An Old Siegling

Henry Siegling

Born on February 12th, 1828 in Charleston South Carolina, was Henry Siegling. He was the third child in the new somewhat thriving Siegling family. He had an older brother and sister then would later go on to have three other brothers and another sister. His parents; Mary Regina Siegling and John Zacharius Siegling were German immigrants who were trying to create a life here through a little music house on King Street.

In his mid-thirties, the Civil War started and Henry was one of the first to enlist. He and his brother, Rudolph Septimus Siegling, even had the opportunity to fight alongside each other. Both on the Confederate side. They served everywhere from James Island to Fort Sumter. Both in a league of Volunteer German Soldiers. Henry would end up becoming the Private as for his brother who would become a general. They were actually on the way to Virginia to fight in at that time was the heart of the battle when the war was officially called off. Both him and his brother would live through the war.

Siegling Music House

When he returned home he married Kate Rutledge Siegling, they had five children. None of which died in their childhood or teens. Even though this may not seem like a big deal, especially in the late 1800s the infant mortality rate at the time was still about 25 percent. Though many people would expect for Henry to come back from the war with open arms this is not true. He and his sister had to go to court twice over their inheritance, Eliza felt as if she was being cheated out of her money. In the end, no money was given or taken from either one.

After returning from the way Henry had to enter the workforce in some way. This is when his father decided it was time for Henry, now his eldest son since his brother, John Zacharius Siegling Jr., had Musical Messenger, Henry placed an emphasis on reliability, confidence, sincerity, and honesty. The Siegling Music House grew into a powerhouse being one of the biggest names in music at the time.
passed away. He handed the music house over to Henry. According to

Henry Siegling passed away on May 28th, 1905 from unknown causes. Even after his death, he was a well-respected man. He passed the music house down to his three sons (John Arthur, Rudolph, and Henry Siegling).

Magnolia Cemetery at sunset

Obelisk of Henry Siegling

He is buried in Magnolia Cemetery on a family plot there that I didn't even know about. The plot is absolutely stunning, his gravestone is a beautiful Obelisk that stands out right in the center of the plot. It almost looks rustic-like as if it was meant to look a little discolored. Magnolia as a whole is absolutely gorgeous and is very historic. It is almost like a park, well with a lot of dead bodies of course, but the sunsets there are very pretty along with all the walkways going through there.

Siegling family plot

The family plot has six Siegling's in it. How the stones are arranged makes the obelisk stand out even more being right in the middle of the extravagant plot. The Obelisk marker has the epitaph "Life's race well run, life's work well done, life's crown well won, now come rest" Henry was a very hard worker in the Siegling family and did alot for the family as a whole and the music house.

I never thought an old Charlestonian project could help me find out more about my ancestors. Just knowing that my family has such a long history with Charleston and is even buried in one of the most famous graveyards is so cool and eye opening.