Coming to America: The Heigert Story

My maiden name is Heigert, (in English; Hi-gert, in German; Hee-kert) and on that side I am a third generation American.  I feel pretty strongly about immigrants, if we hadn't been allowed in I wouldn't be here, although both my Italian and German immigrant ancestors came here via Ellis Island.  I won't get into the political debate, that's not what this blog is about.  Instead, lets get into my immigrant's stories.

My great grandfather, Roman Heigert was born 8th of August 1867 in Waldulm, Baden-Wurttemburg, Germany to 27 year old Benedict Heigert and 22 year old Paulina Schmelzle.  Benedict and Paulina had married the 29th of May 1865 in Waldulm, and had one child before Roman, brother Gottfried Frederick born in 1866.

  Benedict & Pauina's Marriage Bann

Roman's Birth Record

I won't even pretend to know how someone from Alton Illinois got in touch with the Heigert's in Waldulm, but family record has it that the Springman Distributing Co in Alton IL wanted someone to make wine for them as a new venture, and sponsored the Heigert's to emigrate as they came from a prolific wine making area of Germany, and as they arrived the position had already been filled.  I've always believed this, but I just found Springman Distributing was opened in 1908, which while a very long time ago, not long enough to sponsor our travels.  Regardless, the decision was made to emigrate from Germany to America.

Waldulm

St Alban's Church, Waldulm (where Roman was baptized)

The Heigert family traveled from Waldulm to Hamburg to meet the ship they would then sail to America on.  Today, by car, the trip takes seven hours.  By foot it would have been more towards six days.  I doubt they walked, Gottfried would have been four and Roman two, a close friend or family member probably took them by horse and cart.  Still, the trek to Hamburg would have been long, and everything they owned would have been packed with them.  They had at least one steamer trunk, which is amazingly still in tact and with a member of my family.  They most likely took a straight path, passing through Frankfurt and Hanover before coming to Hamburg.  Benedict, Paulina, Gottfried and little Roman leave the port of Hamburg on 22 Feb 1870 and arrive at Ellis Island NY 28th of March 1870 aboard the steam ship Cimbria.  

ship manifest

SS Cimbria

I really can't imagine being on a ship in February for over a month.  I can just see in my head the little family standing on the pier, a huge ship before them, snow swirling on the frigid air, all they own in trunks at their feet.  After being in the hull for a month, I'll bet America was quite the welcome sight.  I wish I knew which class of passenger they traveled as, but it does not show these things on the manifest, unfortunately.  It would have however, made a big difference.  Ellis Island wasn't constructed until 1892, so they would have come through Castle Garden.  First and second class passengers weren't really required to come through the inspection process once on land, they had a cursory inspection on board and that was it.  It was basically assumed that if you had enough money to buy those tickets, you probably wouldn't end up a drain upon American society and were permitted to enter without incident.  Even if they had a first or second class ticket, my family may have still been subjected to inspections.  If someone was ill they were subjected to medical inspection, and I've always heard that Roman became very sick on the journey over;  not surprising given the time of year they traveled.  There had even been some talk as to whether or not to throw the boy overboard, as is customary to do if they feel it is for the protection of the passengers of the ship as a whole.  Rather loose one person than everyone become ill and perish.   Family lore has it a small child begged the captain for my great grandfather's life to be spared, and he acquiesced.  I'll never know for sure, of course.  

   Castle Garden, 1870-1890

(from https://historicalnyc.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/historical-castle-garden-photographs/ )

Battery Park, NY to Staunton Illinois, where my family went to buy their farm, is 935 miles.  Fifteen hours by car, thirteen days by foot.  Again, they would not have walked.  Most likely they went by rail, and while I can't tell the exact cities the railways went through, this railroad map from 1870 shows they would have gotten pretty close to their destination by rail alone.

They didn't go immediately to Staunton.  The 1870 Federal census, taken on the 11th of August, 1870, shows them in "Township 5, Range 10 West, Madison IL" which is in Alton.  The map I found also has a railroad running right exactly through where they're at, which confirms my earlier hunch of how they got there.

 Benedict is marked as a Laborer, he was a Farmer when leaving Germany, but he's working.  He has no real estate value, so they're renting, and the house number is 107 (street unknown).  Whatever items of value they have with them are valued at $300.  

Roman's younger brother Frank C was born in May of 1871, and sister Paulina "Lena" born December 1874.  On the June 1880 census we find the now-family of six at house number 343 (street unknown) in Godfrey, Madison IL.  Benedict is again listed as a Farmer, so he's gotten back into old habits.  Roman is now age 12 and likely does not remember his trip from his homeland.  Sister Emma was born November 1885 and passed March of 1887, while the family lived and farmed in Staunton, Macoupin IL.  It is likely they were in their permanent farmhouse now, which still stands today on Renken rd.

Heigert Family, Benedict and Paulina in front and Lena in between.  I think the boys, based on ages, are L to R Frank, Roman, and Fritz.  Probably taken around 1890.

   Roman married Freida W. Brackmann in Staunton 17th April 1894, aged 26.  They had long happy lives together, had many children, and left many stories and fond memories to those who knew them.  It's a bit ironic that Benedict and Paulina risked so much to come here and build better lives for their children, and here I am, three generations later, longing to visit Waldulm.

Roman and Frieda