1798 in an attempt to push back the French invasion.

Johann, who owned a flour mill and fell in love with an employee's daughter, Magdalena Stalder.

He left Bern, Switzerland to immigrate to the United States with dreams of creating a Swiss colony, and to marry Magdalena.

[5] In 1819, Johann sold his family's possessions, including his business, gathered his children, Magdalena, and some Swiss colonists, and began a journey to America.

Johann built a cabin initially for his family, and eventually a Swiss-style cottage, which still stands as an historical landmark in Athens.

14 Dec. 2008 " The history of the invasion of Switzerland by the French, and the destruction of the democratical republics of Schwitz, Uri and Unterwalden.