When we last saw Heinrich and Aganetha and family, they had just arrived in Warsaw, Poland, well on their way to a new life in the United States. Still, a cloud of uncertainty hung over the journey, since they had no passports authorizing them to cross the border from Russia to Prussia (Germany). We pick up their story ready to press on from Warsaw.
[27] At 6 o’clock in the evening therefore, a few days later, we find them again entrained from Warsaw to the Polish town of Loviech, where a mere acquaintance was to receive them and bring them to safe quarters. It might be added here that they had expected to take the boat here at Warsaw, but it happened that the Vistula was too low that summer, so that no boats plied its waters. Thus they arrived at Loviech about 11 o’clock at night. The acquaintance referred to failed to show up. So there they were, strangers in a [28] strange city and unaccustomed to city ways. What were they to do? It was late at night, and the city slept in darkness. A Pole stood nearby and was watching them. To him, father addressed himself, asking where suitable quarters could be found for the night. He was very officious and volunteered to lead them. They followed. Further and further he took them from the heart of the city through all sorts of devious ways. Mother had mistrusted the man from the start and kept urging father to let the fellow go. At first, he did not want to, but at last, also suspicious of the man’s actions, he dismissed his would-be friend from whom many a hearty oath and curse was called down upon them! But now where were they to go? Mother had noticed a light peeping from the window of a building not far away and advised going there. Arriving, they found it to be a cheap hotel. They asked for quarters, but there was no room. Finally, they were allowed to spend the remainder of the night in a barn loft where a mixed crowd of Poles and Jews were already asleep on the hay. That, indeed, was a dreary night!
They spent Sunday, August 22, in this place, and the next day in the early morn, left Loviech for Deutsch Wymysle, father’s birthplace. About three weeks were spent here in visiting friends and relatives and renewing old acquaintances. It had been fully twenty years since father had left the place, and now he was leaving, to see it no more. At the end of that period they resumed their journey. They took the train a few stations only, for they had come to the borderline between Russian Poland and Germany. They stopped off, and we may well surmise that fear and trepidation were disturbing them, for now was to follow the ticklish business of getting smuggled across this line. Beyond that line was freedom; if caught, back they would have to go, back to where they started from. Many a time father had regretted that he had not provided himself with passports, but that could not not be remedied, and the only recourse was a secret passage.
It appeared that there were a group of men who made it their regular business to smuggle people across the lines. Father soon met a member of this group, a German who for a few Rubles would undertake the job. Now, the line between the two countries at that particular point was a small, innocent-looking brook, which was perhaps three or [29] four steps wide and quite shallow. Everything was left in the hands of this guide, who at the proper moments would wake them and lead them across the small stream. So it was agreed, and in the small hours of the night, when the armed guards that were patrolling the line day and night were either asleep or drinking vodka in the tavern, they quietly crossed that stream, a crossing which meant so terribly much to them and to their future! Safely across on German soil, they could see in the early morning light these gendarmes with their shining arms marching back and forth, and doubtless secretly chagrined over the failure of their watch.
Thus, safely across on German soil, they took the train for Thoren, staying two and one-half days there to wait for Jacob Penner and his family, who were to be their traveling companions on this eventful journey. It may be appropriate to say here that these Penners located at Mountain Lake, Minnesota, joining a large Mennonite settlement there. Two sons of theirs should also be mentioned: Wilhelm and Jacob Jr. The former was the second husband of Mrs. Martens, who comes into this tale at its close, and the latter was instrumental in bringing about that chance meeting with her that culminated in father’s second marriage. This Penner now lives at New Home, North Dakota.
After the Penners had joined them, they took the train for Berlin, the capital city of Germany, arriving there early in the morning. The Nord-Deutche-Lloyd steamship company of Bremen had local offices here, and so father went to see the agent. The contract covering their passage across the seas having been closed, they waited in patience until about 11 o’clock in the forenoon, when they took the train for Bremen and arrived there about 9 o’clock p.m. On the next day, which was either the 22nd or 23rd of September, at 2 o’clock p.m., they went on board the steamship “Leipzig”—a 3,000 ton boat—for passage to America.
Their voyage was uneventful except that it was the time of the autumnal equinox with considerable stormy, foggy weather. They were on board ship a full twenty days—so long a time that it had been quite given up for lost. They were only steerage passengers (Zwischen deckers) but were treated very kindly by captain and crew. Gladly, at the [30] end of their voyage, did they sign statements expressing their satisfaction over the treatment accorded them. At last, on the 12th of October, they landed at Baltimore, Maryland. They had no medical examination to make, nor were they required to show any stated sum of money as the immigration laws of today required. Their captain was a courteous, well-meaning man and took thought of their needs even after they left the ship. He instructed his steward to provide them with food—salt herring and bread—for the great part of their journey inland. “For,” said he, “you are going into a wilderness where food of any kind is very dear.” He further instructed a man to attend them as far as Chicago to look after all their wants. Thus, with minds eased and thankful for the favors of Divine Providence that had brought them safely to these shores, they soon left Baltimore for Chicago. From Chicago they went by way of Milwaukee to Sioux City, and from there to Yankton, South Dakota, arriving there at 6 o’clock in the evening of October 15th, 1875, thankful to God that they had at last reached their long journey’s end.
They spent Sunday, August 22, in this place, and the next day in the early morn, left Loviech for Deutsch Wymysle, father’s birthplace. About three weeks were spent here in visiting friends and relatives and renewing old acquaintances. It had been fully twenty years since father had left the place, and now he was leaving, to see it no more. At the end of that period they resumed their journey. They took the train a few stations only, for they had come to the borderline between Russian Poland and Germany. They stopped off, and we may well surmise that fear and trepidation were disturbing them, for now was to follow the ticklish business of getting smuggled across this line. Beyond that line was freedom; if caught, back they would have to go, back to where they started from. Many a time father had regretted that he had not provided himself with passports, but that could not not be remedied, and the only recourse was a secret passage.
It appeared that there were a group of men who made it their regular business to smuggle people across the lines. Father soon met a member of this group, a German who for a few Rubles would undertake the job. Now, the line between the two countries at that particular point was a small, innocent-looking brook, which was perhaps three or [29] four steps wide and quite shallow. Everything was left in the hands of this guide, who at the proper moments would wake them and lead them across the small stream. So it was agreed, and in the small hours of the night, when the armed guards that were patrolling the line day and night were either asleep or drinking vodka in the tavern, they quietly crossed that stream, a crossing which meant so terribly much to them and to their future! Safely across on German soil, they could see in the early morning light these gendarmes with their shining arms marching back and forth, and doubtless secretly chagrined over the failure of their watch.
Thus, safely across on German soil, they took the train for Thoren, staying two and one-half days there to wait for Jacob Penner and his family, who were to be their traveling companions on this eventful journey. It may be appropriate to say here that these Penners located at Mountain Lake, Minnesota, joining a large Mennonite settlement there. Two sons of theirs should also be mentioned: Wilhelm and Jacob Jr. The former was the second husband of Mrs. Martens, who comes into this tale at its close, and the latter was instrumental in bringing about that chance meeting with her that culminated in father’s second marriage. This Penner now lives at New Home, North Dakota.
After the Penners had joined them, they took the train for Berlin, the capital city of Germany, arriving there early in the morning. The Nord-Deutche-Lloyd steamship company of Bremen had local offices here, and so father went to see the agent. The contract covering their passage across the seas having been closed, they waited in patience until about 11 o’clock in the forenoon, when they took the train for Bremen and arrived there about 9 o’clock p.m. On the next day, which was either the 22nd or 23rd of September, at 2 o’clock p.m., they went on board the steamship “Leipzig”—a 3,000 ton boat—for passage to America.
Their voyage was uneventful except that it was the time of the autumnal equinox with considerable stormy, foggy weather. They were on board ship a full twenty days—so long a time that it had been quite given up for lost. They were only steerage passengers (Zwischen deckers) but were treated very kindly by captain and crew. Gladly, at the [30] end of their voyage, did they sign statements expressing their satisfaction over the treatment accorded them. At last, on the 12th of October, they landed at Baltimore, Maryland. They had no medical examination to make, nor were they required to show any stated sum of money as the immigration laws of today required. Their captain was a courteous, well-meaning man and took thought of their needs even after they left the ship. He instructed his steward to provide them with food—salt herring and bread—for the great part of their journey inland. “For,” said he, “you are going into a wilderness where food of any kind is very dear.” He further instructed a man to attend them as far as Chicago to look after all their wants. Thus, with minds eased and thankful for the favors of Divine Providence that had brought them safely to these shores, they soon left Baltimore for Chicago. From Chicago they went by way of Milwaukee to Sioux City, and from there to Yankton, South Dakota, arriving there at 6 o’clock in the evening of October 15th, 1875, thankful to God that they had at last reached their long journey’s end.
1. The Polish town Loviech cannot be identified or located on any map known to me. The most we can deduce is that the town was presumably on the Vistula River, since the family had hoped to take a boat to it, and that it was located somewhere between Warsaw and Deutsch Wymysle. That it was a five-hour train ride from Warsaw does not tell us a great deal, since we do not know how fast the train traveled or how many stops it had between Warsaw and Loviech.
2. Deutsch Wymysle is well known to us as Heinrich’s former home and as a Mennonite community where many other Bullers lived during the first half of the nineteenth century. The small village (the middle arrow below) was on the south side of the Vistula approximately 50 miles west-northwest of Warsaw (arrow on the right).
3. The border between Russia (technically, Congress Poland, which was part of the Russian Empire) and Prussia (which was part of the German Empire that existed 1871–1918) is the blue line in the map above. We cannot say where exactly the family crossed the border, but presumably it was not far south of where the Vistula River intersected the border.
4. The family’s next stop was Thoren, or Thorn, modern Torun (the left arrow in the map above). I suspect that the family disembarked from the train at the last stop in Russia, made their nighttime dash across the border, and then got on the same rail line on the Prussian side of the border for their trip to Torun.
5. Jacob Penner (GM 56904) was another Deutsch Wymysle native who had moved to Crimea. Why the Penners and Bullers did not travel together on the first leg of their common journey is unknown, but perhaps it seemed best to travel individually until everyone was out of Russia, so as not to attract too much attention.
6. From Torun the parties had a direct route to Berlin on the Prussian Eastern Railway. The distance between the two is approximately 220 miles as the crow flies. In the map below, the arrow on the right marks Torun; that on the left points to Berlin.
The trip from Berlin to Bremen would have gone through Hanover; this last leg of the European part of the journey was another 190 miles.
7. As one can see in the map immediately above, Bremen is not a port city, but our story recounts that the family sought to book passage on the “Nord-Deutche-Lloyd steamship company of Bremen.” In fact, according to the Norway-Heritage website discussion of Norddeutscher Lloyd steamers (here), “Passengers were conveyed by special train the short run from Bremen [lower left arrow] to the docks at Bremerhaven [upper left arrow]. The railway-station was but a few steps from the pier, and passengers walked on board the tender, while the Company’s porters were shipping the baggage. The steamers waited not far off the mouth of the river.”
8. The S.S. Leipzig was indeed a ship of the Norddeutscher Lloyd line (see here); it was built in 1869 and measured 269 feet stem to stern. The Bullers and Penners traveled steerage, which is known as “Zwischendeck” in German. As noted previously (here), steerage was the cheapest class offered by ships.
According to one source (here), the Leipzig traveled at an average rate of 10 knots, which is 11.5 miles per hour. The trip across the Atlantic to Baltimore, where they landed, would take about sixteen days at this pace. The fact that the October 1875 trip took twenty days explains why those waiting for it to arrive worried that the ship was lost.
9. The last leg of the journey, nearly 1,200 miles, took three days by train, from Baltimore to Chicago to Milwaukee to Sioux City to Yankton—precisely where Daniel Unruh has landed a year earlier. The fact that they went straight to Yankton, rather than Mountain Lake, Minnesota, or some Mennonite community in Nebraska or Kansas, was no accident. Heinrich and Aganetha had followed Unruh’s route exactly, just as he had intended them to do. In fact, like Unruh, they settled in Turner County, although in Brotherfield Township, whereas Unruh had made his home in Childstown Township (see the map here).
The Life Story of Heinrich Buller and His Wife Agnetha Duerksen Buller goes on to recount the family’s early years in South Dakota, but we will take our leave at this point. We may return to the rest of the story at some point in the future, but for now I think Franztal in Molotschna beckons for our attention.
Work Cited
Buller, William B. 1915. Life Story of Heinrich Buller and His Wife Agnetha Duerksen Buller. Parker, SD: privately printed.
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