To the editor,

As a dedicated family history hunter, I’ve studied my husband’s ancestry (Deiss, Armbruster, Jansa, and Huppert) for many years. Around 20 years ago I was given copies of some letters written in the 1870’s from six of the Hupperts who had come to America to the oldest brother Joseph, the only family member who had stayed in Germany, telling him that they will soon be moving west from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin and urging him to join his family in America.  Since there is much discussion lately about immigration, it seemed a good time to share some of their thoughts on the subject. They all give advice and reassurance, such as this from Mathias:  “We have achieved more with our labor in this America than any laborer can possibly achieve in Germany,” and from Johan: “Do not despair. God will not forsake any German.” 

The letters were saved by Joseph’s descendants for over a hundred years and were brought back to the United States by a cousin who visited there several years ago. In 1990 they were translated by Ed Brandt of the Minnesota Genealogical Society. He had Peter’s letter of Feb. 13, 1872 published in the society’s newsletter because it was such a good example of an immigrant sending a glowing report on America to those back home. For example, “Work is easy here in America because machines do the work.” Also, “Americans . . . plant their roots ever farther to the west . . . people come from all nations under the sun to live there and all build an American nation.” More comments from Peter, speaking of their upcoming move to Wisconsin: “Some  go every year to the new settlements. They go there ever more often, and they come from the whole world and speak all languages. A German has an Englishman or a Frenchman or an African or an American as a neighbor, and also people from many other nations throughout the world. But they establish homes next to each other and become friends and really good neighbors. It is what is called the west here, and it lies to the west in terms of longitude, too. It also extends to the north and to the south. It is a large country and where the sun does not set. Many more people can settle there and live a peaceful life. There they need not feel like strangers, but like good American citizens. For everyone is entitled to this land, for all immigrated or their ancestors did, and every man and woman knows this.”

Kathy Deiss

Ellsworth