The Man in my Dining Room

   

The painting in my living room

Every day since I was old enough to walk I was always passing this painting of this older man who honestly looked just like my father, I assumed it was him of course. He was just dressed in some weird looking suit thing but I mean I would expect it out of my father. Later in my old age (the ancient age of 10), I would find out this kind of creepy looking man pictured in my dining room was John Zacharias Siegling. He is my great great grandfather on my fathers side. For this project, I had to talk to my father a lot about his and my own heritage and found out that we are more connected to Charleston than I thought.

He was the first Siegling to immigrate here from Erfurt, Germany. He was the second of seventeen children and had a very well educated background since his father was a mathematics professor. John would soon leave Germany and go to Paris at the age of 15. He had a prior apprenticeship with a cabinet maker that helped him learn a lot for his later occupation here in Charleston. The Siegling's were very wealthy back in the day, the uniform he was wearing is a sign of his wealth.

Siegling Music House

He arrived here in 1819 where he bought a building right on king street and named it the Siegling Music House. He repaired and tuned many instruments, his music house had a huge outreach, a branch was even opened in Cuba. This was Charlestons first music house. It continued into the family into the late 1970's. In the 1970's the Siegling's decided to sell the music house, now the house is a nun bookstore, but the name Siegling Music House on the top still makes us proud.

Gravestone of John Zacharias Siegling

John Siegling passed away in 1867 at the age of 76 due to what was believed to be natural causes. He was married and had children. Even though he had a life in America he still kept in close contact with his family in Germany. He is buried in Saint Johns Lutheran Church in Charleston, South Carolina. This cemetery is just a normal church cemetery with a lot more of my ancestors buried in it. His grave is a not so classic die in socket, it is very unique actually. The base makes it the die on socket and how the cross is perfectly centered up.

Overall the project made me learn a lot about where I am from and taught me a lot about me and my family. It made me see my connection to Charleston and how my family helped Charleston expand and become a better place. Knowing that the Sieglings have been here for almost 200 years makes me feel like we may never leave.