My husband, Mark Ippolito, is a direct descendent of Jacob Witte and Anna Johnson.  
This site is dedicated to the memory of his mother, Frances Lillian Witting.

The flag shown above is the official flag of Prussia at the time of Jacob's birth. 
The flag was adopted in 1803.  The black eagle, commonly called the Prussian Eagle, is
holding a sword on the left (the symbol of military power) and a scepter on the right 
(symbol of noble rule).  The crown above the eagle represents the Emperor.  The 
Emperor at the time of Jacob's birth was Wilhelm I, also known as Wilhelm the Great 
(William Frederick Louis, German: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig) (22 March 1797–9 March 
1888) of the House of Hohenzollern was the King of Prussia (2 January 1861–9 March 
1888) and the first German Emperor (18 January 1871–9 March 1888).

Under the leadership of Wilhelm and his Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, Prussia 
achieved the unification of Germany and the establishment of the German Empire.

In many ways the history of the Jacob Witte (subsequently Witting) family enables us 
to share in the history and development of the United States of America.  The spirit 
of adventure and opportunity that made Jacob Witte and his family emigrate from 
Rehhof, Prussia in 1852 is a reflection of the turbulent times in which he lived.  As 
a small child in Prussia he experienced Prussia's war against Napoleon I and the 
developing tensions that led to the Franco Prussian war.  The dream of freedom and 
opportunity that was represented by the United States of America lured him into 
making a nine (9) week journey with his family on a 124 foot sailing ship from 
Hamburg, Germany to Castle Garden, New York.  Today's cruise ships are more than 
1,100 feet long!  From there, the family took a train to Chicago, Illinois and then 
went by ox pulled covered wagon to Black Earth, Dane County, Wisconsin and later to 
Monroe County in Wisconsin.

From Internet research, I have learned that the name Witte emerged from the lands 
that formed the powerful German state of Prussia.  We have not learned anything to 
this point about Jacob's ancestors; however, some people who carried this family name 
in Prussia emerged as members of a noble family of great influence who participated 
in social, economic and political affairs.  For Jacob to leave Prussia with his wife 
and four children, pay for passage to New York; then travel by train to Chicago and 
then travel by ox pulled wagon to homestead in Wisconsin, he had to have some 
financial security.  He would have had to have had sufficient funds to pay for this 
journey and support his family for at least 3-4 months until they settled in 
Wisconsin and began to earn income.

Jacob and his descendents have proudly contributed to America.  They homesteaded 
first in Wisconsin and later across our broad nation and into the Canadian 
wilderness.  They served in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean 
Conflict, Vietnam and today in Iraq.  Some have made the ultimate sacrifice in 
defense of the freedom we enjoy today. 

While numerous family members have contributed to the information contained in our 
history, my research partnership with Judy Schellenberg Valckx must be acknowledged.  
Prior to her recent and untimely passing, we enjoyed sharing our Witting 
genealogy discoveries.

Please note that while it is not possible to list every source for the records 
included herein, no information has been recorded for which there is not available 
documentation.  If you are interested in a specific resource for a certain fact, 
please contact me and I will be happy to share this information with you.