Otto Siedle - Ancestry and Emigration

Ancestry and Emigration

The name of Siedle is not a common one and the few families with that name throughout the world originate from a family of craftsman-farmers in Southern Germany. There are historical references in the 18th century to Mathaus Siedle and his bell-foundry near Furtwangen, Grand Duchy of Baden. The family had skills in metalwork and clockmaking. There was a major emigration from the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) region in the early 19th century. The exodus of many Siedles was due to the number of sons in the current generation and also due to the state of political upheaval prevailing in that region. The Siedle clan exported their considerable skills. One section of the family settled in Wales and one in London. Ludwig Siedle, Otto's father, was born in Furtwangen. The family farm and metal foundry was near the Bregenbach stream and the property included the Siedlewald nearby. His great-grandfather, Hans Siedle, was the Mayor of Furtwangen. Ludwig emigrated to London, UK and established a jewellery and watchmaking business in Woolwich. Like several other members of the Siedle family, the UK provided a staging post for later emigration to the USA, South Africa, Ceylon and Australia. In 2008, the 257-year old family firm, SSS Siedle, in Furtwangen,is an electronics company (Ref. 1).