Gustav and Sophie Come to America

Gust Christian Theodor Jonas Family

Gust Christian Theodor Jonas as listed in the 1819 Mecklenburg census was born 2 January 1817 in Kittendorf, Stavenhagen, Mecklenburg, Germany. August or Gustav as he was known, was the son of Jochen Friedrich and Mar. Friederike Jonas. We do not know much about his early life. He married on November 8, 1850 to Auguste Marie Sophie Schröder (Sophie), a serving girl in Kittendorf.

On 18 January 1849, Auguste Marie Sophie Schröder (Sophie), a serving girl in Kittendorf gave birth to a son. He was baptized on January 28 and named Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Theodor Schröder (Freidrich) according to the register of the Evangelical Lutheran Kirchenbuecher, Kittendorf Sulten, Mecklenberg-Schwerin. According to the testimony of Sophie at the time of the birth, Gust Jonas (August) was his father. His birth was recorded as illegitimate, later legitimized by the marriage.

Although we don’t know the exact reason Sophie was not married at the the time of Freidrich’s birth, we believe it was because of Mecklenberg rule regarding marriages. After 1820, the Mecklenbergers had a little more personal freedoms, but rules on marriage were even stricter. Marriages could not happen until the estate owner gave permission for the couple to marry. The estate owner frowned on marriage because he didn’t want any families he didn’t have work for. The man was sometimes sent off to another estate in order to separate the couple. He was required to work harder than he did before, to prove to the estate owner he could support his family. Peasants regarded their engagement as a kind of marriage without official sanction. Their children were regarded by the authorities as illegitimate until the parents were given permission to marry officially. Thus, there were a lot of “illegitimate” births recorded after 1820. The pastor, who was an employee of the state, would take the mother’s word for who the father was-the father was often entered in as unknown until the official marriage. At that time it was entered into the record that it was legitimized by the marriage.

A second child was born to August and Sophia on 16 January 1852. Johann Christian Theodor Jonas (John) was baptized 8 February 1852 according to the register of the Evangelical Lutheran Kirchenbuecher, Kittendorf.

At this point in our research, we do not know why August and Sophia traveled to Wisconsin and settled in Two Rivers. It could be other Jonas or Schroeder family members settled in this area first and encouraged the couple to join them. It could be they saw an advertisement promising work, perhaps in one of the local tanneries. More about the tanning industry.

The Ocean Trip

Extensive media has been archived recording the names of whole groups of immigrants from Europe. I researched the immigrant ship archives for both the United States and Canada and was unable to find a perfect match for August and Sophie. In the Hamburg Sailing records I found one family that very closely resembles that of August and his family. The only discrepancy is the place of birth of August. The record states:

Jonas, August, Frau u 2 Kdr 1/2 3 J. Place of birth Neustet. Destination: Quebec. Ship Vorwarts.

This translates to: Jonas, August. Wife and 2 children (ages) 1/2 and 3 years. This listing would match that of our August and Sophia and their two sons who would have been age 3 and 1/2 at this time. The discrepancy is in the part of the entry listing the place of birth of August. Place of birth: Neustet, Thueringen. This probably refers to Neustaedt, a village just west and slightly north of Eisenach, in Thuringia, central Germany. It would be unusual for August to state the he was from this area, unless he was hiding his identity for some reason, perhaps hiding from the authorities in order to escape compulsory military service.

The ship was the Vorwaerts, Prussian, Capt. J. Finck. Vorwarts was a 500 ton ship, built in 1849, purchased in 1850, and was in service until 1876. The family’s destination was Quebec, sailing date 19 June 1852. Filled with hope and optimism they boarded the cramped ship and lived in deplorable conditions as they made their 40 day trip across the ocean.

In researching the ship Vorwarts, records show it landed 22 August 1852. Because there was no direct water route from the Atlantic Ocean to Buffalo, immigrants had to first disembark in another port city such as Quebec, then crossed the bridge to Buffalo. There are no passenger lists for people arriving in Buffalo, so I have been trying to find border-crossing records.

The Journey West

It is presumed the Jonas family left Buffalo and came directly to Wisconsin, settling in Two Rivers, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin first and eventually to Two Creeks, Wisconsin (a bit north of Two Rivers). They likely traveled by steamship through the Great Lakes. Ships would fill themselves with cargo from the Midwest and travel east to sell their goods in the ports along the lakes. Instead of returning empty, these ships would fill their cargo holds with immigrants wanting to go west. For stories on the travel through Great Lakes see Ellen's Great Lakes Maritime History website.