Tigers Are So Seldom: COMING TO AMERICA...Beginnings:Leithman & Heigel

Port of New Orleans 1800s

Coming to America was not an easy task for any immigrant but in the 1800's it was terrible. With family history one is positioned to discover the PUSH OR PULL of emigration (the leaving) or immigration (the coming in). The PUSH is what is happening in the homeland to make people leave, such as political upheavels, lack of jobs. The PULL is what is happening in the foreign land to call out to people of others lands to come, such as stabble political government, work opportunities, and decent hope of economic possibilities. Today I want to take a look at New Orleans in the 1800's and what it was like for my GERMAN & French Ancestors when they arrived in the booming port city.

New Orleans 1800s

Well it is hard to know for sure what it was that inspired Conrad Leithmann to leave his home and family in Bavaria, Germany. In 1845 Conrad immigrated to New Orleans at the age of 55. Five years later he had his own small business selling carts. In 1861 he married Cathrine Heigel. Cathrine was 4 years older than Conrad. She was from Alsace-Lorraine, France. Alsace-Lorraine had a problem past as it had been tossed between France and Germany for 100's of years. In 1871 residents of Alsace-Lorraine had been annexed by Bavaria, Germany. The Alsatians had a short amount of time to decide if they would be French or German. This decission would determine if they and their children would be allowed to remain in Alsace-Lorraine or whether they would have to leave. Most of the inhabitants had always and would always consider themselves French. Although it was not acceptable to associate with the Germans, many spoke German as Alsace-Lorraine had often been "annexed" by Germany. This area became known as "the Land of Tears." "The poor souls were having repeatedly to pack up and leave their homes, choose new nationalities, give up their language, live with persecution. It is not surprising that so many of them gave up and left for the New World."

I am still in the process of locating Cathrine's and Conrad's records of immigration to America. It will be interesting to learn how a Bavarian German in America and a Alsatian French woman in America met and fell in love. Most likely they lived in the same neighiborhood. More research will be needed to understand this situation.