Bertha & Joseph Steinberger Family Genealogy

Bertha Zapp HS diploma

Bertha Zapp

Bertha Zapp 1903 Heroic Act

Bertha Zapp Teaching Certificate June 1904

Bertha was born 7/11/1881, one of six children born to Christina Bumen and Nicholas Zapp in the scenic river town of Madison Indiana. Bertha's mother, Christina was soft spoken and just a sweet woman that everyone adored. Nicholas was a strong hard-working German that farmed for a living. Growing up on Michigan Road in Madison, life was good for Bertha. She was a remarkable woman, graduating high school with honors, she taught school in China, Indiana, a six mile trip from N. Madison. (See "A Heroic Act".)

China Indiana

The road to China from Madison is all curves and hills.
It must have been quite a ride by horse and buggy when Bertha taught school here.

China old school house flash flood china indiana

There is a creek beside the school and a very tall hill is on the other side of the creek. When you look at aerial maps, this is in a valley surrounded by hills.

Next to the old school house is St Anthony Catholic Church.

St Anthony Catholic Church by the old school house St Anthonys

Not long after she began teaching, she met a doctor in Madison who moved to work in the hospital in Logansport, Indiana. Bertha traveled to the Logansport Hospital to train to be a nurse. During this time, she worked as a "candy striper". After working there for a short time, she missed Joe and returned to Madison to marry him. (as told to me in 2001 by Mary Louise Werner, Bertha's daughter)

Joseph Paris Steinberger

(Click on images to enlarge, use your back arrow to return.)

Bertha Cecelia Zapp and Joseph Paris Steinberger
marry July 27, 1905 in Madison Indiana

Kathryn Zapp (sister of Bertha), George Crawley, Joseph,
Marie Crawley (niece of Bertha), Bertha, Flora Marie Zapp
On back of photo: Witness: George Crawley (son of Aunt Josephine Steinberger Crawley) Flora Zapp Raffauf (sister of Bertha C Zapp)
Wedding picture of my parents. With best wishes, Kathryn Steinberger Gahan

Bertha and Joe moved to Indianapolis in 1910. Joe heard great stories about the work in Washington State as a longshore man. He wanted to move his family there. Bertha said she did not want to go. Joe went and worked there for many years. He came back after his children were grown and had children of their own. He and Bertha did not have a relationship after he returned.