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Pomeranian Flag
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Pomeranian Immigration to Wisconsin
Compiled by Doug Plowman (Plamann)
The source of this information is a publication originally made in 1898, from
the Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, entitled
"Geographical Origin of German Immigration to Wisconsin" by Kate Everest
Levi, Ph. D. pages 341-393. Reproduced in 1992 by Edward R. Brandt, 13-27th Ave
S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55414-3101. Doug presented this information on Pommern-L in
July of 2002.
There has been discussion on the Pommern emigration to Wisconsin and I
thought I would add my two cents worth. The first big wave of Pomeranians
was in the 1839, the Alt Lutherans who came to Milwaukee. The book "Pioneer
History of Milwaukee" author Buck, "The first German colony arrived in 1839. It
consisted of about eight hundred men, women and children {the number is probably
exaggerated} The effect of the arrival of the immigrants from Germany and
Norway was an economic boost to Milwaukee, since Milwaukee had been under
financial depression. The effect of their arrival with their gold and silver
wherewith to purchase land was electric. "They brought with them the necessary
housekeeping utensils and encamped on the lake shore of Huron Street. The men
went about in a business way, examined the government plats in the land office,
and having ascertained by all means in their power where lands where
well-timbered and watered could be purchased, they entered lands bounding on the
Milwaukee River, between Milwaukee and Washington (later Ozaukee) counties. A
small number remained in Milwaukee, but most of them without delayed employed
themselves in clearing and cultivating lands. The men immediately declared their
intention of becoming American citizens, every man signing his name to his
petition, to the number of seventy in one day"
The majority of them who had means went to Mequon and formed the Freistadt
colony, some settled in Cedarburg. The settlers from Pomerania, chiefly the
farming district of Stettin, on the Oder, and nearby neighborhoods of Cammin and
Greifenberg on the Baltic. These settlers were chiefly laborers and
handicraftsmen and adapted well to the pioneer life. They bought nearly all of
the western half of the town of Mequon, building log homes and improving the
land.
The second wave was in 1843 from the district of Stettin, and neighboring
Colberg, Treptow, and Camin on the Baltic sea, some from Brandenburg and other
areas between Castrin and Wrietzen on the Oder. The cause again was for
religious persecution, differences over the question of church government. The
wealthy Pomeranians contributed 15-20 % of their earnings to a common treasury
to help bring the poorer people over, hoping to get a return on their investment
with interest, but this did not happen in most cases. Some of the 1843
immigrants stayed in Milwaukee, but most were farmers and and went to outlying
areas. The immigrants going to Kirchhayn, Washington county, were mainly
from the Baltic regions Cammin, Colberg and Treptow, while those from
Stettin and the Oderbrache, between 70 and 100 families went to Lebanon and
Ixonia in Jefferson county. " The meadows along the Rock River reminded them of
their home in the Oderbrache, and were speedily chosen. These settlers
were descendants of the colonists whom Frederick the Great had settled in
Brandenburg. They were independent proprietors in Germany, and a refined and
intelligent class; they are still distinguished for those qualities, among the
North Germans in that part of Wisconsin." The land in Lebanon and Ixonia was
easier to cultivate than the land in Washington County, giving the newer
settlers more success with less difficulty.
End of Part 1
Part 2 1850-1865
Between 1850 and 1860, a number of the early settlers from Friestadt, Cedarburg
and Kirchhayn sold out and went to Sherman township in Sheboygan County and
Cooperstown, in Manitowoc County, where land was in great abundance. The first
wave of Pommern immigrants had a great impact on bringing more Pomeranians and
North German people to Wisconsin. Letters were sent back home and often the news
carried from village to village about their new beginnings in Wisconsin. In 1853
Rev. Johannes Grabau and Captain von Rohr, made a tour through North Germany and
talked about the successes of their countrymen in Wisconsin. Emigration from the
northern section had scarcely begun at that period, but since 1870, Pomerania,
Prussia had furnished the greater part of the German emigration, of which
Wisconsin received a large share.
There are six large geographical areas of Wisconsin where large groups
of people from northeastern Germany settled: 1. Milwaukee, Ozaukee and
Washington county, 2. Dodge and Jefferson county, with Watertown as the
center, 3. Manitowoc and Sheboygan county, 4. northern townships of Winnebago
county with the neighboring townships of Waushara, Waupaca and Outagamie
counties, 5. south central townships of Shawano county, with some small groups
in northern Waupaca County, and, 6. north central Marathon county and
southern Lincoln county.
Smaller areas of settlement were Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette,
Columbia, Sauk, Juneau, Buffalo and La Crosse counties. Principal cities with
German immigrants Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Portage and Fond du Lac.
Between 1850 and 1860 there were a steady number of immigrants, with the
largest coming during the years 1854-1857, settling in the original established
Pommern areas or settling in northern eastern Dodge county, Sheboygan and
Manitowoc counties, northern part of Fond du Lac county, and Green Lake county.
A few prior to 1860 went to the northern counties.
Another large wave came in 1866 just after the Franco Prussian War and our Civil
War. The first two waves of emigration from Pommern was organized and they
traveled in large groups. Emigration after that came by private enterprise,
either single or in small groups of two-three families, joining friends and
relatives already located here, usually working in these areas for a period of
time, prior to moving to lesser accessible areas of Wisconsin where land was
cheaper.
The North German element in Milwaukee, consisted of the Pomeranians and
Mecklenburgers, where there was 23 Lutheran congregations, mainly on the north
and west sides of the city. They had 7,000 voting members belonging mainly to
the laboring classes, being employed in the mills, factories and various trades,
and owning there own homes. They were thrifty people, no evidence of pretense of
display, but evidence of genuine comfort and well being.
Between 1850-1885, Watertown and the towns of Herman, Theresa, Lomira, and
Portland in Dodge counties, and Ixonia, Waterloo, Lake Mills , Aztalan,
Farmington, Jefferson, and Hebron in Jefferson received the greater part of
their North German Population. "The Pomerania element predominates, especially
in Herman, Lomira, Theresa, Farmington, Lake Mills, and Waterloo. Watertown
increased in population from 1845 about 1,800 to about 10,000 in 1868, the
German element dominating. The 5th ward was mainly Mecklenburgers and the
Pomeranians in one church were from a circle of Pridlaw, and in another are
people from Stettin, Colberg and Cammin.
End of Part 2
Part 3
In part 2, I mentioned the town of Herman in Dodge county. " The Pomeranians in
Herman came from the districts of Stargard, Regenwalde, Dramburg and
Schiefelbein {Schivelbein} the central part of Hinter (Farther) Pommern. The
immigration occurred between the years of 1847-1860, but chiefly between
1848-1855" In Lomira and Theresa, Dodge county, are 60-70 families from
the districts of Colberg and Treptow, Pomerania, and 20 families from
Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who settled between 1854-1868. Between 1850-1860 a body of
Brandenburgers settled in the two townships, forming a Lutheran Congregation.
Another Congregation has 180 families of Pomeranians, Brandenburgers and a few
Mecklenburgers, who are located in these towns as well as Hustisford, Clyman,
Hubbard and Lebanon. In Waterloo and Lake Mills, Jefferson county and Deerfield,
Dane county, there are over 100 families from Pomerania, who settled there
between 1850 and 1870. Farmington was settled with mainly Pomeranians with a few
Brandenburgers, the German settlement beginning as early as 1854. Aztalan,
Jefferson and Hebron have a large number of Germans from Bavaria, and nearly a
100 families from Pomerania, West Prussia and Mecklenburg, with the majority
settling between 1850-1860.
Since 1865, the new arrivals or sons of earlier immigrants began taking the
place of the early Americans, Irish or Norwegian settlers, buying their homes
and lands. They replaced the Irish in Emmet, Richwood, Reeseville and Clyman in
Dodge county, replacing the Norwegians in Ashippun in Dodge county, replacing
the Irish in the Red River Valley in Waukesha county." In Waukesha county, the
1890 census shows the proportion of German born to be 16.9% of the population,
an increase of 1,264 or 23 % since 1880."
Beginning about 1854, North Germans, chiefly from Mecklenburg and Pomerania,
and a few from Posen formed comparatively large settlements in the towns of
Leeds and Portage and near Kilbourn, and scattered settlements in the towns of
Columbus, Randolph, and Cambria. Leeds was mainly Mecklenburgers and Portage
Pomerania and Posen and Kilbourn many Pommern families.
In 1848, the first steamboat passed up the Fox River to Princeton, the first
six Germans, (6 in number) settled in the county between Princeton and Berlin.
From 1848-1856 a few more Germans came to the same area, but between 1856-1866,
a large German element came mainly from Pommerania and Posen, settling near
Princeton. The Pomeranians located southeast of Princeton, where there about 225
families - Methodists and Lutherans.
In Fond du Lac county, the Germans were mainly the Rhenish Prussia, but the
townships of Eldorado and Friendship are about one half German who came from
Naugard, Pomerania, from Prussia and Mecklenburg, settling along Ridge Road,
attracted by the timber land. The majority came in 1855. Some Pomeranian
families settled in Fond du Lac city coming between 1850-1870 to work in Meyer's
sash, door and blind factory, later finding employment in the tannery, the yeast
and furniture factories.
End of part 3
Part 4 - Moving on to Sheoboygan, Manitowoc and other counties
Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties had a large population of German born citizens.
In 1890 Sheboygan 25.3% and in Manitowoc 21.3%. Sheboygan grew between 1880 and
1890 due to the manufacturing in Sheboygan. In Sheboygan County, from
1850-1855, the population increased from 8,379 to 20,391. Pomeranians settled in
Mosel township, the town of Sheboygan and the eastern part of Plymouth.
Mecklenburgers settled on the western line of Plymouth extending into the towns
of Greenbush and Mitchell. One of the largest groups from any single province is
a body of Brandenburger, from the
Uckermark, settled in the southern part of Herman.
Moving north to Manitowoc county, the population in 1846 was 629, in 1850
3,702 and in 1860 about 23,000, with a large proportion of German settlers.
The first German settlers in Manitowoc county occurred about 1840, where men
from Holstein, were employed by Frederick Burchardt, a native of Saxony. He met
the Germans in Detroit and convinced to go to Neshoto and Mischicott area to
work at a saw mill. The next German settlers came from Saxony and Rhenish
Pruissia. Between 1848-1865, Mecklenburgers and Pomeranians came, about 5,000
families with Hanoverians and Oldenburgers, who are known as Mecklenburgers
since the majority came from Mecklenburg-Schwerin. These people belonged to
about 11 or more Lutheran congregations. The townships of Maple Grove, Cato,
Franklin and Rockland contain about 80-100 Pomeranian families.
In Winnebago County, there is a German element in Oshkosh with work in lumber
mills and factories. Of the 1,000 North German families about 700 families are
said to be from Pomerania. The majority of the German settlers emigrated prior
to 1870. In Neenah, a group of 100 families from the district of Stettin,
emigrating between 1865-1870. Meckenburgers, about 200 people from the region of
Krivitz, settled in the city and town of Neenah, and in neighboring Clayton,
Winnebago County, and Greenville, Outagamie County.
The navigation up the Wolf River along with sawmill operations along its banks,
influenced future German settlements, as well as attracting people to go further
north. Other influences were steamship agents and business dealings in the
northwood timberlands.
Moving on to Waupaca and Shawano counties, areas of heavy timbers, were
settled in the 1860's. Shawano had a huge German population, mainly German
settlers from Pomerania, Mecklenburg, and Brandenburg. Grant contains 210
Pomeranians and Mecklenburgers and Washington 200 Pomeranians. In
Herman, there are 12 Pommern families from the circle of Regenwalde, in
the district of Stettin, who followed the Wolf river emigrants. One half the
1,500 people in Shawano were Germans.
The towns of Clayton, Winneconne, Winchester, and Wolf River, Winnebago County;
Bloomfield, Waushara county, Fremont, Caledonia, Weyauwega, Saxeville and Lind,
Waupaca county, and to a smaller scale Dale, Ellington, Hortonia, Center and
Greenville, Outagamie, contains a large percentage of North Germans. Wolf River
and Bloomfield had Pommern families from the Stettin district. The so-called"
Rat River Settlement" east of the Wolf River was started about 1854. It spread
eastward and now includes about 150
families of whom 75% are from Pomerania.
End of Part 4
Part 5 - Marathon, Lincoln and beyond
Marathon county, the area of the "Platt Deutsch", with nearly 1000 -1,500
families from Pomerania. Areas of settlements are Marathon, Cassel, Maine,
Berlin, Wein, Wausau, Stettin, Rib Falls, and Hamburg, all solid with Germans.
Lesser areas are Elderon, Pike Lake, Harrison, Easton, and Norris. German
settlement in Marathon County began about 1855 in the towns of Maine and
Berlin. About this time a Pomeranian, named August KOPPLIN, from Princeton,
wrote to his relatives in Pommern, telling them of the abundance of cheap land
and urging them to come. Many came settling first in the southern Wisconsin
counties, working for wages to save until they had the means to buy land and
move north, at $1.25 per acre. By 1858, 40 families were settled in the central
towns, entering the county only on a trail. By 1858, a rough road was built. The
nearest place to grind grain was in Plover, 60 miles south of this area. It took
about 10 years to break 40 acres of land. In 1867, a large group of
Pomeranians came. August KICKBUSCH, a storekeeper in Wausau, had returned to
Pomerania, collected a large number of persons from Greifenberg and Regenwalde,
peasants and day laborers and conducted them to Wisconsin. He states his party
consisted of 702 persons, including children, but only a portion came to
Marathon County. By 1867, there were 700 German voters in the county and 1,000
German families.
Another major factor in bringing Germans to Marathon County was the Wisconsin
Valley railway, which was constructed in 1874. The company owned 200,000
acres in Marathon and Lincoln counties. They sent out pamphlets and maps
throughout Wisconsin and Germany to induce immigrants and even sent a travelling
agent to Germany.
The settlement of Lincoln County was similar to Marathon County. There were
16 families from Regenwalde and Naugard in Merrill. The 1890 census shows 17.9%
of German born, and increase from 359 to 2,151 since 1880, showing the
rapid growth.
End of Part 5
Part 6
The Pommern emigration began mainly with the Alt Lutherans in 1839 -1843,
settling in Milwaukee and nearby areas. Their letters back sent back home talked
about the wages, the abundance of cheap land, freedom of religious worship. As
the economic conditions worsened in Pomerania, more and more people starting
emigrating from Pomerania. The patterns of emigration were impacted as more
railroads were built, better passenger ship travel, more letters and pamphlets
being sent to Pomerania as well as agents traveling from village to village
recruiting people to come to America.
The following has been said about our Pommern ancestors: If you disagree with
the statements don't crucify the messenger as these are not my words: "As in
other matters, the Baltic peoples are conservative in religion. While they
exhibit a strong theological bias, and numerous shades of doctrine have sprung
up among them; they are yet very loyal to the Lutheran church. It was here, as
we shall see, that opposition to religious innovations led to persecution and
emigration" (This is another topic for another day).
"The North German, in contrast to the South German, is tall, slender,
well-proportioned, light complexioned, and has features not clearly outlined."
"Except the East Prussians, the Baltic peoples lack in aggressiveness. They
are slow to adopt new ideas, cautious but persevering. In the army the
Pomeranian, who is a good type of this class, is regarded as one of the best of
soldiers. His excellence does not consist in force of attack but in extreme
persistence. The Pomeranians possesses great seriousness, is sparing of words,
clings steadfastly to old customs, and is zealous for his rights.
The Mecklenburgers are a strong, healthy race, homely, true-hearted, and not
easily accessible to moral corruption. Both of these peoples are among the best
of farmers"
"The larger proportion of the North Germans in Wisconsin live upon farms and
came from the agricultural districts. Predominant among those from the
northeastern provinces are day laborers on the large estates and small peasant
owners. Next come the shepherds, handicraftsmen, and foresters; a small
percentage were skilled workmen, tradesmen and large land owners. Of the earlier
immigrants, a large proportion came from Pomerania, especially from the district
of Stettin, which is the most fertile portion, and from Brandenburg and
Mecklenburg.
In earlier times, the immigrants often bought their primitive plows, axes,
and hoes, besides their house-keeping utensils; but they found this
unprofitable, and immigrants rarely bring much besides bedding and clothing. The
first generation, especially in the country districts, continue to wear the
clothes woven by them in the old home. The Pomeranians are occasionally seen
with long blue coats brought from Germany; wooden shoes and slippers are used
for outdoor work; occasionally at communion service, men wear the bridegroom's
costume of velvet trousers and waistcoat, brought fifty or more years ago. With
the second generation, all these peculiarities disappear."
"The men who had dealings with the Germans invariably testify that but small
payments were made at first; they nevertheless always worked and saved enough to
make the late payments as they came due. In almost every community, mention is
made of men who reached here with a few dollars and have since become well to do
and even wealthy farmers, worth $20,000-$30,000.; while those who came with
considerable property, and after buying farms hired their work done, are now
poor men"
My fingers are tired and this the end. The source of this information is a
publication originally made in 1898, from the Collections of the State
Historical Society of Wisconsin, entitled" Geographical Origin of German
Immigration to Wisconsin" by Kate Everest Levi, Ph. D. pages 341-393. Reproduced
in 1992 by Edward R. Brandt, 13-27th Ave S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55414-3101.
I tried to extract only the information that applied to the Pommern immigrants.
Other German immigrants from different German provinces or speaking lands are
covered.
I hope this helps those who have an interest in the Pommern settlement of
Wisconsin.
Additional Comments by Doug Plowman (PLAMANN)
All of my ancestry is of German origin with three of my four grandparents
from Kreis Greifenberg, Kolberg-Korlin, Kreis Bublitz, Kreis Neu Stettin,
Stettin Stadt, Kreis Naugard, Kreis Saatzig, Kreis Stargard, Kreis Demmin.
I thought I would add some more information. The source is the same as I
mentioned in my conclusion.
An example of word of mouth: "In 1854, William Spiegelberg, then a
subordinate officer in the Prussian Army, sent his father, three brothers and
two sisters to Wolf River, and he followed in 1857. They were from the
circle of Regenwalde, district of Stettin. Their immigration according to
his own statement, was well known in the districts from which they came, and
many followed him, settling in Winnebago, Shawano, and Lincoln counties."
"Of the population of 909 in Wolf River, about 1/6 are from Pommerania.
Of the rest about 25 Americans, are mainly from East and West Prussia, and
Posen. In Bloomfield, there are 80 Pomeranian families from the district of
Stettin, circle of Randow, and 60 from the province of Posen."
"In Winchester, {Winnebago County} there are about 48 families from the
district of Stettin, mostly from the circles of Naugard and Regenwalde, and 18
families from the district of Bromberg, Posen.
Moving north to Marathon and Lincoln counties, the paragraph below will give one
example of recruitment to have settlers buy their land. "Settlement in the
western townships began in 1879, through the agency of a Milwaukee firm,
Johnnson, Rietbrock & Halsey, who had at their disposal 50,000 acres of farm
land in Marathon county. In that year Andrew Kreutzer, acting as their agent,
took a body of Germans from Grafton, Ozauke county, to Black Creek Falls, where
they built a mill and began a settlement. Kruetzer frequently visited New York
to meet and secure immigrants. The majority of the settlers are sons of German
farmers from the southern part of the State; but with them are people from
Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, Limnitz, Pomerania, South Germany and Austria. They
bought hardwood lands. The census of 1890 indicates an increase of 4,256 or
nearly 100 per cent--of German born since 1880, of whom, the majority probably
settled in the western towns, named after the Milwaukee firm Halsey, Rietbrock,
and Johnson."
Another example of how a German settlement or immigration began: the Neenah
and Appleton area; "One of the first settlers was Frederick Krueger. In
1850, he with four others, one a Pomeranian, bought 480 acres of land in
Clayton. Neenah was then a more accessible market than Appleton, and
settlement to the north and west had scarcely begun. In 1851 he returned to
Krivitz, where his father was a wagon maker. He married there, and soon after
returned to America, accompanied by a large number from Krivitz and vicinity,
perhaps 160 or 170 altogether. Eighteen or twenty of these followed him to
Wisconsin, where the majority worked in the pineries, only three having
sufficient means to buy land. Between 1850 and 1860, others followed and settled
in Clayton, Greenville and Neenah. Eleven of the original families were from
Krivitz; among them was one man of considerable means."
Agents and pamphlets : " William Spiegelberg was for many years agent of
the Hamburg-American Packet Company. Andrew Mertin, in Wolf River, was well
known and influential among the Germans; and Peter Faust, a later settler, sent
immigration pamphlets to Germany,"
The Railroads were a key both in Germany and America. The settlement in Germany
was the opposite of America. The settlement in Germany went from west to east
and in America east to west. As the railroads spread eastward in Germany into
Pommern, Posen, East and West Prussia, it was easier for these immigrants to
travel to the seaports of Hamburg and Bremen to arrange passage to America. The
same is true here, as the railroads moved westward and in the case of Wisconsin,
moved out of Milwaukee towards the north and west, it was much easier for the
immigrants to move into the more outlying areas. Not only the ease of
transportation for people but also for the farmers to sent grain or produce to
market, to get supplies for their homestead.
An example of German settlers who settled in an area before the railroad was
built:
The area is Juneau county, towns of Summit and Lindina; Vernon County towns of
Hillsborough and Greenwood, and Woodland and Lavalle towns in Sauk county. " A
few settlers settled there in 1857 and 1867, but the majority came between 1870
and 1875, before a railroad went through- the Chicago & Northwestern
railroads having been built through Wonewoc in 1875. Among these immigrants were
mechanics, masons, and shoemakers, but the majority were day laborers, and
brought little means, one of the first families (1867) sent $1,100 to Germany,
to bring over nine persons. They bought land of speculators, and this
proved to be a disadvantage. There were few accessible markets before the
railroad went through, and prices for farm products were low. The settlers were
compelled by the landowners to see their farm products for store-orders, and for
several years they were unable to get cash payments. In the town and vicinity of
Elroy, joining them on the north, is a group of 30 Pomeranian families from the
districts of Kaslin and Stettin and 3 other families.... Of this number only two
owned land in Germany, the rest were laborers. Here they worked on the railroad
or at any available employment until they could buy land. Wages they found to be
three or four times those obtainable in Germany. In the towns of Honey Creek and
Troy, Sauk County, are a number of Pomeranians and in Greenfield and Fairfield
are some Mecklenburgers.
"Along the line of the Chicago, St.Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha railway and through
its agency, there are, in Shell Lake, Washburn county, and Perley and Turtle
Lake, Barron county, Germans who came directly from Pomerania and Brandenburg."
Prior to the end of the Civil War (1865) many immigrants who came to New York or
other eastern ports, used the waterways to get to Wisconsin, via the canals &
Great Lakes entering at Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, etc. After the Civil War,
the railroads were the major means of getting to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and
further west. In 1903 when my grandmother emigrated from Stettin city, they
arrived in New York on April 1st and in Chicago April 3rd.
The Saxon Lutherans (about 700 people) who also emigrated in 1839 for
religious reasons, arrived in New Orleans and went up the Mississippi River to
St.Louis and then settled in Perry County, MO. The Missouri Lutheran Church
would be started here. Many of the early pastors who came to Wisconsin to be
circuit-travelling pastors in the 1860's were the Saxon Lutheran immigrants. The
Pastor at Bloomfield was Rev. Christian Markworth, who started in 1866 in
Marathon County, and worked in Waushara, Portage, Waupaca and Wood County.
Pastor Estel in 1865 worked in Kellner, Portage county and Sigel, Wood County,
WI. Watertown, WI. Other teachers and ministers came to Wisconsin as the harvest
was ripe with German settlers.
The Homestead Act of 1862 was another major factor for Germans to buy land
further west.
One suggestion for those who want to learn more about settlements of the areas
where your German ancestors settled is to do two projects or studies. If your
German ancestor bought a farm, I would suggest you take a look at the land
records. Example my great grandfather (my one Hanover ancestor) bought a farm
Sigel township, Wood County, in 1907. I traced the land ownership and
transaction back to the first person that bought the land. Looking at the
land transactions, you can see who owned it, their nationality, the price they
paid for it, etc. It is an interesting history lesson on land speculation, farm
failures, and how fast the price of the land increased, in each sales
transaction, the land owners going from a Yankee, selling to a Norwegian land
developer, a few other failures, then being bought by a businessman, etc.
The second study is to take a certain township in a county and look at
each census to see the surnames, nationalities, of the people and one can easily
see the emigration process going from one nationality to another and the mix of
people who settled the area. County histories can be another source to see
settlement patterns.
One final comment, and that is to place yourself in your immigrant ancestor's
shoes. Leaving a village that he has lived in with his family, relatives, and
friends, often many of them were not well educated as their schooling was often
only a few years. Most of them have never been more than 10-15 miles away from
their home. Now picture them as they traveled from their home village in
Pommern, travelling across Germany to the seaports. The preparation, the food,
clothing, hungry children, pregnant women, etc. They did not have fast food
restaurants, credit cards, cell phones, cars, etc. Just seeing other parts of
their homeland had to be a big adventure. At the seaports, trying to arrange
travel aboard the passenger ships, were the ships on time, how long did they
wait for the ship, they did not have much money, etc. The travel across the
ocean was not pleasant with poor conditions aboard the ship, seasickness, lack
of bathroom facilities, other passengers from different countries, customs,
languages, the heat, cold, stink,... Now getting to their port in New York, not
speaking English, nervous about getting to the boat or train to go to Wisconsin,
etc. Now you add in the element of people who were swindlers, robbers, greedy
land speculators, running out of money when you arrive in New York, not being
able to go further until you earn money, try to find a place to live, a strange
land, customs, poor immigrants, looked down upon by many. Just try to imagine
their journey, their fears, their anticipation, their hardships, how in some
exciting to see things they have never seen before, the size of the ship, how
large New York was, how busy Castle Garden or Ellis Island would have been,
herds of people travelling far away, with most of themnever returning to
Pomerania.
Life in Pomerania had to be very rough (economically) for so many of them to
emigrate to America, Australia, South American, Africa, etc We owe these
hardy pioneers our deepest gratitude, whether they emigrated to America or
beyond and to those who did not emigrate and stayed in their homeland. Pommern
suffered much in WWII and with the expulsion. We as genealogists have a chance
to make history come alive and to never forget our ancestors. Our lives today
are greatly influenced by all of our ancestors.
Doug Plowman (Plamann)
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