~ German Immigration ~

The topic for this paper was chosen because of the fact that although I never knew my grandparents, who had emigrated from Germany to Wilmington in 1889, I had heard many stories of their lives. Until I moved to the area approximately sixteen months ago I had never been to their old neighborhood or had any physical links with the stories. I found my curiosity aroused about my grandparents' lives and the life of the German community here in Wilmington. Prior to doing the research for this paper, I had known my great uncle was a baker, and that my grandfather was employed by the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad (a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad). But, it was not until I read of the prominence of German bakeries and the number of men working for the railroad near the turn of the century that I felt a true bond. This paper has given me the chance to dig a little deeper, answer some of the questions we, as a family, had found unanswered over the years, and in doing so has created a greater bond to my past.

Prior to the American Revolution an estimated quarter of a million Germans came to the shores of the new colonies; they and the Scotch-Irish were the largest contributors to the population influx during the eighteenth century.

Directly after the revolution the majority of German immigrants were comprised of "Hessians", German soldiers impressed into service by the British. There were approximately 30,000 Hessian troops in the colonies during the revolution, over 12,000 stayed the United States (the number that truly settled here is uncertain for casualties accounted for part of the number remaining). During this time Philadelphia was the main port of entry; from there the immigrants fanned out across Pennsylvania and up and down the coast.

From the early 1800's until the early 1900's over five million Germans left their homeland to settle in the United States. The majority of Germans left for political or religious reasons. While in Germany many were not afforded the freedoms they wished. The Amish, Mennonites and Dunkards are just three of the many religious sects in Germany that came to America to escape religious persecution. Very few immigrants came directly to Wilmington; most landed in either New York or Philadelphia, saved their money and then migrated on. Another common occurrence was for agents of a particular company to meet the immigrants as they disembarked and then offer them fare to Wilmington, along with wages and housing for the immigrant and their family in exchange for employment with the company they represented. Castle Gardens in New York was long known for this practice.

In the early 20th century Wilmington had a smaller immigrant population than other cities in the Delaware Valley. Both Wilmington and Baltimore shared the same population profile; both having a high black population and a relatively low foreign born population.

In 1860 Wilmington ranked fourth from the bottom of a listing of 27 cities (those with populations of 20,000 to 50,000) studying the percentage of foreign born populations¹.

Germans were the third largest group of immigrants in Wilmington, with their greatest influx occurring after 1880. The first wave of Germans to arrive in Wilmington was from 1840 to 1860. Many of the early European immigrants were from rural areas and did not have the skills necessary to work in specialized industries. Also, since the majority of early immigrants were peasants they searched out farmlands and settled in Pennsylvania's great valleys rather than the urban areas. Many believe Wilmington's low percentage of foreign born (immigrants) was due mainly to the fact that Wilmington, along with Trenton and Camden in New Jersey, had highly specialized industries. After 1880 there was a change in the profile of the Germans emigrating. No longer were peasants, or farmers, the largest group, now it was artisans and industrial workers. Towards the end of the 19th century the leather tanning industry had expanded in Wilmington and there were then more employment opportunities for the less skilled laborers. Both of these factors were responsible for a growth in the German population. From 1880 until 1900 the foreign born population of Wilmington was approximately 13%, down from the 18.9% reported in 1860. Then from 1900 to 1910 the percentage increased slightly to 15%.

The Delaware Census from 1860 to 1910 reflected the increase in Wilmington's German population. However the figures can only be used as a general guide since they include Austrians as part of the Germans and they only reflect foreign born. Direct relatives (children born in the United States) were not counted. The census also leads us to believe that approximately seventy five percent of Delaware's German population resided in the Wilmington area.

Also at the end of the 19th century there were new factories along the Christina River and there was the PW & BRR (Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad), these new industries needed additional labor for construction and factory work. The majority of German immigrants came to Wilmington as wage earners; some were even able to set up shops and small businesses. Some of the Germans found employment in the growing tanning industry while others worked as bakers, butchers, coach makers, tailors, carpenters, cabinet makers, brick makers, bricklayers and machinists; vocations they had had in their homeland (see page 4a).

From 1859 to 1860, according to Boyd's Delaware State Directory, fourteen of the eighteen bakeries in Wilmington were German owned. The only brewery was German and there were also a large number of butchers and coach making establishments.

The original German area of Wilmington was (as determined by interviews done by historians earlier in this century) bordered by Eighth Street on the north, Poplar on the east, Front Street on the south and French Street on the west. Later as the Germans' level of prosperity increased many purchased land in the East Lake area of Wilmington (30th - 31st Streets west of Jefferson). Others moved to the western section, near the Zion Lutheran Church². By 1910 there were German born families residing in of the all twelve wards of Wilmington (see page 5a).

During the 1800's the Germans dominated the brewery business in Wilmington. First, A. Rudman opened a small brewery at 4th and Tatnall; next the three Nebeker brothers opened a brewery at 5th and Adams, the site of an abandoned quarry. Later this brewery was sold to the Bickta Brewing Company. This went on to become the large and well known Diamond State Brewery, with the later owner of the brewery being Joseph Stoeckle, a very prominent and prosperous member of Wilmington's society. Joseph Stoeckle had emigrated from the city of Würtenburg in Germany, in 1834. He died in 1893, leaving the thriving business to his son³. There were other large German breweries in Wilmington; the Bavarian Brewing Company being the strongest competitor of the Diamond State Brewery. The breweries offered employment to many Germans but also allowed them a chance to establish themselves in a business. The breweries had a policy of underwriting a new saloon as long as the owner agreed to sell the beer of that particular brewery. This could best be described as a precursor to the franchise businesses so prevalent in our current economy and it was an important factor in the economical growth of the Germans in Wilmington. Prior to World War I half of the saloons in Wilmington were German owned.

Before the Civil War the Wilmington carriage builders (coach makers), mainly German immigrants, were important suppliers to the southern states. During and after the war the market declined, yet carriage building ranked high on Wilmington's list of industries until the arrival of the automobile. This trade was unique: for many times it involved an entire family. One member would be responsible for the painting, another for wheel making, and so on, until the entire coach was constructed. In 1860 seven of the nine carriage factories were German owned and at the turn of the century eight of over eighteen such factories were German owned.⁴

The brewery business and the carriage trade were two examples of members of a culture or ethnic group helping one another and fostering strong family values to enhance their growth and stability in a community. Currently we see the same type of effort expended by many Asian families immigrating to the United States. Although these two businesses were indeed the largest employers of the German sector of Wilmington, there were numerous other employment opportunities to be found. Many became machinists with the Pennsylvania Railroad, while others were tool-die makers with such companies as the Lobdell Car Wheel Company, the Diamond State Iron Works and the Pusey & Jones Company, just to mention a few.

The Delaware Pioneer began publishing a weekly edition in 1859. It was the first German language newspaper published in Delaware. Later the paper was purchased by the business manager, Francis Scheu. In 1881 Mr. Scheu expanded the paper to a daily publication, it became the Freie Presse. Subsequently the Delaware Pioneer was discontinued and the Freie Presse was sold. The new owner continued the publication, but under yet another name, Lokal-Anzeiger und Freie Presse with offices located in City Hall Place for many years. The newspaper offered a means for the German community to keep in touch and, although most of the news was of local origin an attempt was made to cover national or world topics. From what I have read, in libraries and family papers, some of the immigrants never found a need to become fluent in the English language. The German community had its own paper, there were stores and bakeries where German was spoken and they could even hear German spoken from the pulpit on Sundays. Zion Lutheran church was a prominent church in the German social setting: having a Ladies' Aid Society and a Young People's Society. The church was founded in 1848, and located at Sixth and Walnut. Later it was moved to Sixth and Jackson, and within the last thirty years the building was razed to make way for Interstate 95, at that time the congregation moved to a new location on Lancaster Avenue.

In some cases different families from the same village, or small town, were living within the German community and friendships were continued thousands of miles from their homeland. The Germans of Wilmington still celebrated many of the festivities that they had been accustomed to in their homeland. Sunday picnics, beer and dances along with the Gemutlichkeit (best translated to conviviality in English) were weekly occurrences. As a result many social organizations were formed, the most famous being the Sängerbund, which was formed in 1853. The Sängerbund (now spelled Saengerbund) was formed in 1853, on the second floor of Henry Albert's music store at Fourth and French Streets, as a choral society and general social organization for Wilmington's German population. The German Hall was located on Sixth Street between French and Walnut Streets; there the German Library Association and the Sängerbund held their meetings. The social organizations helped the Germans to maintain their cultural identity. Because there were so many social organization within the German society (at the turn of the century there were 22 with memberships of over 1,700) it was rare for there to be a week without a social event that beckoned the German community. At many of the events they ate sausage, cheese and rye bread; then washed it down with strong lager beer. All the while they were enjoying German music and songs. In the summer there were the picnics, many held at the Bavarian Park, near Fifth and DuPont. During the fall, as the weather turned cooler, Saturday night sauerkraut and pork dinners began. Then in the spring there was the Easter Monday Ball, a prominent event on the German American social calendar.

For some reason, unknown to us of this generation, the history of the Germans in Wilmington has not been well documented. The Swedish, Irish and Afro-Americans have numerous books on their early years in the city, but one must glean information from numerous sources to track the history of the Germans. City directories and German publications are available, but for those not speaking German it can be a daunting task. It is a shame to find that there are no longer any German bakeries or restaurants in Wilmington and that the story of the many German contributions to this city is slowly fading. Hopefully before all those who remember the German neighborhoods are gone, and before the stories have been forgotten, someone will take the time to do a thorough history of this important facet of Wilmington's history.

Prepared by Sidartha G. Ellis

References:

^2,3History of Wilmington.(1894). Compiled by Every Evening Wilmington, DE: F. T. Smiley & Company
Directory of German-American Societies and Churches of Wilmington, Delaware (1918) (5th ed.) Wilmington, DE: Delmarvia Printing and Publishing Co.
¹Boyd's Delaware State Directory (1859-1860) New York, NY: William & Andrew Boyd Publishing
⁴Delaware History, 23 (1988-1989) Wilmington, DE: The Historical society of Wilmington

U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1900) State of Delaware Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

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