Germans In Illinois

This engaging history of one of the largest ethnic groups in Illinois explores the influence and experiences of German immigrants and their descendants from their arrival in the middle of the nineteenth century to their heritage identity today. Coauthors Miranda E. Wilkerson and Heather Richmond examine the primary reasons that Germans came to Illinois and describe how they adapted to life and distinguished themselves through a variety of occupations and community roles. The promise of cheap land and fertile soil in rural areas and emerging industries in cities attracted three major waves of German-speaking immigrants to Illinois in search of freedom and economic opportunities. Before long the state was dotted with German churches, schools, cultural institutions, and place names. German churches served not only as meeting places but also as a means of keeping language and culture alive. Names of Illinois cities and towns of German origin include New Baden, Darmstadt, Bismarck, and Hamburg. In Chicago, many streets, parks, and buildings bear German names, including Altgeld Street, Germania Place, Humboldt Park, and Goethe Elementary School. Some of the most lively and ubiquitous organizations, such as Sängerbunde, or singer societies, and the Turnverein, or Turner Society, also preserved a bit of the Fatherland. Exploring the complex and ever-evolving German American identity in the growing diversity of Illinois's linguistic and ethnic landscape, this book contextualizes their experiences and corrects widely held assumptions about assimilation and cultural identity. Federal census data, photographs, lively biographical sketches, and newly created maps bring the complex story of German immigration to life. The generously illustrated volume also features detailed notes, suggestions for further reading, and an annotated list of books, journal articles, and other sources of information.

Wilhelm Wagner (1803-1877), son of Peter Wagner, was born in Dürkheim, Germany. He married Friedericke Odenwald (1812-1893). They had nine children. They emigrated and settled in Illinois. His brother, Julius Wagner (1816-1903) married Emilie M. Schneider (1820-1896). They had seven children. They emigrated and settled in Texas.

Starting in the 1850s, the number of Niederdeutsch immigrants from Westphalia, Germany, greatly increased while the immigration from southern Germany was proportionately lower. In the process of researching his ancestors, the author concluded that the majority of Quincy's German immigrants were Niederdeutsch (low Germans). While, none of Brinkman's ancestors came from Lippe, he became interested in the migration of Niederdeutsch to Quincy, which resulted in this book, which lists the German immigrants in Quincy, who came from Lippe, Germany. An introduction precedes the biographies, which includes: Description and Short History of Lippe; Maps of Fürstentum Lippe and Westphalia; Other Lippes; Map of Germany; Organization of Lippe Government; Migration to Quincy from Western Lippe; Direct or Indirect Migration; Pathfinders; Settlement Patterns of Lippe Immigrants; Residence Study; Cluster Settlements in Adams County, Illinois; Marriage Study; Boston Brown Bread and Pumpernickel; German Occupations; and American Occupations. Biographical entries include: date and place of birth, surname, given name, date of marriage, emigration, town in Germany, death in Quincy, occupation, residence, migration, and sources. A list of sources, a locality index, and a surname index add to the value of this work.

This series consists of two complementary volumes. The first volume deals with the life of the emigrants in Germany, their voyage to America, and their life in Quincy, Illinois. Volume I examines reasons for migration, details of the ocean voyage, the journey to Quincy, life in Quincy, German dialects, German-language newspapers, German occupations, farming, German customs, clustering, the impact of World War I on Quincy's Germans, and much more. These pages offer a detailed account of the history of Quincy from the unique perspective of a M nsterland immigrant. A "History Timeline of M nsterland," three maps, and an index to names, places and subjects add to the value of this work. The second volume of this work presents a list of 1,456 immigrants who came to Quincy from M nsterland. Numbers following names in Volume I refer to their enumeration in the biographical section of the work in Volume II.

In German Chicago: The Danube Swabians and the American Aid Societies, historian Raymond Lohne presents the Germans who came to be called the Donauschwaben and their American counterparts. This amazing photographic collection of over 200 historic images has been gathered through the efforts of the author and survivors of the Expulsion, as well as numerous German-American societies and individuals throughout the nation.

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 2,3, University of Frankfurt (Main), language: English, abstract: The Germans are the largest ethnic group in the United States and especially in Chicago. Peculiarly, their influence seems to have vanished. Every other ethnic group left stronger traces of their existence than the Germans. I decided to take a look at the development of the German- American community or in fact to pursue the question as to whether there is a German- American identity.

The story of how Germans came to embrace the Third Reich.Germany in early 1933 was a country ravaged by years of economic depression and increasingly polarized between the extremes of left and right. Over the spring of that year, Germany was transformed from a republic, albeit a seriously faltering one, into a one-party dictatorship. In Hitler's First Hundred Days, award-winning historian PeterFritzsche examines the pivotal moments during this fateful period in which the Nazis apparently won over the majority of Germans to join them in their project to construct the Third Reich. Fritzsche scrutinizes the events of theperiod - the elections and mass arrests, the bonfires and gunfire, the patriotic rallies and anti-Jewish boycotts - to understand both the terrifying power that the National Socialists came to exert over ordinary Germans and the powerful appeal of the new era that they promised.