"After August Butgereit and Caroline Kuhrau were married, they lived in Notrienen, near Darkehemen.  Karkehemen had been renamed from its East Prussian name to a Russian name of Ozersk.  In 1871, the provinces of Prussia merged with other states to create the new German Empire.  Travel between the now-united provinces of the Empire became easier.  It appears that in 1872, August Butgereit moved his entire family from Notrienen to Gelsenkirchen, a town near the city of Essen in central Germany.  Perhaps he was recruited to move there, along with other East Prussia residents, to work in a good paying job in a coal mine in the nearby Ruhr region.  They were provided housing in a "company town" near the mine."

August Butgereit developed Black Lung Disease (also called "miners asthma") and passed away in 1878.  Caroline remarried, to a boarder who was living at their house, Carl Zehrt (20 years her junior) on September 13, 1879 (?)  Carl and Caroline Zehrt  emigrated to the United States through Quebec, Canada on the Canadian Pacific Railway arriving in Detroit, Michigan on May 10, 1879 where Caroline was a "wash woman".   Carl Zehrt was a "molder/laborer". The Zehrt/Butgereit family then moved to Chicago.  

Somehow, Gottlieb became connected with the German Baptist church in Racine, Wisconsin, a city about 75 miles to the north of Chicago.  The Beck family may have had some connection with that regard (perhaps they were  part of the German Baptist church).  After they had saved up enough money, everyone in the Zehrt household moved to Racine, where Rev. Gottlieb Butgereit/Zehrt became the pastor of the German Baptist church there.  Thus began a long association of the Butgereit/Zehrt family with the city of Racine and the congregation.

In their later years (1920) Carl and Caroline Zehrt lived with Caroline's son, Gustave and his wife, Emma at 308 Cliff Avenue, Racine, Wisconsin.  Also, in the house were Gustave and Emma's children:  Harold, Walter, Leslie, Gustave  H., Florence, Grace, and Lois.  Carl was age 63 and Caroline was 83.  Caroline was called "mutter" by the grandchildren and lived there for the rest of her life.   She died while in Michigan visiting her son, Gottlieb, and was buried at Mound Cemetery, Racine, Wisconsin.

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