Coming to America

Fifteen years (1879) would go by before their next sibling, Max (31),  and his wife, Katharine Krom, came. Just a year later, in 188o,  Theresia Ziztelberger (41), her husband, Mathias, and their five children arrived.

Why would it take so long for others to making the crossing?  Franz and Peter quickly established themselves as prosperous farmers.  By 1870, after just 3 years in the Dakota Territory, Peter owned nearly 700 acres.  Had the German economy suddenly declined in the late 1870s? 

The 1886 Journey to Germany

In  June 1885, Peter applied for his U.S. passport, requesting that it be routed to Oelrichs & Co. of Bowling Green at their New York offices.  He sailed in 1886 and returned with his niece,  20 year-old Anna (Nipp).  Her mother was Peter’s sister, Anna (nm), who would remain in Germany for another decade.

In 1886, Peter’s brother, John, married Maria Weinzril in 1886 in Germany.  Perhaps the wedding and escorting his niece  to Yankton were the reasons for the trip?  John and Maria would come over the following year in 1887.

At least two articles in the Yankton papers mention the 1886 trip. The February 13, 1886 edition of The Press and Daily Dakotaian, states:

Peter Huber, of Yankton, who is visiting in Germany, has been so seriously sick that his friends were getting anxious about him, but their fears were today dispelled by a cablegram from him to Charles Wallbaum which reads: “I am getting better, but am still too weak to make the trip home.”

Perhaps a virus hit Pirking. Peter’s father, Michael (m. Leingartner) died in Germany just days after Peter and his niece set sail for America.

On April 28, the same paper reported: 

Peter Huber, his sisters and his brothers and several other relatives, reached Yankton last evening, in a special car, from Germany. Mr. H. will remain in Yankton county and the persons accompanying him will become permanent residents.

Unfortunately, we have not discovered the others who came to Yankton. As you can see in the right hand column, none of his siblings immigrated in 1886. 

We looked to see if the Reisingers or Leingarters suddenly showed up in Yankton but no luck. As far as we know, neither family ever came to the US. There are so many possibilities. Maybe he accompanied cousins? (Both of his parents had siblings.) Perhaps the people who came over decided not to stay? 

Four years later in 1890, Anna’s 14 year old sister, Theresa (Drotzman), to America apparently made the voyage by herself. We can’t find any of her relatives on her ship.

Anna (Nipp) and Theresa (Drotzman) welcomed their mother, Anna (nm), to America in 1896. Anna was the last of the Huber siblings to cross the Atlantic. On the ship’s manifest, the 53 year old is listed as a widow. (It was not unusual for people to have children out of wedlock. For example, Michael and Ann Leingartner were married after the birth of Josef, their fourth child. Apparently, you had to prove to the authorities that you could support a family before you tied the knot.)

Several people have told us that a German royal was the father of Anna’s (nm) children. By the time she made the crossing, her mother, Ann Leingartner, had been dead for two years. Perhaps she had taken care of her mother in her final years? Maybe the German royal had also died?

The Logistics of the Journey

With the exception of Franz and Peter who came through the port at Hamburg in the 1860’s and Theresa (Drotzman) in 1890, the other Hubers appear to have come through Bremen. The journey through Bremen was via Liverpool or South Hampton. In the 1860’s the voyage took an average of 9 days, by 1886 it was only 7 days and by 1895 it was down to an average of 5 days.

In 1891, a third class ticket cost $24, almost $700 today. Most likely, they took steerage, which was less costly. While the third class ticket included the train ride from the port in New York to your final destination, it did not cover basic necessities such as blankets or eating utensils. Makes you wonder just how much worse steerage could be.

As discussed previously, it appears that 14 year-old Theresa (Drotzman) made the 6,000 mile journey alone. Inconsistent records leave a great deal of room for error. However, Theresa has 1890 as her arrival date on her census records for 1900, 1910 and 1930.

On the Huddersfield’s manifest we find a Theresa Huber from Pirking with a destination of Sioux City. Listed as a “fraulien,” her age is given as 16 – two years older than other records show. Out of the nearly 60 people on the ship, there are also two other teenage girls who appear to be traveling alone – one is 18 and other is 15. None of the three girls shared a final destination.

Since the pier at Hamburg was 500 miles from Pirking, Theresa probably went by wagon to Passau and then rode the train to Hamburg. The 4,000 mile sea crossing was followed by a 1,500 mile train ride.

Immigration Continues

Fourteen years later,  it seems fitting that Theresa and her husband, John Drotzman, would welcome ten year old Fred Reitberger to their home. Fred, the grandson of Peter’s brother Michael, had lost both of his parents. His father, Fred, died in 1900. His mother, Lena Huber, died in 1902. His sisters, 4 year-old Theresa and  2 year-old Lena, remained in Germany. Years later, his sister, Theresa moved to Yankton.

Fred, who took the Drotzman name, would live until he was 97. He left behind 7 children and numerous grandchildren. When he was an old man, he would be interviewed about his part in building the St. Agnes Church ( AKA – “The church in the middle of the road”).  He hauled gravel from the Drotzman farm to the church. In recounting his part in the building of the church, he makes it clear that he considered Theresa and John to be his parents. 

After fighting for Germany in WW I, another Huber made it to America. Josef was the son of Peter’s brother, Michael.By this time, John Huber (m. Weinziril) was an established farmer in South Dakota. John sponsored Josef’s immigration. After a few years working for John on his farm west of Herreid, Josef moved to Wisconsin where he eventually founded The Huber Brewing Company.