Karl Otto Moreland Wittwer

 

John Peterson 

GreatGreatGreatGrandson of

Karl Otto Moreland Wittwer

July 30, 2022

 

 

Tomorrow, we, the descendants of Karl Otto Moreland Wittwer will gather in the Swiss community of Berne, Indiana, to celebrate our Swiss heritage amongst fellow relatives.

Karl's story: Karl, 39 and his wife Barbara, 38 departed LeHavre, France aboard the sailing ship "Germania". They had traveled from their home in Switzerland, probably by oxcart, 500 miles to reach the port in France. They had 4 children with them, ages 12, 9, 5, and 1. Barbara gave birth to another child 11 days after they arrived in New York.

This is what I imagine to be Karl and Barbara's trip to be like:

The Emigrant Travels to Le Havre

Karl and his family likely booked their passage on a relatively small (197 passengers) sailing ship. Most passengers are listed as "Farmer" (many were probably landless day laborers) and the majority came from Prussia, although there were also travelers from Baden, Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Hesse and Switzerland with lesser passengers from France, Italy, England and the United States. At first, it was necessary for emigrants to make arrangements for passage directly with the captains of the vessels. During the sailing season there were thus always several thousand persons waiting to leave. They could be obliged to wait for weeks, partly in lodging houses, partly outdoors. A German colony of innkeepers, shopkeepers and brokers materialized to service them. Agents began meeting the emigrants on the road to Le Havre to sign them up. After the French government required in 1837 that Germans present a valid ticket at the French border, local offices began to be opened in Switzerland and the German states. 

Again, as elsewhere, French authorities did not want large numbers of indigent would-be emigrants stranded in the port. Previously, the only document required to cross the border had been a passport. During most of this period, emigrants were required to bring their own provisions. It is sometimes thought that this was disadvantage compared to German ports, where early on, emigrants were provided with meals on board. In reality, many southern Germans were decidedly unimpressed by North German cuisine and such unfamiliar foods as herring, and preferred to bring their own. On the other hand, Bremen and Hamburg did take more steps to protect emigrants from unscrupulous agents and salesmen who sold them overly expensive and sometimes unnecessary goods.

Waiting for and Boarding Ships in Le Havre

"The accommodation of emigrants awaiting departure is a serious problem. The less fortunate sleep in the street, on the floor, or up makeshift tents on the banks of the streets and sidewalks of St. Francis and Notre Dame. Others took refuge in shacks close to the fortifications or in the plain with their baggage. In 1840, the "Revue du Havre" wrote that "the city is crowded with the poorest Bavarian immigrants... The floating population began to camp out on the ramparts of the east. They takes shelter under the elms; excavations in the thickness of slope ditches serve as their home ... Those who have two francs a day, can find accommodation among innkeepers of St. Francis and Our Lady, who specialize in taking care of immigrants. There are a dozen in 1850. As the Commissioner of the emigration noted, the high price of rents in the city of Le Havre force the landlords to establish themselves in the narrow streets in areas that are dirty and wet ... " Andre Corvisier There were two distinct categories of travelers - the passengers and the immigrants. The passengers in cabin class could take advantage to the comfort of ships that became ever faster and more luxurious. The immigrants were housed in steerage, just like the inanimate cargo they were replacing. It was usually miserable and overcrowded.

We have to appreciate the fact that if Karl and Barbara had not endured this treacherous journey......none of us would be here.