General Notes

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Wilhelm Sommer lived in Ihringen, Germany until he was 18 years old and soon to be subjected to the compulsory military conscription.  Partly because of this and partly because three of his older sisters had already emigrated to the U.S., he decided to emigrate also.  He settled in New York City in 1876 where his sister Katharina (Kubler) lived.  Four year later, Magdalena Moessner from Ihringen followed him to New York City. she arrived on December 1, 1880 and a year and a half later they were married. At the time they had been living several blocks apart in the "lower east side" district of Manhattan, Wilhelm at 57 Columbia Street and Lena at 178 Suffolk St.  They were married at St. Marks Episcopal Church.
Eight months after they were married, the left for Olympia, Washington, encouraged by Wilhelm's two sisters-Anna rosin and Rose Hildebrandt. They left March 11, 1883 and stopped in Decatur, IL to visit Lena's brother Fred and sister Mary, and arrived in Olympia, Washington territory on April 5, 1883.  The trip to California was on an immigrant train, so-called because all of their belongings were with them on the same train.  After arriving in San Francisco, they transferred to a steamer which took them to Olympia.
According to early Olympia directories, the family of Wilhem Sommer-a carpenter working for Spring and White Company-lived on the north side of 13th Street, the second house east of Jefferson.  Later Wilhelm built a house nearby.  Besides being a carpenter, he tried his hand at running a saloon.  It was not a success and he returned to carpentering.  in 1894, the family moved to South Tacoma.  Until 1900 they rented a house at 5423 South Cedar. In 1900, they paid $750 for a house at 5822 Union which had been the parsonage for the Asbury Methodist Church.  The house remained in the family until 1933.  Wilhelm continued as a carpenter and for a while worked for the Washington Manufacturing Company which was owned by August Von Baecklin from Waldkirch, Baden, Germany, a town just 20 miles from Ihringen.  He worked on the construction of the original Horace Nann School and later as maintenance man of the ship "Kingston" which was famous for its travels between Puget Sound and Alaska.  Finally he worked in the northern Pacific Railroad shops doing intricate woodwork for the passenger cars.  He was especially adept at inlay work and did much of it at home for his children.
At home he maintained a garden and fruit trees and cut every winter's supply of firewood.  The family retained most of the German traditions like speech, although they mixed German and English.  They ate sauerkraut nearly every day of the year, had homemade beer, and enjoyed singing. Whenever friends or relatives got together, they sang and played cards.
William was a rather small man with a large bushy mustache and his wife was even smaller.
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