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Berlin's Prussian Legacy, A Woman's
Journey to Texas
During the era of mass emigration, the
territory of Brandenburg was a province of the former Prussian Empire and
stretched from the River Elbe to beyond the Oder River and on, into what
is today, Poland. Most researchers and travelers would agree that Prussian
History is most closely related to Frederick the Great and his summer residence,
the castle and gardens of Sanssouci in Potsdam. The Cecilienhof Palace,
located nearby, should be a requisite for visitors interested in German-American
History. It was here that the Treaty of Potsdam was negotiated between
Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin during the summer of 1945. Today, Potsdam
is the capital of Brandenburg and also home of the Brandenburgische Landeshauptarchiv,
where approximately 36.000 names of (legal) emigrants are registered.
Browsing through these documents reveals the
fact that most of the emigrants were of rural backgrounds. This simple
fact should remind us of the large discrepancy that existed at the time
between the rich and the poor. Most working-class emigrants never rose
to any status that would elicit a claim to fame. One woman, however, has
been portrayed in a recently
published novel. Justina Tubbe was born May 29th, 1795 in the town
of Freyenwalde in northeastern Brandenburg. After the death of her husband
and daughter and her son's emigration to Texas, she had to further endure
the loss of a season's income due to a poor harvest with the flooding of
the nearby Oder River. Instead of succumbing to her fate in Germany, she
decided to pick up what possessions she had left and set out for America
at the ripe old age of sixty with her two sons. On October 6th, 1855 they
boarded the Bremen ship "Tuisko" enroute for New Orleans. Last
records give evidence that in 1860 she was living in Nacodoches, Texas,
where her offspring erected a gravestone marking the site of her burial.
Research and Travel offers:
Guided tours in Germany
Research services for your roots in Germany
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Justina Tubbe, born 1795 in Freyenwalde/ Brandenburg,
died 186? in Nacodoches/Texas
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