A recent photo of Kwidzyn Castle in Kwidzyn Poland. It is believed that the Pankenier family lived in the nearby area until their immigration to America.
This post has a great deal of conjecture and speculation.
I have not found any documents on the Pankeniers from 1869-1875; but it's possible that the family worked and lived within the city of Marienwerder. While political strife continued throughout the land, Marienwerder remained fairly stable, and was one of the larger cities for trade and exports.
It's assumed that sometime around the year 1870, Frederick William Pankenier (1852-1911) began courting Bertha Schwebs, who was born and lived in the city of Marienwerder. While very little is known about the Schwebs, the documents in Kwidzyn indicate that Bertha's father was a successful merchant within the city. Julius Schwebs had lived in Marienwerder all his life, and he and his wife Friederike had three children - Bertha Schwebs (1855-1881), Amelia Schwebs (1859-1930), and the youngest, Rudolf Schwebs (1866-1906). At some point before 1878, Fredrick and Bertha were married; presumably in Marienwerder with both families present, but its possible they were married shortly after arriving to America.
With the Franco-Prussian war still fresh in the minds of many, it's assumed that the Schwebs and the Pankenier's considered leaving Germany to begin a new life in America. It's hard to determine what had motivated the two families to leave their county; but rumors of wealth and prosperity within America would have surely influenced their decision.
It can be speculated, that the two families had formed a plan to determine if leaving Germany was a wise choice. Gottfried's son Frederick (1852-1911) would make the long journey to America to see if the families could begin anew, and possibly establish a job and a place to live. He would then return to Marienwerder to gather the family and guide them to their new home.
It's hard to determine why Fredrick decided to take a ship from Bremen, Germany, which was over 800 kilometers to the east. distance between Bremen and Marienwerder is over 500 miles by land, and travelling by ship would have taken too long. Presumably, Frederick would decide to travel by land to Bremen, Germany, during the spring and early summer securing rides from sympathetic travelers, and taking trains whenever possible.
It's not difficult to imagine the anxiety that surrounded the family when Fredrick had finally departed. No one knew what Frederick would find in America, and nobody knew when he would return to Marienwerder. It's safe to assume that Bertha was extremely worried that it would be months before Frederick returned to Marienwerder, if he ever returned at all.
A photo of the German vessel S.S. Mosel; the ship that had taken Frederick to America.
The New York Passenger list dated August 23rd 1875 logged Frederick Pankenier's arrival to New York aboard the S.S. Mosel.
What is interesting about Frederick's entry is that his final destination was Michigan, and not New York. While it's possible this was written in error, it's plausible to think that Frederick had intended to travel to Michigan as there is strong evidence that distant relatives had settled in Chicago. He must of reconsidered when he realized how much further Michigan was from New York.
An excerpt from the passenger list of the Mosel, with Frederick's name in the middle of the image. Next to his name, the dock-master listed Frederick as 23 years old, and the description of 'workman' is listed as his profession. In the upper right corner, his final destination is recorded as Michigan.
A continued search of the records from New Jersey and New York from 1875-1878 has not produced any insight into the Frederick's first few years in America. It is presumed that he found his way to areas with a prominent German population, such as 'Little Germany' in New York City, possibly Hoboken, and of course Jersey City, New Jersey. He would have taken any kind of work that he could find, and likely worked on the docks, or building the railway system.
Presumably, Frederick embarked on the voyage back to Marienwerder in the summer of 1877, and once he was reunited with his family, he left once more for America in the beginning of March in 1878.
This time Frederick would be accompanied by his father Gottfried and mother Caroline, his sister Caroline, and his wife Bertha. It's not clear why the Schwebs remained in Marienwerder; but it's plausible that Julius Schwebs began the process of selling his home and business, and getting his affairs in order for the eventual trip to America.
Once they had arrived in Bremen, the family secured passage by purchasing tickets in the steerage section on the next cargo ship bound for America. While the ship offered better accommodations, its unlikely that the family had the money to afford the luxury of securing first or second class cabins for everyone.
Unfortunately, most immigrants discovered too late, there is no room for excessive cargo in the steerage section. Each person was allowed to bring a small sack or satchel and a single change of clothing. Some immigrants were resourceful enough to sell everything they could not carry beforehand, but many that immigrated to the United States ended up leaving their personal effects and prized belongings on the German docks.
When travelling by cargo ship, the third class passengers were required to remain in the steerage section; except for few trips to the deck, before returning to the bowels of the ship.
Left: A picture of the German cargo ship S.S. Donau; the vessel that transported the Pankeniers to America. Right: a group of immigrants pose for a photo on the ship's deck while getting a much-needed breath of fresh air.
The S.S Donau, and many other cargo ships during this time period, is designed to carry as many steerage passengers as possible in the lower decks. The Donau was able to carry 700 passengers in steerage, resulting in very limited space and inadequate means of ventilation, making the stench and filth almost unendurable.
Passengers would try to remain on the open deck for as long as they could, and quickly found it impossible to remain below decks for a long period of time. The open deck that was available to steerage was very limited, and during rough seas or a continued storm, the deck could not be used at all; leaving passengers to stand in the cramped and crowded berths and passageways.
Under the best circumstances, a small wooden table for dining was provided between the sleeping compartments. In some instances the tables were mere shelves along the walls of the compartments.
The sleeping compartments were wooden structures barely large enough for two adults, and designed in a 'bunk-bed' fashion. These cramped quarters made privacy all but impossible for the passengers, and any contagious sickness would quickly spread through the entire steerage area.
Above: A drawing of the steerage compartment of a ship, showing the cramped and crowded quarters that many immigrants were forced to endure.
Many of the meals in steerage constituted of stale bread, boiled potatoes, and some meat; and was usually leftovers from the first and second class galleys. Some vegetables and fruits were offered as well, but these were usually of a very inferior quality.In the latter part of the century, the ships stewards would provide tin plates, cups, and cutlery for all passengers during the voyage. The steerage passengers were responsible for cleaning their own dishes, and storing them between meals.
Wash rooms and lavatories were invariably far too few, and so small that only a few people could enter at a time, and toiletries such as soap and towels were not provided. The wooden floors were often damp and filthy for the entire length of the voyage.
In the latter part of the 19th century, immigration to America had increased rapidly; but many of the maritime laws that protected passengers travelling on ships had not been enacted yet.
The Pankenier family and thousands of immigrants were forced to endure disgusting and demoralizing conditions for weeks at a time before finally arriving at their destination.
On March 23, 1878 Frederick and his family sailed into New York harbor aboard the cargo ship SS Donau, after nearly three weeks at sea. Included on the passenger list of the Donau are the names of Frederick and Bertha Pankenier, Gottfried and his wife Caroline, and Frederick's younger sister Caroline.
Above: An image taken from the passenger list of the S.S. Donau, with the Pankenier family listed from lines 132-136, starting with 'Fr. Pankenier', Gottfr. Pankenier, Caroline Pankenier, Bertha Pankenier, and finally Gottfried's daughter Caroline.
It's easy to imagine the relief the Pankenier's must have felt when leaving the cargo ship, and perhaps they were filled with nervous excitement about what the 'New World' will offer them in the months to come.