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Marguerite was born on January 31, 1793 in Nuefcatheau, Luxembourg to
Nicholas and Marie Joseph (Houdart) Mathelin who were members of the
Royal family in Belgium. Marguerite was just a baby when the
French entered and captured Luxembourg. Marguerite received her
early education in such schools as were in Neufchateau at that time,
which were not of the highest order. At the age of 16 she went
to Paris and entered the "Ecole dela Maternite" from which she
graduated and received a diploma as midwife. While young she was
said to have been of a petite and charming nature, with a meek and
saint-like character. All of Marguerite's other sisters and
brothers died young or during their service in the army.
Marguerite married Joseph Hubert Steffens on May 24, 1815.
She was disinherited by her family (losing her royal status) for
marrying below her rank, and as a result given a pension of $1,400
yearly as compensation.
Marguerite and Joseph settled in Bois Rond, Hachy,
Luxembourg. They had 10 children, 5 daughters and 5 sons all
born in Hachy (Alexandrine Oct 8, 1815, Leocadie 1817, Edouard 1819,
Leopoldine Oct 8, 1920, Joseph Jerome 1821, Theophile 1825, Alfred
1827, Aphasie 1829, August July 29, 1832, Leopold 1834).
Marguerite and Joseph left Belgium (was Luxembourg) in 1849 with a few of their
children (Joseph Jerome was one) and traveled to the United States on
a ship. It is believed that journey took a year and a half to
make, hampered by tremendous storms on the North Atlantic Ocean, the
disabling of the ship during one of those storms, and a number of
other accidents.
Upon arrival in New York, they continued their journey to Wisconsin
with a number of other Belgian immigrants and eventually settled near
Freedom, Wisconsin. Joseph laid claim to a tract of land near
Freedom and started a farm on which he a Marguerite lived the
remainder of their lives.
Joseph later claimed 40 acres of land for each of his sons (Joseph Jerome
was one) from the US Government under an act passed for the
reclamation of Wisconsin swamp lands. This land would remain in
the possession of the Steffens family for several generations with
farming as the general livelihood during that time.
Joseph died on August 28, 1868 in Appleton at age 82.
Marguerite survived him by another 4 years, dying in Appleton on
August 13, 1872 at age
79. Together they started the Steffens family heritage in the
United States, and our legacy in the Wisconsin area.
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