Sunday, September 17, 2017

Coming to America: Shipwreck!

Climbing My Family Tree: SHIP IN THE STORMY SEA, by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1887  (public domain)
 SHIP IN THE STORMY SEA, by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1887
 in the public domain
This is more of a community history post than a profile post, but my ancestors were part of that community, and it is a wonderful story. They are not name-players in this story, and I will later do separate posts on each of them, but a surviving partial passenger list for the James Beacham/Famous Dove includes my fourth great-grandfather, Johan Adam Essinger, and information received from a new cousin may place some of my Schneiders on this trip. I am posting the story now, so that my family (and maternal side cousins), the descendants of the shipwreck survivors, may recognize and honor the importance of September 17 in the fact that we exist.

My ancestors came from the southern part of Germany, in the Grand Duchy of Hesse Darmstadt. They lived in small villages in the wooded hills of the Odenwald, just east of the Rhine River. The Essingers came from Reichenbach and the Schneiders came from the Gadernheim; others on this journey also came those villages and from the villages of Lautern and Raidelbach. They all attended a small Lutheran Church on a hill in the village of Reichenbach. Most of the members of the church were farmers, some were smiths, and at least one owned and operated the local mill.


Detail of the portion of Hesse that was once Hesse-Darmstadt,
and home to those who emigrated to NW Ohio on the Famous Dove
Used with permission of R.M. (Click to make bigger)

First, a little bit about the history of Hesse-Darmstadt to understand the home of the people who eventually left it to move to northwestern Ohio.  In 1806, with the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, Hesse-Darmstadt became part of Napoleon’s Confederation of the Rhine and became a Grand Duchy (had been a Landgraviate, a German principality headed by a Landgrave). Hesse-Darmstadt troops served with the French from 1806-1813, and then Hesse-Darmstadt joined the allies in 1813 and fought on the side of the Coalition against France, succeeding in pushing France out of Germany in 1814. Between 1813 and 1815 citizens and laborers supported the wars of liberation against the Napoleonic foreign rule, giving rise to a new German patriotism. On 30 May 1814, the Treaty of Paris declared the German States independent. Hesse-Darmstadt entered the German Confederation in 1815.

In the aftermath of nearly a decade of war, Hesse-Darmstadt’s economy was bad, inflation was high, and the Grand Duke had imposed high taxes to fund the rebuild of the country. Additionally, forced military service required that once a boy was 16, he had to serve three years in the service. All of these conditions caused the small farmers and craftsmen to look to emigrating from Germany. Emigrating to America was a popular choice because Germans who had already gone to America were writing letters home telling of the contrast in land values between Germany and America. America was painted as a bounteous land of opportunity while in Germany the cost of land was disproportionately high, making it difficult for the small farmer to acquire enough land to feed his family, let alone to pass down land to his sons in amounts that would allow each to survive. Ironically, that same issue made it easier for the small farmer to sell his farm in Hesse at a price that would enable him and his family to cross the sea to America and buy a larger farm which could support his family.

Used with permission of R.M.
(Click to make bigger)

In the Odenwald, in Hesse-Darmstadt, two men decided to organize a group of friends and neighbors to travel to America. One was Johan Tracht; the other was Johan Peter Arras. Between the two groups, there were at least 150 friends and neighbors leaving for a new life in America in 1831.  It must have been a difficult decision to leave. Most Germans in that time period, unless they had fought with the army, had never been further from home than the nearest village.  Those deciding to emigrate with Tracht and Arras knew that they were unlikely to see anyone they were leaving behind ever again. Moreover, not only were they leaving their homes, they had to leave behind or sell many of their possessions to move to this new unknown land. The first leg of their trip took them through Darmstadt and Kassel to Bremen, approximately 300 miles away. They arrived at Bremen sometime in July, and on July 29 they went to Bremen’s seaport. On July 31, 1831, they loaded their possessions onto two ships. One of these ships was the British ship, the James Beacham, sailing for Baltimore. The other ship was a Dutch ship which was sailing to New York. As the English ship was newer, everyone wanted to board it. The partial passenger list surviving shows that the Essingers managed to make it onto this ship. The James Beacham has been described as 118 feet long, 28 feet wide, and 20 feet high, with two masts and 24 sails. It was large enough to carry 7800 tons of cargo. I don’t have a description of the older ship or even its name.

At this time, when immigrants reserved passage on a ship, it was understood that they had to provide their own food for the entire trip. The history of the Trinity Lutheran Church, by Jon Rossman, includes an excerpt from a letter written by Johan Peter Arras that tells what some of these provisions were: “we needed potatoes, beans, peas, barley, rice, white flour, tea, sugar, coffee, the herring are very good, eggs, cheese, sausage, vinegar, wine, white and dark Zweiback, the white is tastier than the dark. We could take bread for 15 days also meat for 14 days, you salted some, or else it would sour and could not be eaten. The water was terrible. Pork kept better, it would not sour as fast.” They left port on August 1, 1831. The captain of the ship had told them that it this trip would take 32 days. During the course of the trip, the immigrants renamed the ship, the “Famous Dove” as a symbol of their hope and freedom.

However, there were some problems on the trip: they did not have any wind for 12 days and there were also a few days when the wind blew in the wrong direction; they were also hit by a couple of storms at sea. It also became apparent that the captain was inexperienced and often drunk. Also while they were at sea, two of the families lost a child (not my families). However, that wasn’t the worst part of the trip.
  
On their last day at sea, September 16, 1831, a strong gale came up near America and they were blown off course, losing both the mast and the rudder, and waves were washing the decks.  Off the coast of Virginia, east of Norfolk, just south of Cape Henry, the ship hit a sandbar which tore a large hole in the bottom of the ship. The ship quickly filled up with water. When the captain realized what was happening he ordered his crew to launch a lifeboat so they could escape, without the passengers. When the immigrants realized what was going on, one of the leaders, Johan Tracht, took seven guns he had brought to hunt with out of his trunk and armed himself and six other men. He gave orders to shoot anyone who attempted to abandon ship and thus persuaded the crew to stay aboard. Subsequently, in order to stop the ship from being tossed about by the storm, the brother of the other leader, Arras, ordered the men to cut down the mast so that the wind would not be able to catch in the sails and bounce the ship about on the waves. This helped, but the storm continued and the ship was quickly filling up with water and appeared that it would sink within a few hours. The people were afraid. The story then says that the 13-year-old Margaret Arras reminded the people of how Jesus quieted the waters of the sea of Galilee and saved his disciples; she said he would save them also. One of the sailors wanted to slap her for talking foolishly, but then she started to sing a hymn. All of the immigrants joined her in the singing and praying, and even some of the sailors. They vowed, “if we are saved, the 17th of each September shall be kept as a holy day by us and by our descendants, even unto the third and fourth generation.”

Climbing My Family Tree: Map of the coastline of Virginia, focusing on the Cape Henry area
Map of the coastline of Virginia, focusing on the Cape Henry area
(Click to make bigger)


When morning came,  the storm had stopped and when they looked out towards the West they discovered that they were only 100 yards from land, and people had gathered on land to help rescue them, including a number of the first black people they had ever seen. Lines were run to the wrecked ship and the opposite end fastened to trees on the shoreline, and the immigrants then made the trip to shore in small boats pulled along the cables. Families left the ship first and then the single men. Even though all of the people were saved, many of them lost some or all their possessions.  When they were all safe on shore, they gathered and thanked God for saving them from the storm.  I found the wreck reported in papers as far away as Washington DC and Yorkshire, England.

Climbing My Family Tree: The James Beacham Shipwreck,   as reported in The Washington National Intelligencer
The James Beacham Shipwreck, 16 Sep 1831,
as reported in The Washington National Intelligencer 23 Sep 1831 p3
Click to make bigger

Climbing My Family Tree: The James Beachem Shipwreck,  as reported in The Hull Packet and Humber Mercury (East Riding of Yorkshire, England),
The James Beachem Shipwreck 10 Sept 1931,
as reported in The Hull Packet and Humber Mercury (East Riding of Yorkshire, England), 18 Oct 1931, p 3
Found in British Newspaper Archive website
Click to make bigger


They initially set up camp in the Norfolk area as they needed some time to recover and plan. They still had a long way to go before they reach their planned new home in Ohio. They stayed in Norfolk until September 21, then they went to New York by boat and arrived on September 22. They stayed in New York one day and left for Baltimore on a steamship at on the 23rd. At that point, since they had lost many of their possessions, the people split up and decided that each family would have to earn its own way to Ohio. For a while, a number of the families settled in Maryland and in Washington County, PA, to earn the money to continue their journey. They were moving to undeveloped frontier lands so they would have to bring everything that they thought they would need to survive.  The first settlers from the Famous Dove arrived in Hancock County, Ohio, in 1834; It took approximately seven years for all of the families, except two, to arrive. 

The other ship carrying the rest of the community, being older, traveled more slowly, and missed being caught in the gale. It arrived at its port intact, with its passengers and cargo safe.

Oh, and that vow that was made on the sinking ship off the coast of Virginia? It has been kept by two congregations in Hancock County,  well beyond the promised third and fourth generations: Trinity Lutheran Church in Jenera, and St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran, in Van Buren Township, both of which were founded by some of the families from the Famous Dove. The first recorded shipwreck service was held on September 17, 1836. The 186th Shipwreck service will be held this Sunday, September 17, 2017, at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church. And, to my family, now that you know about it, you can add your own thanksgivings this Sunday, if you so wish, since, if they had drowned you wouldn’t be here!

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http://en.geschichte-abitur.de/restoration-and-vormarz/napoleons-supremacy; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hesse;  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation_of_the_Rhine; “GERMANY AND THE EMIGRATION 1816-1885” by Mack Walker (1964, by the President and Fellows of Harvard College}, http://www.mrhalliday.com/gbhalliday/Genealogywebpg/Hommerding/GermanyEmigration1816-1885%20.pdf; “Schiffbruchsgottesdienst Trinity Lutheran Church, Jenera, Ohio: the church with a 152 year vow” by Jon Rossman (1983), http://essays.wls.wels.net/bitstream/handle/123456789/4036/RossmanTrinityJeneraOH.pdf?sequence=1; “Historic Hancock County, an illustrated history” by Paulette Weiser (2007, a publication of the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, historical publishing network, San Antonio Texas); Shipwreck Festival, http://www.stpaulevlutheran.org/about-us/shipwreck; http://www.stpaulevlutheran.org/; “My Genealogy Home Page: Information about Nicholas Price”, http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/b/o/w/Brian-E-Bowers-VA/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0052.html; Neuendetteslau Nostalgia, http://www.stjohnsmarysville.org/story; Lutheran Forum, “Lutherans in Peril on the Sea”, https://www.lutheranforum.com/blog/2017/8/3/lutherans-in-peril-on-the-sea; German History in Hancock County, http://downtownfindlay.com/about/oktoberfest/about-oktoberfest/

34 comments:

  1. It must have been a frightening night for everyone on that ship, Jo, but it makes for a lovely story today.

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    1. I would have been purely terrified (and sick -- I get seasick on a rocking chair, lol). But I loved the story, and the enduring gratefulness shown by the community. I'm hoping, after I retire, to be able to take a trip to Ohio and maybe time it so I can go to one of the Shipwreck Services if they are still being done then.

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    2. My 3rd and 4th grandfathers were in that ship group! :)

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  2. I was doing a google search on the Dove and came across this site. To answer your question about whether the Shipwreck Services are still being held..... YES! Every year, very faithfully. I am a descendent of passengers on the Dove and still live near Jenera and Arlington, OH (St. Paul’s Lutheran Church is in Jenera and Good Hope Lutheran Church is in Arlington). There are many, many families of decendents of the shipwreck that attend those Churches and take celebrating it VERY seriously to this day.

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    1. Wow! That’s very cool. Thanks so much for stopping by to read, and for taking the moment to let me know the services are still going on. It’s so good to know that the gratitude still continues. It’s inspiring.

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    2. Technically, St. Paul's is in VanBuren Twp., Trinity is in Jenera, and Good Hope is in Arlington village. R. Musgrave


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  3. Another Famous Dove Descendant! I am the fourth generation descendant, of one of the youngest survivors of the ship wreck. My great great grandmother, Elisabeta Katarina Marquardt, was 23.5 months old when the ship wrecked. She was traveling with her parents Johann Jakob Marquardt and Anna Eva Kaffenberger. Also with them were her mother's parents- Johannes Kaffenberger and Anna Margaretha Arras and daughters Margaretha Elisabeta, Anna Katharina, and Elisabeta Katharina. All are on the surviving ship's manifest. My hope is to come to the Shipwreck Thanksgiving, I live out west. Meanwhile I celebrate this where I am, with all seven children and 12 grandchildren.

    Very little of the story was known in my family, other than a ship load of relatives left Germany at the same ti e to avoid their sons being conscripted. Thanks for sharing your research.

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    1. Hi Donna,

      I apologize for the late response. Blogger (the blogging site host) has not been consistent about informing me of comments on older posts recently, and just today told me I had 6 comments awaiting moderation from the last 6 months. It's aggravating. I would have responded sooner ha I known you commented. Especially as I think we might be distantly related. I have an Anna Elizabetha Kaffeberger or Caffeberger in my tree. She married Heinrich Essinger on 15 September 1791, and had four sons that I know of. Johann Nicolaus (1792=1865); Johann Adam Essinger (1796-1840); Johann Peter (1799-1866); and, Johannes (1804-1866). Her sons Nicolaus (1792 - 1865) and Adam (1796-1840) came over on the Lonesome dove.Adam is my 4th great grandfather.

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    2. Sorry so late in my response. I do have Essingers on this side of the pond. Henry Essinger married Suzanne Catherine Bame in Honcock County, Ohio. She was the grandaughter of Johannes Boehm and Anna Katharina Kaffenberger. Anna Katharina is sister to Anna Eva Kaffenberger, My great great great grandmother.

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  4. I came to Janera last year for the CRAWL 500 celebration, and thought the Heldman name sounded familiar. My family includes a Heldman- Ross marriage in Darmstadt. And Great-grandfather J.Adam Ross came to America in the mid 1800's, and sent for his family when he lived in Marion OH. My Grandfather, Philander George Ross, was born in Upper Sandusky in 1884; Dad and I in Galion. I am trying to trace back to see if there is a connection; I will encourage my cousins to make a field trip to Janera next year. A Trustee of North Salem Lutheran Church, Wyandot County, witnessed us excitedly visiting the cemetery and offered to let us into the Church last spring. Betsy Ross.

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    1. Good luck with your search, It would be a fascinating story to pass down. Even if you don't find a connection, I hope you find your own fascinating stories to tell. Thanks for stopping by and reading. I thought I answered this in November, but just found out that none of my replies to comments that day worked. I hope this can still reach you.

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  5. Thanks for this page. Johan Tracht is one of my relatives. I have my family tree, which goes back about a thousand years, and he is one of the highlights. I went back to Ohio in 2007 and found his original homestead property. All of my family eventually ended up in and around Plymouth and we still tell the story of the Famous Dove and the Old Soldier.

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    1. That's fascinating! Thanks for stopping by to read my post. I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner. Blogger didn't tell me you'd posted.

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  6. Hello!
    Thank you for the wonderful history lesson!! I have just learned that my great great great grandfather, Johan Adam Dielman/Dillman, was on the James Beachum as a 2 year old. Where could I find a roster if available??
    Laura Avery Drapcho

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    1. Hi Laura, I'm sorry for such a late response. I just found out tonight that Blogger didn't tell me about a year's worth of comments and I'm trying to play catch up now. I'll check this weekend and get back to you on that. I think that info was on my old laptop so I have to dig out the back up hard drive. Thanks for stopping by to read.

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  7. Johann Adam is also my fourth generation grandfather. He was the first person buried in the Saint Paul Cemetery.

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    1. Wow! Hi, cousin! Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. I'm sorry I didn't see this before. I just discovered tonight that Blogger hasn't informed me of about a year's worth of comments and I'm trying to catch up.

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    2. He was my 4th great grandfather too! :)

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  8. Thanks for this interesting story! I am an Arras descendant. My family settled in south central PA just over the line from Washington County MD.

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    1. That is really interesting. You must be down from one of the two families that decided not to go on to Ohio. Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. Hello! Johann Adam Tracht was my 3rd Great-grandfather. I'm still trying to find out where he was buried and learned from our interim pastor this evening (who retired from St. Paul in Jenera, OH) that he was probably buried in St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery. Thanks for writing about this! I hope to visit and find his grave. Greta.

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  10. Hello, This may post twice as my other comment disappeared. Johann Adam Tracht was my 3rd Great-grandfather. I am trying to find out where he was buried and learned from our interim pastor this evening (he retired from St. Paul in Jenera where my grandfather also pastored) that Adam is probably buried in St. Paul Cemetery near Jenera. I hope to visit there soon and find his grave. Best, Greta

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    1. I’m sorry for the confusion. The first comment ( and then this one) disappeared because I had to turn on moderation on all Posts older that a couple weeks to avoid the comment section being flooded with Spam. Both your comments are here now. I hope you were able to find his grave. Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. Thank you so much for your beautiful telling of this story!! I am a descendent of two of the passengers - my 3rd great-grandparents are Johann Jakob Leeak and his wife Eva Giessman Leeak (at the time the last name was spelled Lick). I hope someday I can visit the festival.
    Laura DeWeese

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    1. You’re welcome! 😊 It was such a beautiful story I just had to tell it, so it wouldn’t die out again. No one in my family knew it, but now they can tell their children and grandchildren. I hope you can visit the memorial service festival too. That would be so cool!

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    2. Do you know when the next event will be?

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    3. I'm sorry. I don't know. You might try contacting the churches that hold it: Trinity Lutheran Church and St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran, in Jenera OH.

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  12. My 3rd and 4th great grandfathers were in that ship group! :)

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    1. Wow! Two generations -- it's fun to know the story of how our people made it here, isn't it. Glad you stopped by!

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  13. I believe my great grandfather was on that ship. His last name is Wilch. How do I find a copy of the passenger list?

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  14. Sept.19th I believe this is the 200th Anniversary of the ship wreck. All 3 churches are celebrating the event. I'm a descendent of Margaretha Arras, the 13 year old girl who led them in prayer and song.

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  15. I misspoke, in 10 years it will be the 200yh anniversary.

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  16. An interesting book, "History and Genealogy of the Wagner-Waggoner-Wagoner Family published in 1941 and re-printed in 1978 In Indiana, has some history that intersects some shipwreck history. Bame/Essinger/Goetzinger/Wagner, etc. Some good background on Alsace-Lorraine and Farming in Germany and Early America (Hancock County, Ohio)

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  17. Is there any way to share photos? I have some from the most recent Shipwreck celebration.
    My husband, pastor at Good Hope in Arlington, led the service.

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Hello! Thanks for stopping by and choosing to leave a message. I read every message and I usually reply via the comment thread. [I recently discovered that I've been having technical difficulties with receiving notification of comments for the last year (2019 through Jan 2020). I think I've fixed that now. I hope. My apologies if you were caught up in that. I think I"ve caught up with, and replied to, all the comments now. EDIT: I continue to have problems. I will respond as soon as I find out there's been a comment.]