Apparently William was the first of his family to leave Germany for America, later joined by several siblings. See below for more, for Forces That Pushed People To Emigrate, and for Coming to America!!

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In 1887, along with their first four children, all sons, William and Wilhelmina moved to New Salem, North Dakota, where they bore three daughters. They moved together with the Henry Holle (married to William’s sister) and William Tellman families. The Klusmans and the Holles lived together that first North Dakota winter, then each built their own home on their own quarter section of land. The Klusmans farmed until 1909 when they retired and built a house in New Salem. When William died, his obituary in the New Salem Journal said “Mr. Klusman was highly esteemed in the community and his work has contributed toward its upbuilding and stands as a tribute to a worthy life.”

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From a booklet created for a Klusmann famiily reunion in New Salem on June 18-19, 2005.

William Fredrick Klusmann (some German church records have recorded his name as Friedrich Wilhelm) was born in Barkhousen, Germany on September 7, 1850, the son of J. Heinrich and Maria (Brandhorst) Klusmann. He came to America in 1869 at the age of 19 years. He worked in Addieville, Illinois, until his marriage in 1875 to Wilhelmina Meyer. Wilhelmina was born on December 4, 1854 in Addieville, Illinois. William had two brothers: Charles, who moved to New Salem in 1900, and Fredrick William, who remained in Mexico, Missouri. He also had two sisters, Caroline (Mrs. Henry Holle Sr.) and Dorothea (Mrs. Doepke).

In 1887 William and Wilhelmina, with their four young sons (Henry, Fred, John, and Charley) along with the Henry Holly family, came to farm north of New Salem. The Klusmann and Holle families lived together in a three-room house the first winter while they each built a house and started a farmstead on a quarter of land that each homesteaded. On the Klusmann farm three daughters were born Caroline, Minette, and Emma whose twin died at birth. All of the Klusmann children grew up on the farm and remained in the community. Henry married Emma Holle, Fred married Katharine Poehler, John married Elizabeth Rusch, and Charley married Meta Schwarting. They each established a home of their own in the nearby community. Emma did not marry. Caroline (Carrie) married William Deming and Minette (Nettie) married Ferd Ellwein. They established homes of their own in New Salem.
 
In 1909 the Klusmanns retired from active farming and built a house in New Salem. When William died on December 12, 1918, the following appeared in the New Salem Journal:
 
“Mr. Klusmann was one of the pioneers of this locality coming here in 1887. He prospered and helped build up a prosperous community. In 1909 he retired and built a comfortable home in the northwest portion of New Salem where he and his family has resided since. Mr. Klusmann was highly esteemed in the community and his work has contributed toward its up building and stands as a tribute to a worthy life.”
 
William's wife, Wilhelmina, continued to live in the family home until her death on January 25, 1922.

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Forces That Pushed People To Emigrate

The information presented here comes from old issues of "Heimat-Blaetter fuer die Grafschaft Diepholz “ (Regional Pages for the County Diepholz ) and concerns villages near Bielefeld, Germany. It was compiled by a Wilhelm F. Niermann (address 32351 Stemwede-Wehdem Germany), date unknown. See this website: http://www.stemwedegenealogy.com/StemwedeEmigrantDatabase.pdf

The only reference from the 18th century cites a population of 4701 for Dielingen and Wehdem in 1785. By 1820 the population increased by about 100 individuals to 5801. Over the next 25 years, from 1820 to 1845, the population grew by 2406 individuals. With a population of 8826 the peak was reached in the villages that occupied our present-day area. The increase by 3525 people over 63 years, from 1785 to 1848, is a growth of 75%.

This development was due to a better standard of living brought on by an increased demand for woven linen. About three-quarters of the population were involved in growing flax and in weaving of linen. For most people who farmed for a livelihood the weaving of linen became an additional income. The coming of the weaving machine spelled their doom.

Used first in England and later in Bielefeld, Germany, the cottage industry with its handwoven product no longer could compete with machine-woven linen. Machine-made goods were produced faster, cheaper and their quality was consistent. The demand for hand-woven linen quickly declined. To make matters worse, about the same time cotton products entered the market at a cheaper price as well. The low price offered for hand-woven linen led to poverty and suffering among the people who had depended on this additional income.

With the demand gone, the "Legge" (linen market ) in Dielingen closed in 1840. Its importance was gone. At markets like this the quality and size of the product was checked for certification by the state. Though the linen market continued in Wehdem a few more years, the statement appears in 1847 that the "Legge" there no longer attracted as many people as before. (Source : Karl Hamer, " Evidence of population movement in the Districts of Dielingen and Wehdem", in Diepholzer Heimat-Blaetter.)

The distressing conditions in the area are revealed in a few numbers for the year 1847: In Wehdem 67 poor children and two old widows received free lunch for five months. Many children were boarded. To feed the needy in Westrup 7 Reichstaler, 17 Silbergroschen and 9 Pfennig were raised monthly for six months. In Oppendorf 25 children were fed for four months and in Oppenwehe 34 children for six months. The Prussian government contributed 580 Reichstaler toward the support. 1 T(h)aler = 30 Silbergroschen = 360 Pfennig. See: Fritz Verdenhalven : Alte Masse, Muenzen und Gewichte aus dem deutschen Sprachgebiet. Neustadt an der Aisch, Germany, Verlag Degener & Co. 1968 .

An area with thriving cottage industry of flax cultivation, spinning and weaving had become a poorhouse!!!

When crops also failed in these already hard times, it only added to the discontent of the people. Many began to leave the area, and emigration to America increased in the 1850's.

Individual states in the US sent promotional literature which described their states in glowing terms and promised land to those willing to immigrate. Soon there were emigration offices in Germany offering help with the required paperwork and the purchase of tickets for the passage. They were not allowed to recruit but be could of assistance if asked.

A few examples of the emigration from the former district of Wehdem:
1841 : 23 individuals
1842 : 33 individuals
1847 : 3 families and 17 single individuals
1848 : 3 families and 45 single individuals
1856 : 44 individuals
1859 : 96 individuals
1860 : 6 families and 40 single individuals
1861 : 41 individuals

In the 1880's emigration picked up again!

In the 19th century, the area called Stemwede, governed by the Kingdom of Prussia, bordered the Kingdom of Hannover. This geographic proximity allowed many people to leave without official permission. A short walk took them to the Kingdom of Hannover where, without further difficulties, they continued to the emigration ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven. Since mandatory military service was lengthy in Prussia, men of military age had another reason to leave.

The number of emigrants who left without official permission was as high if not higher than the number of those who left with official sanction. Today the lists found in the archives give mostly names of those who emigrated with permission. The names of young men obligated to military service are found in the old military records with the names of those who left illegally and who were sentenced in absentia. The total population loss from 1845 to 1864 was about 500 individuals and from 1865 to 1885 about 1100.

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Coming to America from a booklet created for a Klusmann reunion in New Salem on June 18-19, 2005.

By far the largest number of German immigrants went to America in search of an improved standard of living. Political and religious freedom probably motivated fewer emigrants than did the threat of Prussian military service. We do know that ever since the 18° century, detailed information about American business cycles, wages, and food prices was publicized in Germany.

In a broader sense, economic and political motivation cannot be separated. As a matter of fact, when the decision to emigrate was motivated by a desire to become a farmer with one's own land or a craftsman with one's own business, this also implied a rejection of the rigidity of the social class structure in the German states. A German official stated that “emigrams were infected with the disease of a concept of freedom and an idea about statehood and that emigration fever was making the ‘lower class’ rebellious.”

Emigrant groups who left the Old World in the 18° and early 19* centuries were also religiously motivated. In the intolerant environment of Europe, they had not been permitted to shape their own community life. In addition, wheat crop failures, poor wine harvests and a potato blight made for more misery.

The dream of most German immigrants in the 18‘ and 19 centuries was the debt-free ownership of a farm. Some would take up residence in a city first to build up savings of $50 to $150. Around 1850 in the Midwest this sum was suffcient for a down payment on a farm of about 40 acres, which was about the size needed to make a living. In addition, the immigrant needed about $500 to acquire implements, cattle and seed grains, as well as food that would last until the first harvest. The minimal amount of money needed to start a family farm on the western prairies around 1870 was a team of horses, a plow and other field implements as well as seed grain, which together cost about $1200. That was more than the average annual income of a factory worker.

The decade of 1880-89 saw 1,445,181 German immigrants come to the US, more than any other decade from 1820 to 1990.

Why people would leave a home land in search of freedom is a fascinating story. Our ancestors were part of that story, people who took risks to find a new beginning.