Halfway to America (eBook)

Chapter 2
The Last Spring at Home

Johannes could barely control his enthusiasm. The eighteen-year-old constantly was lost in daydreams about what the new country would hold. Stories from his older brothers in America told of hard work and some difficulties, but most letters were about a land of freedom and opportunity. Anyone could obtain plenty of farmland in the “west” for little money, build a house, and then build the life they wanted. The images in his head were a stark contrast to the conditions in western Germany, where barons and wealthy families still owned much of the land. America would be a dream come true for Johannes. Except for a few vague stories he had heard, ship disasters never crossed his mind.

Heinrich still had not fully adjusted to life without Magdalena as he went through his personal belongings that needed to be sold or given away. Many of these items brought back memories and accentuated the deep loneliness he still felt after losing his partner of so many years. The family did not have a lot of material possessions, but there were a few items that had great sentimental value to Heinrich. They would need their own dinner plates, cups, utensils, and bedding for the voyage. Heinrich also understood they must get by with as little as possible because he did not want to overburden his son who was responsible for carrying most of the luggage.

Johannes had wings on his feet when he went to the mayor’s office about ten miles east of the village to learn what official papers would be needed for their travels. He brought back the required emigration information. They would both need to be present at the mayor’s office when they submitted their paperwork. Heinrich would have no problem getting approval to leave, but Johannes would be turning eighteen years old and would be expected to make a commitment for a certain amount of military service, even if only for a year or two. There was no aggressive enforcement of the service requirements, partly because they were easy to circumvent. One could submit a variety of excuses and reasons for why a young man could not serve. Although some were honored and eager to serve their country in the military, others were glad to avoid the draft.

Johannes did not lie or make excuses. He simply wrote on his application that he was going to help his father join the rest of the family in America. His other reason: “Zwecks einer besseren existenz für die zukunft” (For a better existence in the future). The clerks in the emigration office who reviewed the papers understood exactly what he meant. Father and son submitted their papers and completed their interviews in late May 1864, and then returned to their home in Bauler after dark. Neither could sleep that night, although for completely different reasons.

In Illinois, John received a letter from Heinrich notifying him they would be making the voyage. He was thrilled. Yes! All the family will eventually be together in America. Father can have a restful life on a farm with his sons. He has given so much to us, and now we can give back. We will make him happy here. John was more excited about this plan than about anything else in his life. He hoped they would be safe on the ship and that the train from New York to Chicago would proceed without trouble. When he wrote his final letter back to his father, he did not mention the dangers of sailing because he did not want to worry him.

Johannes was uncharacteristically quiet and reflective late that July evening after receiving John’s final letter. He had always respected John, who was five years older. Although his big brother had gone to America more than a year earlier, he knew John’s steady demeanor and clear-eyed approach to life. Johannes wished he had as much wisdom and patience. He remembered how John worked so hard when he was growing up, doing a man’s work even before the time of his Catholic confirmation. John repaired tack, maintained the barn and outbuildings, and did all the work needed to support his father. As he got older, John also began doing heavy physical labor for farmers in the area. Although the other Dirkes boys left for America by the time they were twenty, John waited until he was twenty-three because the family needed him. All this made Johannes look up to his brother so much. Long after midnight, Johannes turned off his lamp and finally fell asleep.

***

For a few months, Heinrich and Johannes heard nothing from the bureau about their emigration applications. Heinrich understood that there were typically long delays in getting approvals from the government bureaucracy. Johannes was not as patient. He was ready to leave immediately. While waiting to hear some official word, questions finally came from the bureau about why Johannes needed to help his father travel to America and whether his real reason for leaving the fatherland was to avoid his military service responsibilities. He repeated that his brothers were now in America, and he needed to help his elderly father make the trip. Not long after their reply to the bureau, Heinrich and Johannes received approval to emigrate to America.

Paying for the trip had to be planned carefully because there was no room for a mistake. First, they would pay a modest amount to a neighbor to take them by horse and wagon, south to Luxembourg, about eight hours away. They would all spend the night there. Then Heinrich and Johannes would board a train on the new railroad line that would take them all the way to Antwerp. Stops would include Arlon and Namur before reaching Brussels, then on to Antwerp. Although the route was over very rough terrain, the ride was like a holiday present for Heinrich and Johannes. Even basic train accommodations were very comfortable to them. The only thing they knew about luxury was what they saw of the castles and homes of barons, or their carriages on the local roads. The trip to Antwerp not only was expensive for them, it also took stamina to travel in Europe if you were not wealthy enough to get first-class transportation. To go from their village of Bauler to Antwerp might take three days.

Both father and son were anxious to get on with their journey, feeling they were a team ready to meet whatever might come their way. Heinrich even managed to laugh about a few things with his son as they mentally mapped out the trip. Johannes never mentioned how much more confident he felt because he was traveling with a man like his father. The trip was uneventful, but seemed like forever and they didn’t get much sleep. They navigated the “large city” of Brussels as a team, one of them with plenty of enthusiasm to push through obstacles and the other with experience and knowledge to always keep the main goal in mind. The team managed quite well and enjoyed seeing things that were new and so modern. While Heinrich occasionally dozed off on the train ride, Johannes took everything in, seeing a wonderful new world with one revelation after another. Even after many hours, Johannes’s energy never flagged. For Heinrich, it felt like they had been traveling a very long time when they finally got off the train and found their way to a modest boarding house near the wharf in Antwerp. The exhausted man nearing age seventy limped across the room directly to the bed, took off his boots, and fell sound asleep. Still full of energy, Johannes hauled the luggage and their one trunk into the room and put them in a corner as he dreamed about America. He decided he would find help from a boy on the street to get the baggage to the ship, so his father could rest.

On Tuesday morning, Johannes got up well before his father. He went out to the street to breathe in the atmosphere of a big city that surely must be full of every kind of adventure. Although it was still early, a few people were milling about. The weather was perfect in Antwerp on May 30. The morning air was near 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and a breeze on his face added to his exhilaration. His outlook was as bright as the sun coming up on the horizon, and this would be a cloudless day.

Johannes saw a young man about his age struggling with a huge trunk, trying to get it into the same boarding house where he was staying. He offered to help and picked up one end. Erik Schall nodded his appreciation for the help in what was clearly a two-person job. After the trunk was safely inside the room, Erik introduced his father and sister who were traveling with him. And to Johannes’s delight, they were going to America on the William Nelson! He was glad not only because he hit it off well with Erik, who was one year younger, but also because he liked being with people. He would have someone besides his father to share the six-week voyage. Johannes’s excitement rose even higher as he talked with Erik’s sister, Thalia. At age eighteen, she had become a beautiful young woman with a calm smile, somewhat like the Mona Lisa. Quiet by nature, she had a presence about her that made people sense wisdom despite her young age. But it was her beauty that captivated Johannes. Thalia listened to Johannes talk about his home, family, and plans in America. He enthralled her, although she tried not to show it. Johannes was excited that he would be spending so much time with Erik and Thalia Schall.

The two young men walked back outside to the street, talking and laughing, sharing stories about family and observations about life while quizzing each other about ocean voyages and about America. They walked by a group of...