Another source shows his birthdate as January 1, 1844. Still another source says December 6, 1843.

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

Henry Holle, Sr. was born on January 14, 1844 in Germany. In 1863, he left Germany and came to the Untied States. First he went to Pennsylvania, then on to Fort Wayne, Indiana, then to Washington, Illinois, and to Addieville, Illinois. He married Engel Gaebe in 1867. Three children were born to them. One died in infancy. Fred Holle was born March 27, 1874 and John Holle was born on November 18, 1879. In July of 1880, Henry’s wife, Engel, died leaving him with two small children.

On September 23, 1881 he married Caroline Klusmann, daughter of J. Heinrich Klusmann and Maria (Brandhorst) Klusmann. She was born on January 17, 1857 in Germany and came to Illinois with her mother and sister in 1880. Her father had passed away in Germany. Children born to them were Minnie (Mrs. Wm. Kroeger) in 1882, Henry in 1884, Charles in 1886, and Louise in 1894, who died in infancy.

In 1887 Henry and Caroline moved to Morton County, ND, and homesteaded six miles north of New Salem. In the spring of that year, Henry Holle, William Tellmann, William Klusmann and Henry Tellmann had come to look at the area, leaving their families in Illinois. They left with a box car of furniture and each a team of horses. A time went by and the families received no word from their husbands and fathers. This caused worry, since the neighbors in Illinois were sure the travelers had been scalped by Indians. Mail traveled slowly at that time. Later the women and children were able to join their husbands and fathers.

The Klusmanns and Holles lived in one house for the first winter. In 1889 they were told the Indians were coming. They had prepared to go to the Moltzen Hill to fight. They went to the Max Schulz place (where Robert Gaebe now lives) taking their families in a wagon box along with blankets and quilts. They waited there but the Indians did not come.

In 1909 they built a home in New Salem and Henry Holle, Jr. took over the farm. Henry Sr. passed away in September, 1936 at the age of 92. Mrs. Holle remained in the home until 1943 when she went to live with her children. She passed away in December, 1947 at the home Fred Holle. She lived to be 90 years, 11 months. They were members of Peace Church.

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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 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 ) closed in Dielingen 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.
The individual states of the US in promotional literature described their states in glowing terms and promised land to those willing to immigrate. Emigration offices opened which offered 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 Stemwede area, 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.