ABOUT

The Surname Marquardt appears to be occupational in origin; meaning one who was warden of the marshes. Our ancestors came from Lorraine in South West Germany. 

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Documentation for the Marquardt Coat of Arms can be found in the "Reistap Armorial General". Since wars were a continual occurrence during the middle ages, a coat of arms and the associated colors were used to identify who fought on the battlefield during these wars.

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Faced with a Recession in Germany, Edward Marquardt emigrated to United States of America through Boston, MA, in 1864 to be a soldier in the American civil war. As part of the American Homestead Act of the 1860s, many Europeans received subsidized travel and land from the United States to open the Western Territories. After the war, they spent the next 26 years working their way west; including stops in Bloomington, Illinois, Argyle, Minnesota. 

 

In 1891, Edward Marquardt and his family emigrated to Canada via Winnipeg, where the Canadian Pacific Railway was looking for experienced railroad workers. At the time, Winnipeg was part of the North West Territories. The family eventually settled on a homestead in Leduc in what is now the province of Alberta.