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Reasons for Emigrating
·Bad harvest
No prospects for adolescent children on a secure future
The rough climate of the Eifel and the fruitlessness of the Harvest
The difficulty of selling agriculture goods on the market
The soaring limber price and the rigor lumber theft was avenged
High taxes and municipal rates
Prussian Siberia
”1816 was an ominous year. Until June snow was found sporadically, at the beginning of November snow fell again. Nothing ripened. Everything deteriorated. At the end of September the hey was brought in. The potatoes were frozen and were buried by the snow. One dug out these fruits as small as a walnut made bred out of them. 1817 the big dearth appeared. One ate leaves of the potato, roots, herbs used for feeding one cooked snails to eat something substantial. The meat of wolves in great demand, nettles and crowfoot made an appetizing mush.”
 This citation documents the poverty and the bare struggle for daily survival that our ancestors had to pose against. No one was astonished by the emigration waves in course of the 19th century. The picture shows the states of the USA and Wisconsin, where two Durben families settled besides many other immigrants from our region, is highlighted in red.
[aus: J. Jansen: 100 Jahre Kreis Schleiden 1829 bis 1929, 1929] |
