Although many
immigrants came to America in the middle to the late
1800's, more came from Germany than from any other
European country. Davenport was an early headquarters
for Germans. Before a railroad had been built across
Illinois, many of these immigrants came to New Orleans
and hence up the Mississippi to various points in
Iowa. Later German settlements sprang up in many
sections of Iowa.
Life was hard in Germany in the 1800's. The country
was divided into states controlled by Dukes or Lords
who were always fighting to gain more land. The
peasants who worked for them were expected to furnish
their sons as soldiers - they worked the land, were
given a small patch to raise their food and possibly
were paid a small fee for their work. Most of them
were so poor they could only have meat once a week and
if they caught a rabbit on the land, they could be
shot or put in prison for life. If their master was
Catholic or Protestant, they were the same. They were
expected to live in obedience to him.
Many of these Germans began to hear about America and
the freedom and the land that was available.
They realized that there was no hope for them and
their children unless their shook off their bondage.
But to get out of Germany, a permit was needed and
signed by the Duke or Lord saying that he was willing
to let you go and that you did not owe any debts and
were able to pay your own way. This was not always
easy to obtain. Many of them slipped out, sleeping in
hay stacks during the day and traveling by the light
of the moon. We only know about the ones who made it
out. Or you could slip over into France and out by the
seaport of La Harve. Most Germans came out through
Hamburg or Bremen. There was always a ship's captain
who had a list of people in America wanting indentured
servants. They would pay the passengers' way over and
that person would work for them for 5-7 years without
pay. Sometimes the entire family came over that way if
they did not have money for their passage. If one of
the family members died on the trip over, someone in
the family had to serve in his place.
Crossing the Atlantic on a sailing ship in the 1800's
was devastating, especially for the children and the
old people. Since most of them were poor they
traveled steerage with several hundred in the hold of
each ship. Food was scarce, people were ill from
seasickness and other diseases, and there were no
sanitary facilities. A family was given a few square
feet in which to exist surrounded by curtains made of
blankets; those that died were buried at sea. If you
traveled steerage, you were required to go through
Customs at the landing port. If you were ill or had a
disease, even one that you were not aware of, you were
sent back to Germany. Sometimes whole families
were torn apart; if you came first class you were on
an upper deck with fresh air and better food and you
were not required to go through Customs.
When immigrants arrived, they came into ports along
the East Coast, mostly to New York to a place called
Castle Garden, which preceded Ellis Island. Many of
them came into Baltimore and some to New Orleans, but
the Germans did not like coming into New Orleans. They
said it was too hot. They wanted to come to areas like
their homeland and many settled in Pennsylvania and
Ohio and as they gained a little money, moved down the
Ohio and came further west as new land opened and the
western movement began. Their routes across America
were called migration patterns.
The Germans were craftsmen and they were not afraid to
work. They had large families and when the children
got old enough, they were sent out to work and each
week brought their earnings home to help buy more land
or whatever was needed for the family. When they came
to the Illinois prairie, they built breweries, cooper
shops, and wagons. Because they were in the right
location at the right time in history, they became
very wealthy because they furnished the barrels and
wagons for the armies of the North and South in the
Civil War. Today in Quincy, IL there are many
beautiful homes built by Germans who became wealthy
and have passed them on as part of their legacy.
These people had enough courage to throw off their
bondage and make a new life for themselves. They were
survivors who became Americans; many of their
descendants today are enjoying the legacy they left.
Researched and contributed by Erma Derosear
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