Our Grandmother, Katherine Heintz, was born in 1872.  Her granddaughter, our cousin, Carole Martin was born in 1942.

In the spring of 1951 when cousin Carole was turning nine years old, she received a letter from our Grandmother in which she shares what her life was like when she was a nine year old girl in 1882, moving to the United States.

The following is the text of the hand-written letter.

“Your Grandmother’s story of part of her early childhood.

I was born in a small village called Bosselshausen in Elsas, France.
My father had long talked about going to America, so when I was about ten years old, in March 1882 we started out. My father had sold everything except what we took along, one big trunk and two smaller ones and what we carried. A good friend who had horses (we had only oxen) took us to Zabern, the nearest railroad station about ten miles away. We were six of us, my parents, grandmother, sister and brother and myself. The men walked beside the wagon, so it was slow going.

We were gone a way when a man came running after us with a bag of $300, which my father in the excitement had forgotten, you see.  The whole village had gathered together to bid us farewell, some were shedding tears and all were talking, so it was no wonder that father had forgotten the money for the journey.  He had $2,000 in gold saved in a money belt and wore it around his body.

We arrived in Zabern in the afternoon, there we took the train to Paris. We rode all night, the next day we spent a few hours in Paris then went on a train again to Havre Seaport.  We stayed there all night and the next day we went on board the big steamship that took us across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City.

When we went on the ship we had to go along a gangway and were examined by doctors.  Some people had to be vaccinated before they went on.  I did not have to because I had seven scars on my right arm which was done in school.

Our ship had over 300 more people on board than it was supposed to have so we had to go down in the steerage, under water. I used to see fish pass along the thick glass of the port holes.

After we were settled in our steerage quarters, we were allowed to go on the upper deck until the ship started.  We kept looking on our native land which we would never see again.  It was a sad moment.  After a while it seemed as if the land was moving but it was our ship, it had started so smoothly we did not feel it at first.  We watched the land go farther and farther away until it disappeared, then there was nothing but sea and sky.  It was getting dusk so we went down to our lodgings.  It was one long room, nothing private, no curtains, along the walls were the tables fastened with benches.  Through the center were bunks to sleep in, three above each other.  I was glad they let me sleep in a lower one.

At meal times our food was brought to us, I can only remember one particular food, that was cooked prunes.

My father was a tailor and also a barber.  He used to shave two men from Switzerland, they paid him in Swiss money.  I still have some coins.

On the third day we were all sea-sick except father, he couldn’t be sick, he had to wait on us.  Oh, that was awful for about three days, then we were well again and could enjoy being part of the day on the upper deck and watch the ocean (there was a middle and a lower deck).

We had no storm but in the center of the ocean there was a strong undercurrent, it made the ship rock from side to side that it dipped water.  The sailors had all the loose utensils on deck tied on with chains, we could hear the rattlings. Everybody had to stay in and hang on tight.

Well, after eight and a half days we sighted land again, people shouted “America”, such excitement, it seemed a long time before we rode into the harbor of New York.

After leaving the ship everybody had to go to Castle Garden where we were again examined, then we were taken to a big emigrants place, we spent the night there.

Next day we came to Buffalo riding in a car that was attached to a freight train, such bumbling, we almost got sick again (car-sick). Father had his gold changed into American money and put it in the Western Savings Bank.

A cousin from Bowmansville met us with a team and spring wagon and took us to “Grosel’s” sister’s family where we stayed a few days and then moved into a small house until fall when father bought the 40 acre farm nearby.  It was just a little ways from the schoolhouse.  I went to school before the spring term was over.  I could not speak English and the teacher was an English Lady so could not understand me, but she was good to me and did her best to teach me.  Often she kept me after school and taught me different words, she made me repeat them over and over until I said them right, that way I learned fast and in a short time I caught up with the others of my age.

Last but not least, I was born on the 29th of June 1872.
Now Carole, tell me if you enjoy this story, I am not a good Author so you must excuse my style of writing. Also tell me if you think you would like to go through such an experience of travelling before you are ten years old. It really does not seem that I did all that and can remember it so well.  There are a lot of funny little details happened in between which I will tell you when I see you again, it was too much to write.

Lots of Love to all,
Grandmother