Herman’s mother apparently died while giving him birth.

Herman CHRISTIAN is a half-brother of William Gaebe. He immigrated from Bermen to New Orleans, arriving Oct. 13, 1858, with son Carl and daughter Engel. His first and second sons, Heinrich Friedrich (Fred) and Herman Heinrich Wilhelm (William) had already come to the U.S. in 1856. Click on the famiily camera icon to see the Christian Gaebe family names on the passenger list of that vessel — Christian (age 45), Agnes (46), Engel (11) and Carl (9, though by his birth date as listed here he would have been 8).

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 4,701 for Dielingen and Wehdem in 1785. By 1820 the population increased by about 100 individuals to 5,801. Over the next 25 years, from 1820 to 1845, the population grew by 2,406 individuals. With a population of 8,826 the peak was reached in the villages that occupied our present-day area. The increase by 3,525 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 linen-weaving machines soon overwhelmed the cottage industry of handwoven linen. Machine-made goods were produced faster and cheaper and their quality was consistent, checked for certification by the state. To make matters worse, at about the same time, cheraper cotton products also entered the market. All this led to poverty and suffering among the people who had depended on linen-weaving for additional income.

Therefore the "Legge" ( linen market ) closed in Dielingen in 1840. Its importance was gone. 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 by the following numbers from 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 1850s.

Various US states also published promotional literature which described their states in glowing terms and promised land to those willing to immigrate. Then local 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 increased further!

In the 19th century the Stemwede area, governed by the Kingdom of Prussia, bordered the Kingdom of Hanover. This geographic proximity allowed many people to leave without official permission. A short walk took them to the Kingdom of Hanover 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 mostly give 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 in this one small region was about 500 individuals and from 1865 to 1885 about 1100.