Immigrants

ANCESTORS FROM THE MOTHER-LAND

Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia (now Germany)

Hinrich Kuhr/Catherine Bohrnsen

Henry Mumm/Katharina Kuhr Peter Henningsen/Wolver Eggers

Lyle Replogle, July 2009

IN THE BEGINNING

I have always had an interest in my mother’s relatives. This might be a result of the fact that I was the second oldest of the fourth generation residing in the United States. I did spend a considerable amount of time with the Mumms’ in the summertime’s of my youth. As a result, I probably had more exposure to relatives in the Yutan, Nebraska area.

According to U.S. census reports and records of the Hollst cemetery southwest of Yutan, Nebraska, we can determine the following regarding the immigration of our descendants into the United States. There is very little documented information. Some written information does exist regarding Henry Mumm as well as some regarding his niece Anna Mumm. Some of this on the internet at: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/county/saunders/1983hist/famnames.html

The only other information is the U.S. census reports and from records of the Hollst Cemetery southwest of Yutan.

Henry Mumm was the first descendant to immigrate to the United States in 1867 at the age of 25. He apparently was without any other family in the United States. After working on ships in the Great Lakes and on the laying of railroad tracks in Wyoming he traveled to Yutan, Nebraska.

In 1872, Heinrich Kuhr, his wife Catharine Borhnsen Kuhr, along with their son Henry and daughter Katherine, immigrated to the United States. Typically, immigrants were generally younger, however Heinrich Kuhr was 55, and his wife Catharine was 53 when they arrived in the United States. Son Henry was 21 and daughter Katharine was 18.

Finally, in 1881 Peter Henningsen came to the United States at the age of 27, and Wolver Eggers immigrated in the same year at the age of 29. No documentation exists that would indicate that either of them were accompanied by parents to the United States.

Henry Mumm and Katharine Kuhr were married at Yutan, Nebraska in 1872. This union resulted in the birth of five children. Henry Mumm, Jr. was born December 25, 1874 followed by, John, Anna, Catharina(Tena) and Rosa.

Peter Henningsen and Wolver Eggers were married at Yutan, Nebraska in 1878. This union resulted in the birth of five children. Anna Christina Henningsen was born January 17, 1882 followed by Effie, John, Henry and Emma.

Henry Mumm, Jr. and Anna Christiana Henningsen were married at Yutan, Nebraska. This union resulted in the birth of twelve children. Lillian Mumm was born on April 26, 1909.

Lillian Mumm and Clarence Replogle are my parents. I was born in my grandparents farm house two and one-half miles west and one quarter mile south of Yutan, Nebraska.

SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN

I had acquired this map to record a business trip to Denmark I made in the mid 80's. This map gives some perspective as to the location of Hohn, Germany. Hamburg is at the bottom of the map. Looking straight north notice Rendsburg, and next to it a number of crude circles. Hohn is located just to the left of Rendsburg.

A large number of the citizens living in Schleswig-Holstein (just south of Denmark in what was known as Prussia) in the mid to late 1800’s left to escape the very unstable situation in the area.

Information gleaned from the Internet tells us the following: The duchies of Schleswig and Holstein long figured prominently in the political history of northwestern Europe. The Danes always regarded Schleswig (the northern sector that bordered Denmark) as Danish, and Holstein had become completely Germanized at an early period. In 1460 Schleswig and Holstein became allied to the Danish government during the reign of Christian I of Denmark, heir to Schleswig and Holstein. The two duchies remained legally separate, however, from Denmark. Frederick VII of Denmark announced his intention in 1848 of incorporating them into Denmark. The people of Schleswig-Holstein rebelled and appealed to Germany for military aid. Prussian troops and Schleswig-Holstein forces drove the Danes from Schleswig. In 1849, aided by Britain, Russia, and France, Denmark renewed the struggle, and eventually Prussia (now Germany) abandoned Schleswig-Holstein.

The growing nationalism of the 19th century and Copenhagen’s attempts to incorporate Schleswig into the Danish kingdom upset the relationship between Germans and Danes, leading to the Schleswig-Holstein uprising of 1848. Appointing a provisional government, the German population took the destiny of the two duchies into its own hands, only to succumb to the military superiority of Denmark and the political pressure of the great European powers. In 1851, the troops of the German Confederation occupied the Duchy of Holstein and re-established it as it had existed before 1848. At the same time, the Danish king promised to introduce a constitution that would exclude the incorporation of Schleswig into his kingdom. This, however, brought no lasting resolution to the German-Danish conflict, which led again to war in 1864. The war was won by the German Confederation, and Schleswig was ceded to the Germans. In 1866 Schleswig-Holstein and its capital Kiel became a province of the Kingdom of Prussia, the duchy of Lauenburg being added to it in 1876.

For many of those in Schleswig-Holstein, the United States of America appeared to be the Promised Land. In past centuries, many people from Schleswig-Holstein emigrated and Australia, Africa, South America, and Canada became their new home - lured by the hope of a better future, driven by a thirst for adventure, or forced by hunger, war or natural disasters to leave their country.

HENRY MUMM

The first family member to immigrant to the United States was Henry Mumm. Henry was born in Hohn (Hone), Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia on March 25, 1842. According to the 1900 U.S. Census, he immigrated to the United States in 1867.

Growing up in the difficult conditions in the 1850’s did not leave young Henry much to look forward to. He reportedly left home at the age of 15 and for nine years was a sailor and captain of sailing ships and freighters. In looking at the location of Schleswig-Holstein it is not surprising that Henry would have been involved in sailing. The Schleswig-Holstein Province/State in Germany is generally between Hamburg, Germany and the Danish border. Hohn is in the northwest sector of Schleswig-Holstein circled in the upper left on the map.In Schleswig-Holstein large ships drive right through the countryside. The Kiel Canal, beginning in the port of Kiel on the Baltic Sea connects the Baltic and North Seas and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. Note the blue line running from Kiel to Rendsburg continuing on to the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein The canal lies perhaps within 50 miles of Hohn, and it is possible that young Henry was able to find work on the ships passing through.

Henry would have been only one of a great many to leave family and move on to the new world.

The 1900 census in Saunders County, Nebraska listed Prussia as Henry Mumm’s homeland and his year of immigration is stated to be 1867. So, Henry for some nine years after he left home was a sailor before immigrating to the United States.

Information provided at: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/county/saunders/1983hist/saco83-p338.html#mumm2

Henry came to the United States in about 1866. He worked on the Great Lakes and the Detroit River. Then he was a foreman for a crew, laying rails for (Union) Pacific railroad. He became a citizen March 24, 1873. He came to Saunders County in early 1870's and homesteaded on land 2½ miles from Clear Creek (Yutan). He purchased additional land; one a mile south from Emil Faudel on Febr. 19, 1891; another from James Kane in 1891; and another one mile north of his home place.”

Other documentation would place the 1891 purchase from Emil Faudel to be one-half mile south and the last purchase at two miles north of his home place.

In the map below, Yutan is in the lower right. Two and one-half miles west (left) is the Mumm farm outlined in black. Initial farm was most likely on the southwest corner.

Two miles to the north (up) was the north Mumm farm.

The following document was passed along to me by my sister, Sharlene Replogle:

Henry Mumm (3-25-1842-5-25-1926) born in Hohne. Schleswig-Holstein. Germanyleft his home when he was fifteen years old. In his early years (approximately 9 years) he was a sailor and Captain on the sailships and freighters. He came to the United States and worked on the Great Lakes and the Detroit River, after which he worked for the Union Pacific as a foreman for laying rails. While working on the railroad at Rawlins, Wyoming he had Chinese immigrants working under him, and not being able to understand each other often caused difficulties with his earnigs made.

He came to Nebraska(Saunders County), homesteaded and purchased land 2 1/2 miles West of Yutan, in the District 66 Area. In 1877 he bought 40 Acres from a neighbor for $8.00 an Acre.

He was united in marriage to Katherina Kuhr (1-6-1854 - 8-31-1908), also born in Hohne, Schleswig~~Holstein, Germany. She came to the United States with her parents and a sister Margareta, after a brother Henry Kuhr, had come to this Country before them. They made their home on the farm 2 1/2 miles west of Yutan.

To this union five children were born, Henry - John - Anna - Catherine (Tena)-and Rosa. When their oldest son Henry married they moved to another home on property 3/4 of a mile South of the home place. After the death of Katherina he spent his years with his daughter Tena, who was widowed after 3 years of marriage, first on the farm West of Yutan and in later years to her home in Yutan, where he passed away a the age of 84 years.

He was always an active man and was talented in splicing ropes and tying knots and many came to him for this to repair hay ropes, etc.

The following is a copy of two documents written by Clarence Storm, Henry and Katharina’s grandson.

GRANDFATHER HENRY P. MUMM

Grandfather was born in 1842 in Hohne, Denmark which is in the Schleswig Holstein Province. When grandfather was 15 years old, Germany and Denmark were engaged in war and the 15 year old boys were drafted to carry the dead and wounded out of no-man's land. The Germans would not shoot the 15 year old boys but not liking this type of work, Grandpa jumped on a ship to escape. He worked as a sailor for either 7 or 9 years on old sail ships. Part of this time was spent on the Great Lakes and probably on the Detroit River. Grandfather did not like this because of the short distances traveled. There was too much loading and unloading.

While sailing on the ocean during a storm, Grandpa and his best friend had to climb the mast to lower the mainsail. His best friend lost his grip and fell into the ocean. He watched him swim behind to try and catch up, but there was no way to stop the ship and no way to launch a boat in the high waves, so he watched his best friend drown.

I was 15 when Grandpa died and have many great memories. In an of this time I never heard him use a swear word or saw him smoke. As far as I know, he never drank either. He was a very kind man and I am very proud of having him for a grandfather.

In the summer of 1991 while in Bremen, Germany, my wife and I dined at the Bremen harbor.

It is a very beautiful harbor where we watched ships entering the harbor all lit up and also many kinds of small boats. My thoughts were of Grandpa Mumm, wondering how many times he had come into this harbor and my wife was thinking of her father, Herman Carstens because this is the harbor he left from to go to the United States

While talking to my cousin Erma Sievers about our grandfathers, I told her about a few business deals her father Henry Mumm and my father George Storm had as partners.

Henry, Erma's father and my father George, bought some land close to Hay Springs in Cherry County. I'm not sure of how many acres, but I think it was about 160. I asked dad why they sold it and he told me this. The only way they could check on the crops was by train. Henry and George took the train to check on the crops and found them looking good but at the end of the season they hardly received any rent. They wrote to the renter in Hay Springs and complained about it and the manager said a hail storm had damaged the crop but he sent a $300 check (out of his own pocket) to keep them happy. That looked suspicious to them so they decided to sell the land. I don't know the price of the land or the year when this happened, but my dad sure enjoyed the train trip. They were traveling at night and saw a light approaching and they told the conductor that a train was coming towards them on the same track. The conductor told him to mind his own business and that they were dreaming, but soon the train stopped and backed up many miles.

Another partnership that our fathers had was that they bought a corn picking machine together. It was pulled by horses but it wasn't much of a success because on a side hill they couldn't hold it in the row and dad said that two men picking by hand could pick more corn than that machine. One of the reasons was that there were 90 places that needed to be oiled with an oil can and it took 3 men to run it. One man on the machine to drive, on man to drive the wagon beside the machine and one to haul the corn to the crib and scoop the com into the crib.

My dad bought a horsehide coat and mittens so that he wouldn't freeze, but he only picked 13 acres of corm. While they were picking, Charley Mumm stopped by on his way to town and asked how they liked the machine. They told him not to

buy one, but he did. The next day he was in the field across the road and Dad walked over to ask how he liked it and Charley was so mad he wouldn't even talk to Dad.

How many acres Henry picked with the machine, I don't know, but Grandpa Mumm drove the wagon on the side of the picker and tried his best to pull all the husk at the ears. I don't know the year, I only know from Dad telling me about it, but I remember the machine sitting among the trees on your home place.

HENRY MUMM

KATHARINA KUHR

Henry Mumm and Katharine Kuhr were married in Yutan, Nebraska on

Henry and Katherine Kuhr Mumm

Children of Henry and Katharina Mumm

Anna, Rosa, Henry Jr., and Tena