THE IMMIGRATION TRIP

The father of Heinrich Friedrich Christian Hoppe died in 1868, and his mother died in 1844. In 1867 the house was sold and likely provided money needed for the trip to America. Sophie's brother, August Meier, left Germany for America in 1858. Her father and mother died in 1839 and 1865, respectively.

The lack of parental ties and a family member already in America likely influenced the decision of the Hoppe family to come to America. On August 7, 1869 Heinrich and Sophie left Bantorf, along with their three children: Friedrich (8), Louise (6) and August (19 mo.). They were processed for departure in Bremen, before sailing for New York City from the seaport of Bremerhaven on the S.S. Deutschland.

S.S. Deutschland, North German Lloyd Line 1866-1875
The Peabody Museum, Salem

Conditions on the ship were likely similar to those covered by the following rules passed in 1848 that governed immigrant passenger ships:

• Every passenger to rise at 7 a.m. unless otherwise permitted by the surgeon.
• Breakfast from 8-9 a.m., dinner at 1 p.m., supper at 6 p.m.
• Passengers to be in their beds by 10 p.m.
• Fires to be lighted by passengers' cook at 7 a.m. and kept alight by him till 7 p.m., then to be extinguished.
• Three safety-lamps to be lit at dusk; one to be kept burning all night in main hatchway; two others may be extinguished at 10 p.m.
• No naked light to be allowed at any time or on any account.
• The passengers when dressed, to roll up their beds, to sweep the decks, including the space under the bottom of berths, and to throw the dirt overboard.
• Breakfast not to commence till this is done.
• The sweepers for each day to be taken in rotation from the males above 14, in the proportion of 5 for every 100 passengers.
• Duties of the sweepers to be to clean the ladders, hospitals, and roundhouses, to sweep the decks after every meal and to dry, holystone and scrape them after breakfast.
• The occupant of every berth to see that his own berth is well brushed out.
• The beds to be well shaken and aired on the decks, and the bottom boards, if not fixtures, to be removed and dry scrubbed and taken on deck at least twice a week.
• Two days in the week to be applied by the master as washing days, but no clothes to be washed or dried between the decks.
• The coppers and cooking vessels to be cleaned every day.
• The scuttles and sternports, if any, to be kept open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the hatches at all hours.
• Hospitals to be established with an area, in ships carrying 100 passengers, of not less than 48 superficial feet with 2 or 4 berths.
• On Sunday the passengers to be mustered at 10 a.m., when they will be expected to appear in clean and decent apparel. The day to be observed as religiously as circumstances permit.
• No spirits or gunpowder to be taken on board by any passenger.
• No smoking allowed between decks.
• All fighting, gambling, riotous behavior, swearing or violent language to be at once put a stop to. Swords and other offensive weapons, as soon as passengers embark, to be place in the custody of the Master.
• No sailor to remain on the passenger deck among the passengers except when on duty.
• No passenger to go to ship's cook-house without special permission of the Master.

The overseas trip took two weeks, with their arrival in New York on August 21. Following are Louise's recollections of their trip from Germany to Nebraska:

They had music on deck every day and all did enjoy that, but it sure was a happy day when we could see land, such shouting, everybody was on their feet and so happy to see land, about five o'clock in the evening when we landed and when we landed everybody stood in line to land in New York, it seemed to me there were about 25 buses to take people some place to stay all night and the parents had to hold fast to their children as not to lose them. It was a hard time till we got to a room at a hotel, we stayed till the next afternoon. This was my first trip on a train, a little low engine pulled us out of New York, took us to Nebraska City. We stayed at a Mr. Strab Hotel, could not go now by train so Dad got a man to take us in a covered wagon and a pair of mules to take us to Beatrice, this was my one trip in a covered wagon, could not make it in one day so stayed all night. There was lots of timber, we kids had a good time on the woods that evening. Next morning we got to Beatrice at 10 o'clock, here was our friend John Scheve to meet us, took us across the river with a boat. Beatrice had 50 houses. Here mother and us children had to walk three miles to John Scheve home. Dad stayed to come with our luggage that was hauled with a pair of oxen which my Dad bought later to do all of hauling later, so we got to Scheves at noon, it was hard on us to walk so far for the roads were not nice like they are today. This was first of September, this was mother's happy day.

Louise's daughter, Nettie, later told the following account:

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Copyright © 1998 by Weldon Hoppe