Eisenhower was born into a large Pennsylvania Dutch family

It is a fact that Eisenhower was born into a large Pennsylvania Dutch family. In 1741, the Eisenhauer family moved from the German town of Karlsbrunn to the Province of Pennsylvania, originally settling in York. In the 1880s, the family relocated to Kansas. The story of how and when the German name Eisenhauer was anglicized to Eisenhower differs. Among Eisenhower's Pennsylvania Dutch ancestors was Hans Nikolaus Eisenhauer of Karlsbrunn, who immigrated to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1741.

Eisenhower's father, David Jacob Eisenhower, was a college-educated engineer, despite his own father Jacob's encouragement to stay on the family farm. Eisenhower's mother, Ida Elizabeth (Stover) Eisenhower, was born in Virginia and had largely German Protestant ancestors. On September 23, 1885, at Lecompton, Kansas, on the campus of their alma mater, Lane University, she married David. Dwight David Eisenhower's forebears include English (on both sides) and Scottish ancestors (through his maternal line).

David had a general store in Hope, Kansas, but owing to economic conditions, the business failed and the family became penniless. The Eisenhowers then resided in Texas from 1889 to 1892 before returning to Kansas with only $24 (equal to $724 in 2021). David worked as a railroad mechanic before moving on to a creamery. By 1898, the parents were making a good salary and providing a comfortable house for their large family.