German immigration to the United States for the O’Day (Odoj), Kusch, Oertel and Baumann families occurred during the Deutsches Reich (1871 to 1943) while the German term Deutsches Kaiserreich was used unofficially to describe Germany specifically during the years, 1871–1918. The direct translation of Deutsches Reich into English is "German Empire". The Kingdom of Prussia dominated northern Germany politically, economically, and in terms of population, and was the core of the unified North German Confederation formed in 1867, which became part of the
German Empire in 1871. The importance of Prussia is a factor in understanding the immigration of the Baumann family.
Crossing the Atlantic in iron steamships was enticed by transatlantic steamship companies and railroad companies which distributed brochures and posters in many languages throughout the United States and Europe to drum up business. They painted a rosy picture of employment opportunities and quality of life in America.
U. S. Immigration required ships to compile detailed manifests for all passengers landing in America. Each numbered manifest sheet had room for thirty names, and each immigrant was assigned a passenger number from one to thirty. Information on each passenger was record in the columns to the right of his name, for example: age, sex, occupation, country where he was a citizen, intended destination, whether he is in transit or permanent, location of his space or berth on the ship, number of bags, port of embarkation, and date and cause of death if one died en route. Crossing in an iron steamship took six to twelve days. Most immigrants booked into the less expensive ‘steerage' class, which cost at least $25. This was about two or three week’s wages for a coal miner. Each steerage passenger was assigned a numbered metal berth, a canvas or burlap mattress stuffed with hay or seaweed, a life preserver which doubled as a pillow, and a tin pail and utensils for meals, which were often served from a huge tank. The bunks were typically stacked two high and two side by side and a compartment might accommodate 100 to 400 or more passengers. Before 1906, an alien could become a citizen by merely taking an oath. But after 1906, federal laws required a candidate to appear before a court, to prove he could speak English and to answer questions on American history, civics, and the Constitution. But American women who married aliens automatically became aliens; even if they remained in the U. S. Also, from 1790-1940, children under age twenty-one automatically became naturalized citizens upon the naturalization of their father. (This will play a part in our family’s immigration).
During this period, many of the Germans settled in the Midwest with a great majority concentrated in a belt which begins in Pennsylvania and runs west through Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakotas. It was the natural thing for the German to choose his home in these and other states north of the Mason-Dixon Line. The South would be ruled out of the thinking of many a German as a possible place of residence during this period, because there he would have to compete with slave labor, and on the land market he would be in competition with wealthy plantation owners. Furthermore, they were unfamiliar with the raising of cotton and torrid summers of our Southern states.
With this information known, we will attempt to follow the travels of the Odoj, Kusch, Oertel, and Baumann familes.
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