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1. Emigration from Germany
Michael Ottimmigrated to the US at the age of 35, on November 3, 1883 (1920 CensusRecords) with his future wife Margaret Ertl, age 31, from Dreuschendorf,Bavaria, Germany. Together they leftBremen, Germany on the steamship S.S. Main and disembarked in New York. Although the census records do not indicateMargaret’s immigration date, the SS Main ship manifest shows a Magaret (sp.)Ertl as a passenger and is listed directly below Michael Ott. Her brother Lorenz and parents George andRosina ( Theresia) Ertl came to the USin 1883 (1900 Census records), although the ship manifest for the steamshipS.S. Elbe does list a George and Rosine Ertel with an arrival date of 1884. (More on the Ertls below).
Michaeldenounced his allegiance to the William Emperor of Germany February 2, 1884shortly after his arrival in the United States. Ott family lore claims that he was a cook in the German army, andwas known for his “liver dumplings”. Michael Ott became a Naturalized citizen on December 6, 1887. There is no record of any naturalization forMargaret.
2. TheirJourney
Many reasonscome to mind as to why Michael and Margaret wanted to immigrate to the US. Social, economic and maybe religious reasonscompelled many to take such radical action. Hard times fell on the farmers as the German industrial revolution wasbeginning and left many farmers behind economically. Poor crops also may have been a factor. So with fertile lands opening up in the US Midwest, a natural fitwas for these farmers to strike out and make a new life for themselves in theUS. Keep in mind that communicationswere not as they are today, so stories of how great things were in the US hadto be taken with a grain of salt, and it took a leap of faith for anyone totake off and make such a bold move. Butthat is what Michael and Margaret did. And we are here today as a result of their risk taking to make this newlife for themselves in the US.
Most likelyMichael and Margaret applied for emigration with the local authorities inGermany several months before receiving their approval to immigrate to theUS. With the approval, began a journeyfrom southern Germany to the port city of Bremen. Although thousands of immigrants left the port of Bremen, no recordswere kept until the 1900s.
With theimprovements in the number of rail lines in the 1870 and early 1880s, it ismost likely that rail was the mode of transportation to Bremen from thesouthern and interior parts of Germany. At the same time that railroads were developing, the two German ports,first Bremen then Hamburg, were starting to seriously look after the welfare oftheir departing emigrants, giving them a reputation as better ports ofdeparture for emigrants than La Havre and Rotterdam. By the 1870s, extensive rail had been laid and the overseasvoyage had become rather well organized. Also by the 1880s steam ships for themost part had replaced most sailing vessels, cutting travel time downconsiderably, and conditions on the ships and at port continued toimprove. Once Michael and Margaret madetheir way to Bremen there may have been a wait from a day to a week, to eitherbuy the tickets or for the sailing vessel to return to Bremen. There was no attempt to coordination railschedules with sailing times. Andembarkation times were often at the mercy of the shipping line and weatherconditions. Traveling the seas in theNovember time period was probably one of the riskier times to be at sea, withwinter weather approaching in the North Atlantic.
Now youmight ask yourself why Michael and Margaret, not married at the time, weretogether on the journey. One can makethe assumption that they were at least dating or it’s even possible that theywere living together as that was customary for time. One had to be in a good financial position before they wereallowed to marry and have any children,. This fact may have been one of the reasons Michael and Margaret immigratedto the US. Michael and Margaret didn’twaste any time once in the US to marry, as they were married February 26, 1884,just a few months after their arrival.
Not able toafford the more expensive accommodations on the sea leg of their journey toAmerica, Michael and Margaret bought their tickets as steerage passengers. Theaverage cost of a ticket was $30, and the SS Main held up to 600 passengers insteerage. Since I am not aware of any relatives in the US who may have boughttheir tickets for them, they most likely bought their own. For most immigrantsthe experience of steerage was like a nightmare. The conditions were socrowded, so dismally dark, so unsanitary, so foul smelling, that they were thesingle most important cause of America's early immigration laws. Unfortunately,the laws were almost impossible to enforce; steerage conditions continued toremain deplorable almost beyond belief, despite efforts to make improvements.
Here is aone description of the conditions I found on the Internet:
"Imaginea large room, perhaps seven feet in height, extending the entire breadth of theship and about one-third of its length. This room is filled with a framework of iron pipes, forming a doubletier of six-by-two-feet berths, with only sufficient space left to serve asaisles or passageways. Such acompartment will sometimes accommodate as many as three hundred passengers andis duplicated in other parts of the ship and on other decks.
"Theopen deck space reserved for steerage passengers is usually very limited, andsituated in the worst part of the ship, subject to the most violent motion, tothe dirt from the stacks and the odors from the hold and galleys. The onlyprovisions for eating are frequently shelves or benches along the sides or inthe passages of sleeping compartments. Dining rooms are rare and if found areoften shared with berths installed along the walls. Toilets and washrooms arecompletely inadequate; salt water only is available.
"Theventilation is almost always inadequate, and the air soon becomes foul. Theunattended vomit of the seasick, the odors of not too clean bodies, the reek offood and the awful stench of the nearby toilet rooms make the atmosphere of thesteerage such that it is a marvel that human flesh can endure it. Most immigrants lie in their berths for mostof the voyage, in a stupor caused by the foul air. The food often repelsthem. It is almost impossible to keeppersonally clean. All of these conditions are naturally aggravated by thecrowding."
In spite of themiserable conditions, the immigrants had faith in the future. To pass the time(a crossing averaged 11 days) they would sleep, play cards, sing, dance, andvisit.
To process andassist the growing numbers of immigrants, New York opened the immigrant landingdepot "Castle Garden" on the southern tip of Manhattan in 1855. This processing center was used until theopening of Ellis Island in 1890, and was the most likely place ofdisembarkation for Michael and Margaret.
Castle GardenBoarding Department’s task was to send officers to board ships in New Yorkharbor, after they had passed quarantine inspection. Its clerks ascertainedinformation, such as how many passengers were aboard the vessel, and how cleanit was. When the ship docked, a New York City constable on "Castle Gardenduty" and agents from the Landing Department transported the immigrantsand their luggage to the depot’s pier via tugboats and barges. Immigrants werethen marched into the castle for medical examinations. Passengers wereinspected for possible contagious diseases: cholera, plague, smallpox, typhoidfever, yellow fever, scarlet fever, measles, and diphtheria. Anyone found sick was put on a steamboatbound for Ward’s Island or Blackwell’s Island. Cripples, lunatics, the blind,and others who might become a public charge were only admissible under a bond. Anyone found with one of these illnesseswere ordered to return to their point of origin. If this was a child, one or both parents would have to returnwith them.
Next, theimmigrants were directed into the rotunda of Castle Garden, which was furnishedwith wooden benches. At any one time as many as 3,000 immigrants might becrowded in this area. Here the Registering Department clerks, divided intoenglish and foreign language desks, interviewed the newcomers, recording theirnames, nationalities, old residences, and destinations. Immigrants who passedtheir medical exams were now ready to take the final test from the"primary line" inspector, seated on a high stool with the ship'smanifest on a desk in front of him and an interpreter at his side.
Thisquestioning process was designed to verify the 29 items of informationcontained on the manifest. Since each "primary line" inspector hadonly about two minutes, or in many cases less than that, in which to decidewhether each immigrant was "clearly and beyond a doubt entitled toland.” But nearly all of the immigrants received curt nods of approval andwere handed landing cards. After thiswas completed, the immigrants were directed to the railroad agents to purchasetickets to their destinations.
3. WhyMinnesota
In an interviewwith Darlene Mayo, her mother Mary (Ott) Meyer had indicated to her thatMichael Ott and Margaret Ertl had disembarked in New York and made their way toMinnesota. From there they came to“Stottle Town”, or as we know today St. Lucas, Iowa (statehood 1846). One possible reason for them to make theirway to Minnesota was the ongoing campaign by the citizens of Minnesota(statehood 1858) to bring more Germans to the rich, fertile farm ground ofMinnesota. German immigrants to the USduring this period were primarily farmers, so the fit was perfect. In the 1870's, Northern Pacific RailwayCompany advertised the Minnesota region through thousands of leafletsdistributed by agents in southwestern (included Bavaria) and northeastern(included Prussia) Germany.) Once inthe US, after a usually 6 to 8 week trip from their home in Germany to the US,they landed in New York with little more than the clothes on their backs. They may have had a few personal possessionsand some money left.
For the journeyto Minnesota, immigrants were advised to travel by steamer up the Hudson Riverfrom New York Harbor to Albany. FromAlbany they could go by train to Buffalo on Lake Erie, then take a steam shipacross Lake Erie to Detroit, then take a train to New Buffalo on the other sideof Michigan, and lastly take another Great Lakes steamer to Chicago orMilwaukee. From Milwaukee they wouldtake the railroad to La Crosse, Wisconsin and get on a steamboat and head upthe river to Winona or St. Paul, Minnesota. This was a long difficult trip. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad entered the Twin Cities inthe 1880's by extending a branch up the east bank of the Mississippi from LaCrosse. This was the typical andrecommended route, but there is no way to prove that this was the exact routeMichael and Margaret took.
Other routesdid exist across Ohio, Indiana and Illinois but would take much longer, as theroads were not as we know them today, but rather upgraded Indian trails throughthe forests and grasslands. And itwould have taken a considerable amount of money to get together the horses,wagons, and other supplies necessary for the trip. The cost of a good horse, wagon and hitching supplies would havebeen about $200. The typical cost oftransportation from the east coast via the railroad and steamship was about$30.
In 1878, thestate of Minnesota published their Minnesota Pamphlet for Settlers. This pamphlet was produced for thesesettlers coming to Minnesota from the east coast. It describes the climate,mineral resources, and educational facilities of the area and provides specificinformation regarding public lands and the costs of homesteading. Additionally,it includes information regarding the railroad network in the state. It could have been this Pamphlet thatinfluenced Michael to settle in the Minnesota area. There were other German centers of immigration established in theUS at that time that he could have chosen. He did have the freedom to choosewhere he settled as he had no other family members here in the US at that time.
Otherinfluences may have been the Catholic Colonization Bureau, which wasestablished under the direction of Right Rev. Bishop Ireland, of St. Paul,Minnesota in the spring of 1876, just 7 years before Michael, and Margaretimmigrated. It afforded Catholicimmigrants seeking homes on the fertile prairies of Minnesota great facilitiesfor obtaining reliable information concerning the State, and secures themhalf-fare railroad rates from St. Paul to any of the Catholic colonies. Thecolonies were established in Swift, Nobles, and Big Stone counties. So to knowof other Germans who would be willing to help them get a new start on theirlives was a comforting thought. That’swhy these colonies became so attractive for the newcomers. I am not sure if Michael actually went toany of the colonies and bought any land, but it sure was a draw that could havebrought them to Minnesota. I don’tthink they stayed long enough in Minnesota to purchase and sell any land beforemoving on to Iowa.
4. Thenon to Iowa
There was a 3year period from 1883 to 1886 before Michael started purchasing his land nearSt. Lucas, Iowa. A map from the 1873period shows several rail lines from many parts of Minnesota to both Winneshiekand Fayette counties in Iowa. So itwouldn’t have been very hard or take very long to make the move to Iowa. They were married in St. Lucas in February1884, so they couldn’t have spent much time in Minnesota before coming to Iowa. The 1885 Iowa census records for WinneshiekCounty, Washington Township indicates that Michael Ott is a “Farm Laborer”. Itdoes not show if he owned the farm
Land recordsfrom Fayette County Iowa indicate that Michael Ott began to purchase his farmin 1886 with a 10 acre parcel he bought from John Boyer. In 1890 he bought 5 acres more from Aslakand Inger Johnson. Also in 1890 hebought 5 acres from Nicholas Wagner. In1891 he bought 5 more acres from Nicholas Wagner and 15 acres from NicholasSchones. In 1894 he purchased 40 acresfrom Frank and Rosa Blanchard. As faras I can tell this completed his land purchases for a total of 80 acres at acost of $1770.
George Ertl,Margaret’s father, also bought his farm at around the same time period. In 1887 he bought 6 acres from Lawrence andBarbara Meyers. In 1888 he purchased 15acres from John Broghammer, and in 1894 he bought 18 8/13 acres from BernardBruening. These small parcels added upto a total of a little over 40 acres at a cost of $560. His farm is located directly south of theMichael Ott farm. These properties areshown on the 1896 Plat of Auburn Township, Fayette County.
5. Ott Genealogy Challenges
Michael’sfather’s name is shown as Andrew Ott on his death certificate in FayetteCounty, Iowa. The Ott family has alwaysthought it to be Jacob. The 1925 IowaCensus records also show his father's name to be Jacob Ott. This could be the difference between hisgiven name and his Baptism name. Theywere often mistakenly used interchangeably. Unless the Ott family records can be located in Germany, we won’t beable to determine for sure what his father’s name was.
The confusingpart of the Ertl genealogy is the Ertl name itself. I have found in the various records the named spelled as Ertel,Oerthel, Ortl, Erktle, and Ertl. But Ibelieve they are all referring to the same Ertl family in St. Lucas.
Secondly is thename of George Ertl’s wife. The 1925Iowa census record for Fayette County, Auburn Township indicated her name asTheresia Beyer. The Marriage Record(1886) for their son Lorenz and Barbara (Meyer) Ertl from the Winneshiek Countyrecords shows his mother to be Theresia. Land records documenting the purchase and sale in 1887 of their sonLorenz farm near Festina, indicates George’s wife to be Rosina. The 1900 Census record also indicate hername as Rosina. On the 1895 Iowa Censusfor Fayette County, Auburn Township shows her name as Rosena. The St. Luke’s cemetery record indicatesthat George Ertl died in 1904 and Rosana Ertl died in 1906 and both are buriedthere.
Anotherinteresting tidbit is that Lorenz named one of his daughters Rosina. Also the first daughter of Michael andMargaret was name Rose (a shortened version of Rosina). It was a common practice in some Germanfamilies to name the first-born daughter after the child's mother'smother. This would lead you to believeher name to be Rosina.
Anothermystery, now solved, was the existence of a brother to Michael also to haveimmigrated after Michael. There is aJohann (Hans or John) Ott on the 1900 census records. His name appears four positions above Michael Ott’s name. That doesn’t prove a connection, but isunusual to be so close together and not related. Several members of the Ott family recall stories about abrother. In particular, Sophie (Ott)Vrzak recalled him in interviews conducted by my sister Diane. I had been in contact with a relative ofJohn Ott and she was certain that Michael and John were brothers, but like mehasn’t been able to make the connection. Her family history indicated that John came to the US (1899) after hisbrother Michael (1883), and that he settled in the St. Lucas area. It was very common for immigrants to locatewith relatives who have immigrated at an earlier date. So it would not be unusual for them to berelated in some manner, like a brother, cousin, nephew, etc.
So here is whatI have found that connects Michael and John. The Ship Manifest record for the S.S. Munchen, shows a Johann Ott andhis wife Walburga, and children Johann, Margaret, Michael, Theresa, and Josepharriving in Baltimore, Maryland on April 26, 1899 from Bremen, Germany. It shows his final destination to be St.Lucas, Iowa, and that he is joining up with his brother Michael Ott. So, based on that record I believe Michaeland Johann were indeed brothers. However, until the records are someday located in Germany, we may neverknow conclusively.
6. Michael & Margaret Ott’s Family
Michael andMargaret had 11 children. George diedat the age of 6 from cholera. All theother children married and had families of their own. Anna (Ott) Winter is the only child that relocated beyond thevicinity of St. Lucas. Her and herhusband Frank Winter moved to Minnesota. I did locate the Census records for 1920 and 1930, which placed them inLincoln County, Royal Township, Minnesota.
The cause ofdeath for Michael was listed as arterial sclerosis, nephritis and uremia. The attending physician was Dr.Freligh. Margaret died of angina pectoris.
Our family linecontinues with Baptist Ott and his wife Helena (Hackman) Ott. He bought his farm directly west of theMichael Ott farm. They had 10 children. Agnes died of whooping cough at the age ofabout 2 years. She is included on teh 1920Census record.. She was the twin to LeoOtt. Baptist, nicknamed Bob, was aveterinarian and was widely know throughout the St. Lucas area. He also owned a sawmill about mile down theroad from his farm. He worked thesawmill with Carl Baumler.
7. Final Resting Places
Baptist andHelena and their parents Michael and Margaret are buried in the St. Luke’sCatholic Cemetery in St. Lucas, Iowa. George and Rosina Ertl are also buried there.
Margaret’sbrother, Lorenz Ertl, married Barbara Meyer and moved to western Iowa (KossuthCounty) and then to Stearns County, Minnesota where he died in 1927. They were the parents of 6 children, with 5living. The 1930 Census record showsBarbara Meyer Ertl living with her son George Ertl in 1930 in Stearns County,Minnesota. She died there in 1932.