The Immigrant: The Life and Children of Conrad and Catherine Tripplehorn

The Immigrant - The Life & Children of Conrad & Catherine Tripplehorn is a true story of the challenges this young couple faced while being forced to leave Russia and come to America in the 1870s. Catherine left the comforts of her wealthy family to marry Conrad, a poor boy. Poverty stricken and with several children, circumstances forced them and hundreds of thousands of Germans to leave Russia between 1870 and 1920.

This story illustrates their faith and courage to spend days on trains and weeks in the hold of a ship with five small children in order to better their lives. They started their life in the United States in a dirt floor shack but never lacked in faith, courage, and resourcefulness. Ten of their thirteen children lived to old age. The story finishes with the lives of these ten children and their grandchildren. Several became millionaires, as well as a movie star, internationally known artists, inventors, and many other notable accomplishments.

Mary Tripplehorn Spencer was born and raised in Michigan. She is the mother of five sons. Mary attended the Garrett School of Theology at Northwestern University and became a Pastor of the United Methodist Church in Flint, Michigan. During her years of service, she was privileged to participate in The Oxford Round Table in Oxford, England. She also spent time as an Exchange Pastor on the Island of Jersey off the coast of France. Upon retirement from her parish in Flint, she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where she works with recovering drug addicts and continues to teach in the Church. Mary has written several plays and poems.

You can contact Mary at mtkspencer@gmail.com.