At the end of March 2002 while on a private visit to the US, Swenna Harger gave me a large package with documents for this book to give to Herrn Titz. I didn't know what was in it. In the middle of April Hubert Titz contacted me. He had a lot of materials from the US for a future book about emigrants. Whether we didn't ...
Within six weeks we had to translate all of the text from English and complete it with German information. Much of the text came only at the last minute. Often the names and dates could no longer be proofed and collated. Despite everything, it has been accomplished : Out of an unordered mass of material, a book has come into being. In the first part, various authors go into detail about history and emigration from the county to the US. Freimuth Schulze made available photos and articles he had written. All who assisted are thanked here. Swenna Harger and Loren Lemmen have already published a 1990 American and 1996 German precursor to this present volume. Swenna has asked many immigrants or their relatives to write up their family history or genealogy.
She had collected the information and gathered the photos.
Compared with 1996, the present volume includes approximately 500 more people in the list of emigrants in the mid section bringing the total to 4000 people. Gregor G. Santel had together with Loren Lemmen added to the number of the aforementioned emigrants and improved the quality of the information through countless additions and corrections. He gave the collection of data a new format for better readability. The information has in part been arranged in both German an English languages or a form understandable in both languages was found through simple expressions. Request additions or corrections to this part to Gregor G. Santel (Kaiser-Henrich-Str. 94, D-33104 Paderborn, Santel@t-online.de) or to Loren Lemmen (124 Roundtop Road, Lansing, MI 48917-9606, USA, lemmenl@michigan.gov).
Swenna Harger has worked for over 30 years to compile this list. She may be considered to be the Mother of this work. Thanks go to her and Loren Lemmen for years of intensive preliminary work.
Descendents and researchers present the history of around 80 immigrant families and their ancestors in the third part of this book. All of this text is translated from English - it breaths a lot of American spirit. The dates and spelling of names are not always identical to the German data (one matches the data of a particular family with the middle part of the date). The outcome of this are some eighty original stories in English. Unfortunately, some families declined to participate. The eighty stories are neither representative nor expressly chosen. They were purely those who by chance, were on hand and available. They provide a good cross section of the experience of the emigrant and their descendents.
The first and third parts of this book is intended to be a completion of the above mentioned data from 1990 and 1996. The volume of text does not permit the originally planned accompanying bi-lingual German/English edition. The English texts are, however, can be obtained from the undersigned. An English language edition is contemplated in the USA. The entire translation of the English texts lead to significant problems. A translation office provided a good service. Some writers were not diligent: Names would often be written in two or three different ways in one story. Furthermore, many handwritten names were incorrectly registered in transcription and all umlauts were left out. I have correct obvious errors.
I would like to thank Hubert Titz, since 1996 Graftschaf Bentheim District museums coordinator. He helped in choosing the materials. "The conveyance (of ideas?) goes by pictures", is his phrase. He was also preoccupied with the translation and compilation of the texts. I would like to thank Frau Marion Lobbel and the translation office of Anthony van Scherpenzeel in Nordhorn for their work.
This book can perhaps also raise some awareness of others, who today - for whatever reasons - (must) leave their homeland and live as a stranger in our neighborhood. Hospitality and openness for foreignors are the symbols of Christian belief in practice and a sign of humanity.
Hoogstede, May 31, 2002
Pastor Dr. Gerrit Jan Beuker
Within six weeks we had to translate all of the text from English and complete it with German information. Much of the text came only at the last minute. Often the names and dates could no longer be proofed and collated. Despite everything, it has been accomplished : Out of an unordered mass of material, a book has come into being. In the first part, various authors go into detail about history and emigration from the county to the US. Freimuth Schulze made available photos and articles he had written. All who assisted are thanked here. Swenna Harger and Loren Lemmen have already published a 1990 American and 1996 German precursor to this present volume. Swenna has asked many immigrants or their relatives to write up their family history or genealogy.
She had collected the information and gathered the photos.
Compared with 1996, the present volume includes approximately 500 more people in the list of emigrants in the mid section bringing the total to 4000 people. Gregor G. Santel had together with Loren Lemmen added to the number of the aforementioned emigrants and improved the quality of the information through countless additions and corrections. He gave the collection of data a new format for better readability. The information has in part been arranged in both German an English languages or a form understandable in both languages was found through simple expressions. Request additions or corrections to this part to Gregor G. Santel (Kaiser-Henrich-Str. 94, D-33104 Paderborn, Santel@t-online.de) or to Loren Lemmen (124 Roundtop Road, Lansing, MI 48917-9606, USA, lemmenl@michigan.gov).
Swenna Harger has worked for over 30 years to compile this list. She may be considered to be the Mother of this work. Thanks go to her and Loren Lemmen for years of intensive preliminary work.
Descendents and researchers present the history of around 80 immigrant families and their ancestors in the third part of this book. All of this text is translated from English - it breaths a lot of American spirit. The dates and spelling of names are not always identical to the German data (one matches the data of a particular family with the middle part of the date). The outcome of this are some eighty original stories in English. Unfortunately, some families declined to participate. The eighty stories are neither representative nor expressly chosen. They were purely those who by chance, were on hand and available. They provide a good cross section of the experience of the emigrant and their descendents.
The first and third parts of this book is intended to be a completion of the above mentioned data from 1990 and 1996. The volume of text does not permit the originally planned accompanying bi-lingual German/English edition. The English texts are, however, can be obtained from the undersigned. An English language edition is contemplated in the USA. The entire translation of the English texts lead to significant problems. A translation office provided a good service. Some writers were not diligent: Names would often be written in two or three different ways in one story. Furthermore, many handwritten names were incorrectly registered in transcription and all umlauts were left out. I have correct obvious errors.
I would like to thank Hubert Titz, since 1996 Graftschaf Bentheim District museums coordinator. He helped in choosing the materials. "The conveyance (of ideas?) goes by pictures", is his phrase. He was also preoccupied with the translation and compilation of the texts. I would like to thank Frau Marion Lobbel and the translation office of Anthony van Scherpenzeel in Nordhorn for their work.
This book can perhaps also raise some awareness of others, who today - for whatever reasons - (must) leave their homeland and live as a stranger in our neighborhood. Hospitality and openness for foreignors are the symbols of Christian belief in practice and a sign of humanity.
Hoogstede, May 31, 2002
Pastor Dr. Gerrit Jan Beuker
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