Charting the Immigration Path

Charts are always helpful.

Between the early 1860s and 1903, nineteen descendants of Jurgen Ehmen Tonjes (1778 Wrisse-1850 Wrisse) and Frauke Eilers (1780 Holtrop, Ostfriesland-1857 Wrisse) immigrated from Wrisse, Ostfriesland, Germany. Immigration began with their adult children Tonjes Jurgen Ehmen (1805 Wrisse-1864 Illinois, USA) and Antje Jurgens (Ehmen) Albers (1811 Wrisse-1896 New Mexico) and their families. They left one surviving brother in Ostfriesland, Johann Luken Jurgens Ehmen Goldenstein (1814 Wrisse-1891 Wrisse).

Immigration continued in the 1860s-1880s with seven of Johann’s children–all surnamed Goldenstein–arriving in the United States and initially settling in Adams County, Illinois, where their uncle and aunt had settled.  By the time the younger Goldenstein children arrived in Illinois, their aunt and uncle’s families had moved into Nebraska, Colorado, and New Mexico, but their own siblings were still in Illinois to help them become established. Two of Johann’s sons, Jurgen (1847 Wrisse-1907 Wrisse) and Johann (1862 Wrisse-1922 Wrisse) remained in Germany raising their own families.

Later two sons of Jurgen, Jann and Focke, would immigrate.  Jann originally settled in Dawson County, Nebraska, where his Ehmen cousins lived and lived for some time in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his Albers cousins lived. Focke initially settled in Hancock County, Illinois, where several of his Goldenstein aunts and uncles lived. He later moved to Nebraska.

In order to track all their immigrations and organize the search process, a chart was created. Part of the chart is used as an illustration for this post–some columns have been omitted in order to save space.

Those familiar with Ostfriesen naming systems are aware that in some families patronymics was still being practiced somewhat informally during the time some of these individuals were born. Tonjes Jurgens Ehmen (born in 1805) is sometimes referred to with the last name of Ehmen, Jurgens, and Goldenstein. Searches for him and his children’s passenger lists manifests are not yet complete as all name variants have not yet been searched. They are believed to have been the first of this family to immigrate.

Color coding the families on the chart could be helpful as well.