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An
Excerpt from the book:
From
Batsch to Trenton – The Trip to America in 1913
by the Lorenz Helleis Family
By Dennis Jacob
Bauer
Copyright © 2004
[This is the story of a family and their
immigration to the United States (Trenton,
NJ) from the town of Batsch,
Austria-Hungary. Lorenz and Barbara Helleis
(nee Plank/Blank) were my paternal great
grandparents. This is their story of
immigration to America in the summer of 1913
and subsequent life in the U.S.A. The
details of their life and trip are based
upon family records, government records,
oral history and a supplemental literature
research. The Lorenz Helleis family
consisted of parents: Lorenz and Barbara
Helleis and children, Maria, Adam, Barbara,
Lorenz, Theresa and Franz.]
Lorenz Helleis was born 24 May 1866 in Batsch,
County of Batschka, Austria-Hungary (then
Hungary) of Nikolaus and Elisabeth Helleis (nee
Ertl). The family name could be found spelled a
number of ways in various documents including;
Helleis, Helleisen, Helleiss and Helleisz.
Although living in Hungary, they were actually
ethnic Germans whose ancestors came from the
Swabia (Germany), Schwarzwald (Germany), Alsace
and Lorraine regions of middle Europe. Batsch
(also spelled Bács and Bać) had a population
of 3,908 during 1913. Of this total
population, 1888 were German, 1,238 Serb, 719
Hungarian and 28 Slovak. The predominate
religion in Batsch at this time was Roman
Catholic ( 3,836 residents). The family would
speak German at home and in the ethnic German
community. However, Hungarian eventually became
the language of the government, the military and
the church records.
Lorenz, like most young men of the time (ages
20-36), had to serve in the Austro-Hungarian
military. His tour of military duty began about
1886 in a cavalry unit (Hussars). His uniform
consisted of a helmet, shakos, czapkas, blue
tunics and red trousers. His regiment would have
been made up of six squadrons with 900 horses.
The unit was probably headquartered in Budapest,
Hungary. The Hungarian Hongvéd military unit
included ten Hussar regiments. While on military
leave in Batsch, Lorenz married Magdalena Walter
on 19 November 1889. She was the daughter of
Adam and Regina Walter (nee Link) and was from
the nearby village to the east, Hodschag. She
died shortly thereafter on 26 July 1890 in
Batsch. They had no children.
Lorenz then married Barbara Blank in the Roman
Catholic Church in Batsch on 29 September 1890.
She was born 16 April 1871 in the nearby village
to the west, Plavna, of Josef and Margaretha
Blank (nee Pertl/Bertl). They had the following
children: Maria born 30 August 1891; Adam born 9
November 1893; Barbara born 11 March 1896;
Lorenz born 12 March 1899; Theresa born 16 April
1904 and, Franz born 17 June 1910.
On 31 December 1908 Lorenz was awarded the
Austro-Hungarian “Medal of The Armed Forces
Jubilee”. He had served in the military for 10
years with the Imperial-Royal Hussar 8th
Regiment and two years in the Hungarian-Royal
Hussar 8th Regiment. Lorenz had become a
farmer and owned a tavern (Wirtshaus) in Batsch
at this time. The family lived in the
Marktplatz section of Batsch.
Lorenz, Jr. served as an apprentice tailor from
April 1911 to June 1913. On 17 June 1913 he was
issued his tailoring certificate from the
Alexander Vinkovics Trade School.
Several fellow Batschers had already immigrated
to Trenton, New Jersey (NJ), U.S.A. by the time
Lorenz and family decided to immigrate to
America. He then made application for a family
emigration passport in 1913. Lorenz’s passport
to emigrate from Austria-Hungary to America was
made 16 April 1913 and approved 20 May 1913 in
Novi Sad, Batschka. The family member names
appeared as follows on the passport; Lörincz,
Barbala, Barbala, Lörincz, Tereza and Ferenz
Helleisz. There were a number of reasons to
leave Batschka for America during this time
period. These included the poor economic
conditions in the country; high taxes; mandatory
two years of active military duty with an
additional ten years of reserve military status
for young men; and, the subdivision of farms
into smaller and smaller units making it harder
and harder to make a living as a farmer. In
addition, the 1912-13 Balkan War was in progress
between the Serb, Montenigrin, Greeks, Romanian
and Turk armies and that of the Bulgarians.
During this time period steam ship lines and
manufacturers from many American cities sent
agents to towns like Batsch in order to recruit
factory workers for jobs in the States. The
agents offered the prospect of a better life in
America and of wages four times that of
Austria-Hungary. Also to be considered was that
manufacturing employment was year round verses
the seasonal farm labor for the Batscher farmer.
These agents could now offer relatively cheap
ticket fares (about 90 crowns/$35) due to steam
liner price wars at the time. The tickets
included transportation to the port city,
minimum stay in the port city, necessary health
checks and other travel arrangements.
Adam Helleis, age 19, was the first of the
Helleis family to make the trip to America. In
the early spring of 1913 he traveled from Batsch
to a port in Northern Germany. He would board
the S.S. Caledonia with $36. The ship stopped
first in Glasgow, Scotland and on 5 May 1913 it
left Glasgow. It would arrive at Ellis Island,
New York City on 12 May 1913. The ship manifest
listed him as Adam Helleiss, a laborer, a Magyar
(Hungarian), speaking German and from 521 Bacs
(Batsch). However, he was deported back to
Batsch according to family members when he
answered the “work question” incorrectly upon
arrival at the Ellis Island immigration center.
A copy of the ship passenger list reflects this
as “Deported” and is stamped next to Adam’s
name. He returned to the Batsch and lived with
his sister Maria and her family.
During the early summer of 1913 the Helleis
family, consisting of Lorenz (age 41), Barbara
(age 42), Barbara (age 21), Lorenz (age 14),
Theresa (age 9) and young Franz (age 2),
traveled from Batsch to Hamburg, Germany
probably by train for their immigration to
Trenton, New Jersey in the United States of
America. The non-Germans in transit to the
northern ports were not allowed to leave the
train while in Germany until they arrived.
Trains brought the immigrants directly to the
Auswandererhallen on Veddel Island in Hamburg.
Most prospective emigrants would receive their
first of many medical exams at the German
border.
Recently married daughter Maria Helleis Eisele
remained in Batsch with her husband Josef and
brother, Adam. Josef and Maria would have two
children, Josef, Jr. and Anna. The Eiseles would
maintain the homestead for a future return by
her father, Lorenz and family. It was Lorenz’s
plans to earn enough money in the States in
order to retire comfortably back in Batsch.
The processing facility in Hamburg was the
stopover before boarding their ship to America
and temporary housing for up to 5,000 emigrants.
A one-way ticket would have cost about $35 per
adult (equivalent to $650 today) and about $17
for children under 12 such as Theresa and
Franz. Here the Helleis’ were registered after
presenting their papers, had their luggage
tagged and stored while they were bathed and
were examined by medical staff on the “unclean
side” of the facility. All immigrants’ clothing
would have to be disinfected as a health
precaution. If necessary, immigrants would be
quarantined here, otherwise they were moved to
the “clean side” of the facility to wait for
their ship. Their stay here could have lasted
from a day to several weeks. The facility
contained a dining hall, recreation hall and
courtyard and several churches of different
denominations. Up to 20 people occupied each
sleeping ward within the facility. The quarters
were divided into ethnic sections in order to
accommodate the immigrants from the same
country.
Once their ship was ready to embark, the Helleis’
would walk to the actual dock two miles away in
single file carrying their life’s belongings.
Their tickets were probably pinned to their hat
or coat to prevent losing them and aid in
processing them at the ship. They would never
actually see the main city of Hamburg during
their brief stay. The ship passenger list
indicated that the “Helleisz” family was Magyar
(Hungarian), spoke German and came from the town
of Bacs (Batsch) in Bacs Bodrog Megyes.
On 2 July 1913 the Helleis family left the port
of Hamburg aboard the S.S. Graf Waldersee for
the port of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PA). The
ship proceeded down the Elbe River from the port
to the North Sea, then into the Atlantic Ocean.
The ship could carry 162 first class, 184 second
class and 2200 third class or steerage
passengers. The trip would be a direct one,
unlike that of Adam’s. Lorenz had $300 on his
person when he boarded the Waldersee according
to the ship’s manifest. The Helleis family was
sponsored by the St. Francis Roman Catholic
Church in Trenton, NJ and friend, Adam Majofsky
of Williamstown, NJ. The passenger conditions in
steerage were far from comfortable, especially
in the July heat and close quarters with sea
sick individuals. Hundreds of steerage
passengers were crowded below deck like cattle.
Many found it better to sleep on deck instead of
below decks in the crowded and smelly confined
quarters of steerage. The living conditions for
first and second class passengers were certainly
far better. Those of steerage were not allowed
to socialize with those of second and first
class status. During the voyage an ash from the
ship smoke stack blew into one of mother
Barbara’s eyes. She was blinded in this eye for
life.
The S.S. Graf Waldersee had a maximum speed of
13 ˝ knots, which resulted in a twelve days’
trip across the Atlantic Ocean to their new
home. They first arrived at a quarantine station
at Marcus Hook, NJ for State and Federal medical
examinations. This facility was about 20 miles
down the Delaware River from the actual port of
Philadelphia, PA. Having passed this inspection
the Helleis family arrived in the port of
Philadelphia on 14 July 1913. Upon arrival the
family would have had to be screened by more
U.S. Immigration Officers at the Washington
Avenue wharves. This would have been their third
medical exam. The Helleis family members would
have had to answer questions again on mental
health, politics, birthplace, native tongue,
race, diseases, education, etc. Having done so
they were probably greeted by their sponsor and
fellow Batscher, Adam Majofsky. He took them to
their new home of nearby Trenton, NJ about 30
miles up river from Philadelphia. The Delaware
River divides the State of NJ from that of PA.
Here Lorenz Helleis found work as a trucker at a
wire factory in Trenton. Their first home in
Trenton was at 711 Anderson Street. This was an
already established German-Hungarian
neighborhood in southwest Trenton near the
Delaware River. The NJ State and Federal
censuses confirm this. Many of their
neighbors were from the Batschka area, if not
from Batsch itself. Trenton had a relatively
large immigrant population from the nearby
Batschka town of Palanka. In addition, there
were several pockets of German-Hungarian
immigrants across the river in Bucks County, PA
during this time.
At the time there were a number of
German-Hungarian social clubs in Trenton such as
the Aurora, Arbeiter, Banater, German-Hungarian
Singing club, etc. The clubs offered familiar
social and cultural events. In addition, they
helped the new arrivals become established in
their newly adopted homeland. In most cases the
German-Hungarian immigrants would work,
socialize, shop and worship together within a
few blocks of their homes. The majority of
German-Hungarians could not afford to buy a home
and rented row homes or part of one within their
ethnic neighborhood.
From 1913 to 1924 the Helleis’ lived in Trenton.
The Helleis’ would attend St. Francis Roman
Catholic Church on West Front Street and
Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church on
Chestnut Avenue. These churches also had their
own ethnic cemeteries such as Holy Sepulchre and
Our Lady of Lourdes. Many of these Pre-World War
I and Post-World War I German-Hungarians
immigrants are buried in these cemeteries. Like
many of the German-Hungarian immigrant children,
the Helleis children would attend parochial
school at Immaculate Conception in Trenton and
learn to speak English. Lorenz filled out the
mandatory World War I draft registration in 1917
and was listed as an “Alien” on the form.
Since he was from Austria-Hungary, an enemy of
the United States, he could not file for
citizenship at this time and had to wait until
the war was over. On 6 February 1919 Lorenz
filed a “Declaration of Intention” for U.S.
naturalization. He then filed a “Petition for
Naturalization” on 10 November 1921. The family
had moved to 628 Division Street in Trenton by
this time. Lorenz was finally granted his U.S.
citizenship on 11 March 1922 in Trenton, NJ. At
his time he was working as a farm laborer in
Mercer County, NJ after being laid off at the
wire mill.
After the end of World War I and the defeat of
the Germans and Austro-Hungarians by the Allied
Forces, the term “Donauschwaben” (“Danube
Swabian” in English) was coined to describe the
German-Hungarians from the Danube River basin of
Hungary, Yugoslavia and Romania.
The Helleis children would marry fellow
Donauschwaben also from the Batschka. Barbara
Helleis would marry Andrew Majofsky of Bukin in
1919. Lorenz (Lawrence) Helleis would marry
Helen Keller of Batsch in 1917. Theresa Helleis
would marry Jacob Bauer of Palanka in 1923 and
Franz (Frank) Helleis would marry Katharina Maas
in 1935. Her parents, Jacob and Apollonia
Kuhnert Maas, were from Hodschag and Batsch.
The Helleis’ re-located across the Delaware
River to nearby Falls Township, Bucks County, PA
in 1924. Here Lorenz would rent the Balderson
farm on Tyburn Road. At this time Lorenz was
earning only $200/year as a tenant farmer. They
would attend Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church
in nearby Morrisville, PA.
Fellow countrymen, Christian Bauer (father of
Jacob Bauer above), originally from Palanka, and
Casper Beffert, from Cseb, had already
established farms across the road, having moved
from Trenton earlier. Their farm produce was
sold at the Trenton Farmer’s Market. Bauer and
Helleis would also sell homemade Donauschwaben
sausages door to door in Trenton during the fall
of each year. Lorenz would send monies back to
son in-law and daughter, Josef and Maria Eisele
in Batsch in order to help maintain the original
homestead.
Lorenz retired from farming in 1934. He died at
home in Falls Township on 8 January 1938. He
was buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery outside
Trenton. The pallbearers at his funeral were;
Christian Bauer, Joseph Majofsky, Jacob Maas,
John Fuchs, Joseph Kuhn and Matthew Hahn. Lorenz
would never return home to Batsch as planned.
Barbara would live with daughters Theresa Bauer
in Fallsington, PA and then Barbara Majofsky in
Trenton, NJ until her death on 5 June 1957.
Barbara was also buried in Holy Sepulchre
Cemetery.
**********
Published at
DVHH.org 01 Jan 2009, contributed by Dennis J.
Bauer |
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