[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Re: Leaving Volhynia for USA

William Remus remus at cba.hawaii.edu
Tue Jul 1 18:07:54 PDT 2003


> Our grandfather, Frederich Johann Weich, was born in Peresolup, served in the 
> Russian army fighting the Turks.  He came home on leave saying he could not 
> stand anymore bloodshed. Grandmother packed his clothes and he left for the USA 
> in 1888.   He didn't seem to have any trouble but of course he was AWOL.  

(Peresolup=Presslup near Sapust in Volhynia)

Because of the laws of Russia, many of our ancesters and their 
sons were drafted into the Army. It was a terrible life in the army 
and part of the reason many left. In the Lehmann family case, the 
boys came home for Christmas 1891, and the whole family took off 
in dogsleds crossing over the border (the sons were AWOL and 
subject to death if found). The Remus family left by wagon; August 
Remus was a cartmaker. Some got on the train in Kostopol, 
Volhynia.

At some point the train was part of the journey to Hamburg, For 
example, August Remus sold his wagons as soon as he crossed 
the border into Germany.

> Grandmother sold their farm, paying someone to get her, her three children and 
> her elderly mother, safely across the border.  We have never heard of the Jewish 
> underground, have no idea how she got to Hamburg.   She  sailed on the SS 
> City of New York  from Hamburg to Liverpool, England and then on to the USA.
  
The British ship lines made a lot of money transporting our 
ancesters to America. They would pick immigrants up at a port like 
Hamburg or Danzig or Gottenburg, and take them to Hull on the 
east coast of England. Then a train across England to Liverpool on 
the west coast of England. From Liverpool, there were lots of ships 
going to places like the US, Canada, and  Australia. 

Regards Bill Remus


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 William Remus, Professor of Information Technology Management    
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For Information on and Applications for the CIS Doctoral Program      
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