German Immmigration to Hawai

SECTION 2: My connection to German Immigration to Hawai-C.W. Grote

Conrad Wilhelm Grote
The story of his life, written by him in German and translated by his youngest daughter, Henriette Amalie, and her husband, Paul O.E. Rutsch

I was born at Tonnenheide, district Rahden, County Lubbeke, governmental district Minden, on the 16th of April 1858, at night 1:30, under the constellation Aries, planet Mars, in a house located between sand hills and meadows, near a canal which contained fine fish. My father was a master shoemaker, but also had cows and land enough for the family to live on, and low land for vegetables, rye, wheat, oats, and barley. My father's mother sat most of the time at the spinning wheel and also took care of the children, and usually chewed bread rinds. Evenings we boys had to peel potatoes and when we fell asleep my father, who was working in his shop, threw his cap at us.

I have to mention here that my mother was the second wife and there were three boys by the first wife. My grandmother's name was Elizabeth and my mother's Caroline. Her parents had died early and therefore she had a meager existence in her youth. There were also two sisters, Marie, 51/2 years and Sophia 71/2 years old. They contracted scarlet fever and both died within a week and were buried on the same day. I was accused of having been very nasty to the two sisters. Once I had to pasture two cows and they ran away from me and went into the cabbage patch. My mother gave me a hefty whack on the head. That was the first and the last! I didn't need any more....

Now the story of the fish from the river flowing through our meadows. My father had caught some fine pikes which my grandmother volunteered to clean, and as pikes have very sharp teeth, my grandmother carelessly got her finger caught in the fish's mouth, so that a tailor who happened to be present had to liberate the finger with his scissors.
In those days tailors went from house to house and made men's and women's clothing for the inhabitants of the villages. There were not many inhabitants. Our house was some distance from the main village which lay on the main highway from Rahden to Minden. Minden is a fortress.

One day my parents went to visit their sister and brother-in-law Conrad Behring at Oppenwehe and at the same time they bought a house from a Mr. Wietelman, made a down payment of 800 hard coin dollars and soon we settled in the new home. A canal flowed past near the house and there were pastures for the cattle.
My grandmother soon got sick and died. The pastor came to the house, gave a sermon, and many people went to the funeral. A choir of school children stopped at every house on the road and sang a stanza of the hymn, Jesus Meine Zuversicht. At the church yard the bell was rung, another sermon, three shovels of earth, "From earth did you come, to earth must you return", the grave was filled, and home to a funeral repast.
I was baptized in the church at Rahden, and registered in the Church Book. Oppenwehe belongs to the church in Weden, to which four villages belong.
The first winter in the new house we had a severe storm which blew down the half-finished massive gable and would have blown off the whole roof if the straw had not held it.
My father now bought another meadow and some peat land in addition. That created debt and led to retrogression because interest had to be paid. My father's business did not flourish in this poor region, with houses far apart.

It took me an hour to go to school. When I was eight years old, a rich farmer came to the house and wanted me to go to school with his son, and as my parents had enough children they consented and I was satisfied with the arrangement. In the big farm house I found it good, but the school master was a drinker and therefore hard on the children. His brandy he kept in the corner cupboard and as we had to clean the school every Friday, we boys decided to throw his brandy out and then we pretended to be drunk. However, nothing came of it after that.
When the farmer's boy got into mischief I always had to lie for him, to get him out of it.
After 21/2 years the farmer got sick and died and I had to leave and was then one year at home.
I was about 51/2 years old when my right nostril was filled with a polyp(growth). They took me to Dr. Brill in Wagenfeld, who cut it out with scissors, without anesthetic. (It was not known yet).
When I was 11 years old came Mr. Carl Forster from Oppenwehe and wanted me. Then I was sent there, to my satisfaction, especially as I stayed in the same school, where for 2 years I was the best student in a two-room school.
Mrs. Forster was of the family Hesemeier, of No. 4 Oppenwehe. They had a daughter who went after me with a broom, of course playfully. When I was sent anywhere from the school, I got a piece of bread and butter; that was a pleasure!
Mrs. Hesemeier was a widow and her son Wilhelm managed the property, which was quite extensive.

Mrs. Forster, the daughter of Hesemeier, got sick during my last school year and after about six months illness and the use of very bitter medicine, succumbed to the illness and we had to bury her, and not long after that Mrs. Forster's sister(who was engaged) contacted the black pox connected with stubborn constipation to which she finally succumbed and Mr. Forster and I alone had to bury her. Nobody else would attend. The grave digger ran far away because of fear of infection; and then he got the pox, but survived. During all this sickness I had to take care of the animals on the farm--feed them, etc.

Then came the time for confirmation. Hesemeiers took me along in their wagon to the church in Wehdem. But on the way back home I already felt as though I was flying in the air and the next morning I was full of fever, ran away with the bed covers because I thought the house was on fire. Thus the pox! Although I had been 3 times vaccinated, I still had caught the small pox!
Then they put me on a wagon and brought me to my parents. There they painted me all over with coal tar and then I slowly got better. But that was not the end of it. My mother had already injured her knee in a fall while I was running away with the bed covers; then she caught the smallpox and when she recovered my father got it. By that time I was well enough so that I could take over slowing and planting while my father ran after me in a fever, to tell me how to do it. The crops all grew and we had a good harvest. That was my last year at home. I then went abroad to Dortmund and stayed on a big farm for about 5 months. There it was up at 4 o'clock in the morning, feed animals, eat milk soup with white bread, then out into the fields till noon, then work on a new house. Evenings somebody usually played the harmonica.

At the Union Dortmunder Hutte, A Factory Producing Raw Steel and Finished Machinery
When we started the journey two other men and I left the house at 5 o'clock in the evening, went via Rahden Diesenau to Minden, where we arrived at six o'clock in the morning, had our breakfast, and traveled by railroad via Bielefeld to Dortmund, the old capitol of the former kingdom of Westphalia, where Napoleon's brother was king for a year. Around Dortmund there are many coal mines, therefore the big iron works near by. The river Ruhr flows by. The old fortifications were razed in 1873, except for a small remnant. The nearest railroad station to Dortmund is called "The Red Earth". There still stands the Fehm Linden Tree and the cave where in olden days the people took the law into their own hands. They judged the transgressors and executed the judgment on the spot.

Off to Bremen
I left then to go to Bremen, found employment in a shoemaker business which work was not exactly unfamiliar to me and it helped my to get acquainted in the city of Bremen until I found better employment. In that I was successful with a certain Captain Geerken, for office and everything else. This was Captain Geerken, Bornstrasse 22. As shown by a letter written later, this street does not exist any more. Here now a new life began again. Office work, painting, gardening, serving, traveling interpreter to Bremerhaven to show ships that were for sale. On these occasions I came in contact with many foreign captains and also learned much about ships and harbor arrangements. Captain Geerken lived up to his 85th year. His death came as a result of catching cold at a funeral.

There I had the opportunity to broaden my knowledge, In that I was allowed to attend night school three times a week at "Verein Vorwarts". I studied again penmanship, arithmetic, German, English, and bookkeeping. I was allowed the time but had to pay myself; I also got time to learn book binding, but that was policy. I had then to bind all music, etc. without pay, for Miss Geerken's music instructor, Mr. Krause. I did it gladly, for the experience. Miss Geerken always practiced piano diligently when Mr. Geerken went to the stock exchange from 12 to 1:30. At 2 o'clock we had lunch and at 3:30 coffee. Then we had to work till 5 or 6 and at 9 o'clock. We had supper, but only tea and sandwiches of different kinds--cheese and so on.

In the morning at 6 o'clock we got up. My room was 2 stories up, under the wood and peat attic. That was a practical arrangement, namely, there was a chute where one threw wood and peat down to the kitchen. Coal was kept in a glass grape house. In the spring I had to fix up the flower beds and lawn. Sometimes a load of manure was ordered for the rose beds, namely moss roses. We also had June roses and rhododendrons, and a big Pergamott pear tree. This fruit is best suited for preserving. Some of them were preserved in Arrack and sent to Metanzas in Cuba.

Off to Hawaii
Once when I applied at the bank as "Kassenbote", 99 others had applied at the same time and I was not successful. But as now the time arrived when I had to earn more, Captain Geerken recommended me to Paul Isenberg, who lived in Bremen at the time, and who needed people for plantations on Hawaii. At that time I was 23 years old. A great number of people were hired in contract to go to the different plantations in Hawaii. These were transported on the steamer EHRENFELS from Bremen to Honolulu. In Lihue there arrived at one time a hundred in one lot, and I had to step in as supervisor. Among them were people who seemed never to have had a hoe in their hands. Of course there also were some journeymen in different trades among them.

But it also did not take long until the Germans had all kinds of conflict. In Koloa under Manager Kropp the whole bunch went to Honolulu to complain. Most of them were soon free of their 3-year contract and the manager was glad that he was rid of them. But in Lihue the Germans did pretty well under sensible treatment. I had at that time already learned sugar boiling, for which I had paid $100 to Charles Bishop, who later had the Lihue Store, and made out quite well, and then sold out to the Lihue Plantation. My son Willie H. Grote later was bookkeeper there(now manager in Kealia Store).

Before Mr. Bishop bought the store Mr. Scholz had it. The poor devil sold the store, bought an orange ranch in California, but then the price of the fruit fell so that he couldn't make anything and his daughter had to work in the orchard; and one knows that where there is no money nobody wants to marry the daughters. While he was in Lihue I had the honor of giving violin lessons to his governess, Fraulein Hahn(without payment). She later married Captain Ahlborn, but they didn't live long. I think they lived too high(that is, ate too richly). I now have to return to the plantation. When I arrived I was clerk in the mill and at the same time had to supervise the sugar boiling and take the full sacks into the storeroom, There I mostly had to sew up the bags and lift them because I had only an old Spaniard to help me but he couldn't lift a sack that was heavier that 100 or 125 pounds.

Once when a belt broke on the drying machine I broke my arm because the Chinese working at the drying machine were in too much of a hurry because when the mixer was empty they could go home. Captain Ahlborn treated the arm with pain killer. He thought it was not broken...But the pain would not let me sleep. Luckily Mr. Rohrig still had a few opium pills, which made me dream for 3 days. I then returned to the mill and wrote with the left hand like the Devil.
That went on for 6 months. After that I could after work go and relieve the sugar boiler while I was learning, for which I had to pay $100, but I did it in order to advance myself. That lasted sometimes up to 11 o'clock and at 4 o'clock I started in again and cooked until Mr. Bishop came at 5:30. The next year(or season) I was supervisor in the field and went at 5 o'clock after work in the mill; also ate my supper in the mill and at the same time boiled sugar, that is, substituted for the sugar boiler. I was only No. 2 sugar boiler but worked like a No. 1 and when sometimes a boiler went out of commission I had also to be boiler maker at night.

The Life in the Field
The first time I was in the sugar house and saw the mix-up of the ox carts, which were managed only with whips, tears came to my eyes. Such wildness I had never seen, but later I myself was oxen foreman for a half year because the old oxen foreman had gone away. We had to also do all the plowing with oxen and also the ditching. Then another overseer came on and took over the work. I returned again to the field as overseer. There were all kinds of work to be done, such as planting cane, irrigating, hoeing, and also stripping, which was given up later on. Now they set the cane afire before they cut it, to save time and to avoid hauling all the trash to the mill.
When it's planting time, young cane is cut in pieces about six inches long, placed in the furrows, covered with a little dirt, and then irrigated, then it grows. The fields are now usually given in contract, so much per acre.

My Work As Sugar Boiler
After I had been in Lihue 3 years, Mr. Carl Isenberg sent me to Pokaki, where Captain L'Orange owed the plantation $12,000, to look after the cane with 15 to 20 men. There it was that I married Ida Bomke.
After I had been 2 years in Pokaki, I got the position of sugar boiler in Honokaa through Mr. Dreier in Eleele, on recommendation of Mr. Carl Isenberg, where I successfully boiled sugar for 21/4 years. After that I was called back by Paul Isenberg to Hanamaulu. But as Mr. Christian, my predecessor, did not do well on a ranch in Molokai, the company gave him back the position and I was transferred to Lahaina Mill. There was much dust and rain storms, resulting in many colds in the family. During the vacation the whole family went to Honokaa, where my brother August had a tailoring business in a place I had bought for him while I was boiling sugar there.
When I had finished boiling the season's crop, I followed them there for my vacation. While I was there I met Jim Renton, manager of Pauilo Mill, who had a store man in the mill in order to recover debts from him. Mr. Renton said he lost sugar every day. He persuaded me to get my things from Lahaina. Thus I came to Pauilo, where Mr. Lydgate was field manager. I had at that time taken up a homestead at Kalapaa, built a house and planted 2,600 coffee trees during my vacation. Everything grew very well in the fine black soil, but then there was no rain the whole summer and in addition a sharp wind and everything was ruined. In the meantime I merrily continued to cook sugar at Pauilo mill, until when I had been there 2 seasons, Mr. Von Mangerson came and wanted me at Kukuihaele. I again permitted myself to be beguiled and went. Then it came out that only one grade of sugar was to be produced, therefore the molasses had to be again and again cooked with the juice, which of course was much harder, because the mass did not grain(crystallize) so well.
And just at that time Mr. Von Mangerson got sick. Anyway, he had heart trouble which I had not known before, otherwise I would not have gone there. When the season was over, I went to Lihue reconnoitering and was engaged by Mr. Carl Wolters for Lihue Plantation. It was just planting time and I had to prepare seed cane with the school children.

When it was time to grind again, I had to boil sugar again for the season in Hanamaulu Mill while Mr. Christian was in the field on account of his asthma. After the season I returned into the fields as Field Boss in Lihue and had to substitute here and there when somebody else was missing--cane loading, cane cutting, and once even as mule overseer for nearly six months. That was hard work during rainy weather when the roads were slippery and the cane had to be hauled out of the valleys. Soon a mule Luna came again and so I could return to my old position.
But came again the time when they decided to grind day and night and for some months I had to boil sugar at night.
I hadn't smoked for about 6 months, but then I had to smoke again to keep my eyes open. It is always disagreeable to have to work at night and if one can avoid it, one should not do it. I was glad when the season was over and I could again work with people in the fields, although one had unpleasantness there too.

Off to California
After that, or during the First World War, there came a great upheaval. First Weber, the Manager, had to go, then followed Carls in Hanamaulu, and finally C.W.Grote(that was I). As manager came an American carpenter from Eleele, in Hanamaulu Charlie Christian, and in Lihue the Head Luna a friend of the new manager. After the notice I had three months free housing after a protest to the owners(one of the Cookes) in Honolulu. During the war I had to buy $400 worth of Liberty Bonds which I later in Oakland sold again when I bought the place at 2926 East 17th Street which cost me $7,000. This was at the time when I had to sell the Fruitvale Avenue place to the Western Pacific for enlargement of their freight tracks.

Before I left Lihue I had to sell all kinds of bottled drinks that I had received from people for services on health, because I couldn't take them along on the voyage on account of Prohibition.
After we left Lihue we stayed for a week in Honolulu at Mrs. Berndt's, who is now already in the other world. During our stay in Honolulu I visited my sister Sophie who, together with my sister Caroline, I had induced to come from Germany after my mother had died. They arrived while I was boiling sugar in Honokaa. Caroline stayed with us and Sophie stayed with my brother August who had a tailor business in Honokaa.
While I was in Honokaa, I was induced to join the Knights of Pythias Lodge, which was very popular at that time. My brother gained many customers thereby, but in spite of that he later made an assignment and I had to help him out with $300 and his creditors lost half.

The Trip to California
On this occasion I was reminded of the song "Die Reise Nach Jutland, Die Fallt Mir So Schwer". In Honolulu I had some interesting experiences; for instance I found at Mrs. Berndt's, among old books "The Riddle of the Universe", by Hackel. I also went swimming in Waikiki and then I also went to Waianae Mill, the hottest place on Oahue, which I reached by railroad, via Oahu Plantation and Ewa Plantation, etc.
Now I must continue on the journey to San Francisco. The first 3 days it was warm like in Honolulu, and then cold set in and then it got colder as we neared the harbor of San Francisco. Luckily I had bought an overcoat in Honolulu at McInerny's for $25. That came in handy. When we arrived in San Francisco our baggage was inspected and we were permitted to land.
The Huttmann family had just returned from Arizona where Frieda Huttmann had been sick but she got well when they were in Oakland, on East 8th Street, opposite 33rd Avenue, in a house which Hugo Huttmann had acquired before they moved to Arizona. There he had a homestead, a cattle ranch, which he sold later for a low price. It is usually very hot in the desert but when I was there in the beginning of April for 3 days it was biting cold and dusty and I was glad to return.
After returning from Arizona I tried to work in Mechano Therapy and Electric Therapeutics in Huttmann's house, but I couldn't do it because there were many inquisitive eyes around the corner. Prospective patients simply went back never to return, and so I had to give up working in that place.

At the Shipyard
Because I had determined to work and not to idle, one morning I dressed up in my work clothes and went looking for work along the Southern Pacific Railroad, came first to Hanlon's. Question "Any yard men here?" No answer, so I also did not answer.
Then I went further and came to Moore's Ship Yard, asked for work as Machinist Helper, because I had worked for 21/4 years in a machine factory in Germany, at the Dortmunder Union Eisenwerk Und Maschinen Werk. The I was asked, "Have you a ticket?" Answer: "No!" as I had been a long time away there. Then they gave me a job as Bolter up, that is, putting bolts in the steel plates, as they have to be close together in order to be riveted, it was quite a hard job.
After a while I was put on the job of cutting out the loose rivets to be re-riveted. Sometimes we had to keep down in the body of the ship compartments. These are for the purpose of putting water in on the high seas for ballast when empty. I say "we" because on most jobs there are two men, one holds the bolt and one screws it on.
Then I changed the job again to work with the Boilermakers, they had piece work and worked and went home. And I had to hammer the bolts out for them, which was very hard as I was alone and nobody to hold the bolt head.
Then came the strike and we all had to stop, leave the tools there and go home. I certainly went home, took a rest. At that time we were living at Frieda's, E. 8th Street. I bought then my first place in Oakland, 1023 Avenue.

Notes
#1 "Tannenheide" Sandy Fir forest(Note from Bob Wieking....In fact, the real name of the town where C.W. Grote came from is Tonnenheide! and the name has been changed by me during this last retype in each instance where it was found. I confirmed this fact during my last trip there in 1994. 1994 BW.

Notes on the Text
#2 "chewed bread rinds" Probably chewing gum had not been invented!
#3 "Jesus Meine Zuversicht" Jesus My Assurance
#4 "Der Union Dortmunder Hutte" The Dortmund Union Iron Works. "Hutte", "Eisenwerk", or "Werk" could be Shop or Works.
#5 "Captain Geerken" For more about him see Damien the Leper, by John Farrow, New York, Sheed and Ward, 1937.
#6 "Verein Vorwarts" Club Forward. Sounds like a kind of YMCA
#7 'Matanzas in Cuba" Captain Geerken had a business there
#8 Kassenbote" Literally, cashier's messenger.
#9 "Die Reise Nach Jutland, die Fallt Mir So Schwere"--The journey to Jutland, it is so hard for me!