Researching Joseph Scherrer born 1812 in Alsace

by Terry
(Dallas Texas USA)

Good Evening thank you for any help you can provide. I have had a hard time locating information on Joseph Scherrer born 15 March 1812 in Alsace and he described it as by the Rhine River. He is listed on the USA 1890 census as having immigrated to the US in 1836. I have some information from family stories that he was from a long family of butchers in Alsace and that he was trained as one and taught this skill to all of his children in America. He worked as one in the United States. I have stories that I can not verify that his father was in the Prussian Army and that he and his two sisters were orphaned and taken in by their uncle who was quite wealthy. There was a major fight of some sort between them and his two sisters helped him get to America possibly by being a ships cook. He reportedly first came to New York then to Delaware finally winding up in Illinois. There are no records of him from 1836 to 1859 in America. He may have been hiding and finally felt safe after moving to Illinois. He was very proud of his French citizenship and never became a US citizen eventually dying in 1902. There are many Scherrer's around Muhouse especially 68 Haut-Rhin - Traubach-le-Haut 6833. I have been searching for a while so any assistance would be appreciated.