Emigrating from Germany to America At the present time there are few details of the emigration of Joseph Biebel and Eva Rosina Schaishar to America. However, the following should give a description of events that took place on most other voyages. This material was taken from the book "The German Research Companion," by Shirley J. Reimer. REDEMPTIONERS Redemption was a system of payment for ship passage through labor given by emigrant parents. In a book by LaVern Rippley, "The German Americans", offers the following explanation of "redemptioning". "Shipping companies often transported European emigrants to America without directly charging the passengers. Occasionally, a local ruler in a German principality also resorted to selling his 'sons' to a shipper or a foreign government for what little they would bring on the auction block. 'Redemptioning' was, therefore, the process by which agents loaded ships with able-bodied men and proceeded to anchor in an American port where the newcomers were sold to the highest bidder. "Since the shipping company had born the costs of transportation without charging the passenger, potential employers in America reimbursed the shipper when paying the going price for an emigrant who in turn worked for as many years as were necessary to redeem the cost of passage. In a land where the sale of black slaves was taken for granted, we should not be surprised to learn that the redemption of Germans was scarcely frowned upon by anyone. "American laws binding the contracts of redemption continued in effect until 1819 when the United States Congress passed a law, not abolishing redemption, but limiting the weight of passengers permitted on ships docking at United States ports. . . This action effectively outlawed shipment in steerage which brought with it an end to the system of redemption because the law ruled out the possibility of huge profits." HOW REDEMPTION WORKED Gottlieb Mittelberger, an emigrant to Pennsylvania from Wurtemberg in 1750 wrote the following account of his first hand experiences with the redemption system. "When the ships have landed in Philadelphia after their long voyage, no one is permitted to leave them except those who pay for passage or can give good security; the others who cannot pay must remain on board the ships till they are purchased and are re leased from the ships by their purchasers. The sick always fare the worst, for the healthy are naturally preferred and purchased first; and so the sick and wretched must often remain on board in front of the city for two or three weeks, and frequently die, whereas many a one if he could pay his debt was permitted to leave the ship immediately might recover... "The sale of human beings in the market on board the ship is carried on thus: Every day Englishmen, Dutchmen, and High German people come from the city of Philadelphia and other places, some from a great distance, say 60,90, and 120 miles away, an go on board the newly arrived ship that has brought and offers for sale passengers from Europe and select among the healthy persons such as they deem suitable for their businesses, and bargain with them how long they will serve for their passage money, for which most of them are still in debt. When they have come to an agreement, it happens that adult persons bind themselves in writing to serve three, four, five, or six years for the amount due by them, according to their strength and age. But very young people, from 10 to 15 years, must serve until they are 21 years old. "Many persons must sell and trade away their children like so many head of cattle; for if their children take the debt upon themselves, the parents can leave the ship free and unrestrained; but as the parents often do not know where and to what people their children are going, it often happens that such parents and children after leaving the ship, do not see each other again for years, perhaps no more in all their lives. "When people arrive who cannot make themselves free, but have children under five years of age, they cannot free themselves by them; for such children must be given to somebody without compensation to be brought up, and they must serve for their bringing up till they are 21 years old. Children from five to ten years, who pay half price for their passage, must likewise serve for it until they are 21 years old; they cannot, therefore, redeem their parents by taking the debt of the latter upon themselves, but children above 10 years can take part of their parents' debt upon themselves. "A woman must stand for her husband if he arrives sick, and in like manner a man for his sick wife, and take the debt upon herself or himself, and thus serve five or six years not alone for his or her own debt, but also for that of the sick husband or wife. But if both are sick, such persons are sent from the ship to the hospital, but not until it appears probable that they will find no purchasers. As soon as they are well again they must serve for their passage, or pay if they have the means. "It often happens that whole families, husband, wife, and children, are separated by being sold to different purchasers, especially when they have not paid any part of their passage money. When a husband or wife has died at sea, after the ship has completed more than half her trip, the survivor must pay or serve not only for himself or herself, but also for the deceased. When both parents died after the voyage was more than half completed, their children, especially when they are young and have nothing to pawn or pay, must stand for their own and their parents passage, and serve until they are 21 years of age. "Once one has served his or her term, he or she is entitled to a new suit of clothes at parting and if it has been so stipulated a men gets in addition a horse and a woman a cow. When a servant has an opportunity to marry in this country, he or she must pay for each year he or she would still have to serve 5 or 6 pounds. But many a one who has thus purchased and paid for his bride, has subsequently repented of his bargain, so he would gladly have returned his dear ware and lost his money in addition. "If a servant in this country runs away from his master who had treated him harshly, he cannot get far. Good provisions had been made for such cases so that a runaway is soon recovered. He who detains or returns a deserter receives a good reward. If such a runaway has been away from his master a single day, he must serve an entire week for it; if absent a week, then a month, and for a month a half a year. But if the master does not care to keep the runaway when he gets him back, he may sell him for as many years as he has still to serve." FOOD ON BOARD IMMIGRATION SHIPS The food served on German-immigration ships in the 1850s seems to have been fairly standardized. This is an example of a week's menu: Sunday: salt meat, meal pudding, and prunes Monday: salt bacon, pea soup, and potatoes Tuesday: salt meat, rice, and prunes Wednesday: smoked bacon and potatoes Thursday: salt meat, potatoes, and bean soup Friday: herring, meal, and prunes Saturday: salt bacon, pea soup, and potatoes PACKING FOOD FOR THE OCEAN JOURNEY In 1822, not long after his arrival in America, the nineteen year old German immigrant Louis Jungerich wrote a long letter to his mother, brother, and sister in Hessen, from the farm where he was living in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. In his letter he gave specific instructions for any family members who were anticipating a trip to American including advice on what food to pack for the trip. He advised his relatives back home to sign onto a ship for the ocean voyage only (to cut costs) and then to obtain food and supplies on their own, to last 90 days. His list of recommended provisions to pack for each "person" for the voyage are as follows: 55 pounds of ship's zwieback or hardtack 6 - 12 pounds of butter 2 bushels of potatoes Salt 15 pounds of flour 8 pounds of rice 4 pounds of barley peas, beans, and meat stock for soup vinegar to drink ("absolutely necessary" - it was helpful< for digestion and was an antidote to scurvy tea, sugar, and/or brandy 20 pounds of well salted beef 6 pounds of bacon for fat lemons dried plums pepper 2 tin kettles to cook meals and one for liquids spoons, knives, forks, and cups He reported to his family that his best meal aboard ship was: "Our best meals were as follows: I took the ship's zwieback or hardtack that was handed out to us and butter, soaked the zwieback so that it became spongy, and cooked in water, adding the butter. This was our best dish and could not compare with what was given out on the ship only at the noon hour." (It should be noted that when he refers to zwieback, he does not mean the familiar twice toasted rusks, but rather a biscuit like bread product baked especially to travel well and remain palatable in the process.) PACKING FOR THE VOYAGE TO AMERICA An immigrant who arrived in America from Oldenburg in about 1835, Liwwat Knapke Boke has left among her prolific writings and drawings these three lists, the first two of which appear to be those prepared for herself and for Bernard Boke, who she had hoped would travel with her to America. (They traveled separately; not long after Liwwat's arrival, they were married in Cincinnati) From their home village of Neuenkirch in Oldenburg, the length of the voyage to the Bremen departure point was 60 miles. The following is a summary of the items on the packing list: HIS LIST Items to be worn or carried: underpants, shirt, towel, gloves, hardtack, pants, suspenders, candles, snow boots, handkerchief, tallow, stockings, hat, night shirt, wool coat, chewing tobacco, and an iron needle. Items to be transported in a satchel: crucifix, prayer book, baptismal certificate, rosary, bottle of holy water, soap, drinking cup, salve, cream and a hand towel. Items to be packed in a trunk: books, mirror, bed linen, lamp black, ink in a bottle with a stopper, pliers, cow hide strap or belt, mallet scissors, twine, hood, tacks, file, sealing wax and a seal. Items to be packed in another trunk: pot cover, spoon, knife, blankets, pillows, towels, silver and dishes, bucket, medicine, bed linens, plate, cloths, shirts, a kettle, a feather tick, an apron and stockings. Items to be carried in a pouch: sugar, flour, groats, salt, chocolate wafers, potatoes, a coat, bacon meat, bread, dried apples, cracklings, lard, a pin for closing clothes, shoes, rice, beans, sauerkraut, honey, a bed spread and scarves. HER LIST To be worn or carried: long underwear, stockings, belt, jacket, gloves, woolen petticoat, apron, dress, handkerchief, snow boots, button skirt, nightgown, candles, towel, and hardtack. Items to be packed in a satchel: crucifix, prayer book, rosary, bottle of holy water, drinking cup, salve, baptismal certificate, soap. Items to be placed in trunk: books, mirror, bed linen, muslin, ink in a bottle with stopper, sanitary napkins, paper, quill pens, pillow, chemise, dresses, snow cap, blankets, feather tick, woolen blanket, stockings, nightgowns. Items to be packed in another trunk: knife, spoons, forks, hatpin, ball of thread, towels aprons, needles, yarn, plate, thread, purse, thimble, buttons, cotton thread, silk thread, dish rag, shoes Items to be carried in a pouch: Sugar, flour, salt, groats, bacon, meat, bread, dried apples, rice, beans, potatoes, sauerkraut THE SEEDS LIST Grain seeds: seed corn, oats, wheat, clover, barley and rye Fruit seeds: apples, cherries, peaches, pears, quince, plums, and apricots Flower seeds: margarita, snapdragon, peonies, lady slipper, morning glory, tulips and/or crocus's