Information on Heinrich Fenrich

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Information on Heinrich Fenrich:

Heinrich Fenrich was a resident of the city of Kirrlach in the Baden-Wurttemburg area of southern Germany before he immigrated to the United States

Having acquired a copy of a ships manifest, we have obtained the following information:

Heinrich Fenrich arrived in America on November 20, 1871 on the German steamship SS Deutschland from the port of Bremen, Germany.
He arrived in the District of New York - Port of New York (before Ellis Island existed).
Heinrich was 21 years old and was listed as a farmer.
He was passenger #263.
The Master of the steamship was H.A.F. Neynabers, who made numerous passages as Captain of the SS Deutschland.

The SS Deutschland - 1866
(click on photo for larger view)

A brief history of the SS Deutschland:

The steamship DEUTSCHLAND was built for Norddeutscher Lloyd by Caird & Co (yard #132), Greenock, Scotland, and was launched on 29 May 1866. 2,947 tons; 99,06 x 12,19 meters/325 x 40 ft (length x breadth); clipper bow, 1 funnel, 2 masts; iron construction, screw propulsion, single inverted engine (1800 psi), service speed 11 knots; accommodation for 60 passengers in 1st class, 120 in 2nd class, and 700 in steerage; crew of 105.

14 October 1866, maiden voyage, Bremen - Southampton - New York. 1869, king Wilhelm of Prussia, Bismarck, Field Marshal v. Moltke and Minister v. Roon, after all of whom later ships were named, breakfasted on board the DEUTSCHLAND in Bremerhaven. 18 January 1874, bound from Bremen and Southampton for New York, lost all propeller blades in lat 46 30 N, lon 41 17 W; towed to Southampton (arrived 27 January) by steamship BRAUNSCHWEIG; 8 February, resumed voyage to New York. 1874, given compound engine: 1500 hp, service speed 13 knots. 6 December 1875, bound from Bremen for Southampton and New York, in heavy storm and fog, driven off course by strong currents and stranded at 5 AM off Kentish Knock, in the estuary of the River Thames. Because of the severity of the storm, it was 24 hours before shore stations became aware of the wreck, and it took another 6 hours before the British paddle-wheel tug LIVERPOOL reached the site and rescued the 173 survivors; 157 others, including the captain, froze to death or drowned when the deck was flooded during high tide.

Sources: Arnold Kludas, Die Seeschiffe des Norddeutschen Lloyd, Bd. 1: 1857 bis 1919 (Herford: Koehler, c1991), pp. 12-13 (photograph); Edwin Drechsel, Norddeutscher Lloyd Bremen, 1857-1970; History, Fleet, Ship Mails, vol. 1 (Vancouver: Cordillera Pub. Co., c1994), pp. 19, no. 14 (photograph), and 21-22; Noel Reginald Pixell Bonsor, North Atlantic Seaway; An Illustrated History of the Passenger Services Linking the Old World with the New (2nd ed.; Jersey, Channel Islands: Brookside Publications), vol. 2 (1978), p. 545. The Focke-Museum, Bremen, also has pictorial information on the wreck of the DEUTSCHLAND.

Why leave Southern Germany?

If they left between 1865 and 1875, they did not come to a country in the middle of its own civil war. The war here was over by April 1865.
The underlying issue here could be L-A-N-D. The dream for soooo many was to own land.
Even though they may have gone to urban areas (many Germans headed for cities), there's evidence in letters home, etc., that when given the chance, they bought farms and settled down.
This period in German history was also one of wars. 1864, Austrian and Prussian War with Denmark, over Denmark's incursion into the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein.
1866: Austria and Prussia's War with each other. Bad news big time for Austria. And since Austria was one of the members of the Confederation attacked by Prussia, Austria asked for (and rec'd) help from the other members. Baden delayed as long as possible in sending troops, but they were sent.
And then there is, of course, the big war with France. The troops went through Baden, if I recall my maps correctly. The first couple of weeks, the war was unpopular, but that changed. Then there was unification.

Contibuted by:
Ruth Kittner
writegrants@yahoo.com

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