An Immigrant Story

Over the course of four decades until his death in 1866, Henry Schaumann was a laborer, craftsman, mechanic, and housewright, a person who built and repaired houses. He knew life as a husband, father, and citizen at different times in two countries. Of temperate disposition, he was of average height for the time, standing 5 feet 6½ inches tall, with dark complexion, grey eyes, and dark hair. Little is known of his youth, except that he was born in Hildesheim, Germany, and spent time at Clauen, near Peine, a small village not far from Hildesheim. Like anyone else, his life was deeply influenced by these places. He left his native country to become part of the melting pot of immigrant America. Facing a difficult and uncertain future in war-torn Germany, Henry joined tens of thousands of his fellow countrymen as they made their way to the ports of Europe in a new wave of migration. Departures of large numbers of young professionals and workers over the next few years seriously depleted the work force of Germany and added significantly to the growth and development of the United States, particularly in regions of the Midwest. The traditions and values they carried with them helped to shape the landscape of 19th Century America. Henry could not have known that the perils of war in Germany would reappear in his life in the form of the American Civil War.