Peter and Anne Spreng(in) Dobberstein resided in Athanasienhof near Samotschin,Posen Province in Prussia when their son, Johann Michael Dobberstein was born on May 14, 1819. Peter was listed as a colonist.  Johann married Henrietta Bloch.

Johann and Henrietta came to the United States in 1854 with Johann's mother, Anne, and the couple's three children: Whilhelmina Juliane Auguste(age 9), Ernestina Paulina (age 4) and Hermann Gottlieb (age 1). The family arrived in New York City on June 23, 1854.  They left Europe by ship, probably via Hamburg to Liverpool, England, aboard the WESTERN EMPIRE. The ship carried 647 passengers.  The family eventually settled in Farmington Township in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, where they were members of the Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church in 1860. Johann farmed and lived on his homestead in Farmington Township until his death.

Although currently researching other relatives of Johann that remained in Prussia and those that settled in the US, this website primarily follows the history of his son Hermann Gottlieb.  After Hermann married Bertha Schlueter in 1879, they moved and settled on 40 acres of land near Hortonville,Wisconsin. Seven of their 10 children lived to adulthood and settled in and around the Hortonville and New London area.                                                                                                                                                                                                   Excerpt from the DOBBERSTEIN REGISTRY by Robert Cole, 1998, B&L Publications, pp.20-30.