William Gottlieb Schauffler’s journey to the U.S. was a long one. Born in 1798 in Stuttgart, in the Kingdom of Wurttemberg, in the southeastern corner of what is now Germany. He wrote that “My parents were not at all wealthy and when, in consequence of the constant wars which had shaken Europe ever since the great French Revolution in 1789, ... Read More »
I remember my father telling me about the long yet interesting stories of his travels to the US. One night my parents came in to talk to me, their expressions looked happy and excited. I was curious to hear what they had to say to me. My mother’s voice was soft as she was breaking the news that they were ... Read More »
It was the year 1995; I was 27, young and hungry for adventure. I had graduated from college the year prior, and was living with my best friend and his sister in the town of Braunschweig, Germany. I spent my days either working, or playing field hockey. I’d been playing field hockey since I was 12 years old, and I ... Read More »
Bombs falling from the sky, the walls and ceiling of the bunker shudder and rain dust onto the cowering citizens that line the floor. My grandmother is one of these people, bundled in a mass of shawls and elbows of her mother. For privacy reasons, my grandmother will be known as Jane for this retelling. Jane, my grandmother on my ... Read More »
My name is Zhang Min (name changed for anonymity), I can go by Lisa and throughout my whole life I valued one thing: Happiness. Coming to the U.S. was a long ride that was worth every step of the way, I dreamt of leaving my family because I didn’t feel loved by them. In the early days of 1968 my ... Read More »
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “America is another name for opportunity”. My grandmother, Marianne Kramer, believed this as well. She is a strong woman who came to America for the purpose of opportunity. She was the first person in my entire family to come to America and make a living here. Life for Marianne in Bremen, Germany was pleasant, she ... Read More »
Evelyn Loeb Beilenson immigrated to the United States in 1941 during World War II. She came on a ship from Lisbon, Portugal as a three-year-old to New York City, but her family was originally from Mutterstadt, a small agricultural town in the Rhineland-Palatinate region in Southwest Germany. ... Read More »
It was a cold winter day, and I woke to the warming rays of the sun shining down through a small skylight, and the clinking of plates as my mother prepared breakfast. Wrapping the blankets tightly around myself, I struggled to leave the warm embrace of my bed. As I finally pulled myself away from my bed, I looked over ... Read More »
During the Holocaust many Jewish families in Germany tried to escaped in order to survive. Others were hidden by brave Germans. Andreas’ mother was Jewish and was hidden and kept safe in a monastery. Eventually she married a Gentile and had two sons with him. She decided to raise both sons as Protestants to provide them with more security. The ... Read More »
The land was covered in green grassy hills, big farms, and livestock that would be perched on the hills, where the grass was more luscious and bountiful — It was fall of 1852 in Bubenheim, Johann and his three brothers worked the farm. For 31 years Johann was born and raised in their family farm in Germany. Johann Georg was ... Read More »