To New York: “We didn’t know anyone in Hamburg.” (2011)
To New York: “In Hamburg, we didn’t know anyone.”Special exhibition about emigrants and returnees from Amrum and Föhr
A shimmering gold nugget marks the beginning – not only in the new special exhibition at the Deutsches Auswandererhaus Bremerhaven but also when gold was discovered in California in 1848. At that time, residents of Amrum and Föhr began to embark on their journeys to the New World. Soon, a tradition emerged: Those who wanted to achieve more than just surviving off the harsh sea travel and barren agriculture went to distant North America, rather than to the nearby booming port and industrial city of Hamburg.
“In the Hanseatic city, there was no one who could help you professionally, whereas in the promised land, dozens of well-connected relatives and friends already lived,” explains Katrin Quirin, who curated the exhibition as a scientific assistant at the Deutsches Auswandererhaus. “Often, one emigrant from Amrum or Föhr was followed by others. This phenomenon, referred to as chain migration, was widespread on both North Frisian Islands,” says Katrin Quirin.Before the two North Frisian Islands became popular holiday destinations, many Amrumers and Föhrers emigrated to New York in the 1950s and 1960s. There, “good money” could be earned – for example, working in one of the many small grocery stores (in English: “Deli”), which still exist on every corner in the metropolis today. Although they spoke little English, they had to serve customers from day one. Bosses and colleagues showed no mercy, and it was a matter of survival: “Get out – sink or swim.” Some of the North Frisians even later bought their own stores. Numerous souvenirs from that time, such as the first dollar earned or the recipe for homemade potato salad they sold in their deli, are still preserved today.However, some emigrants were only “temporary emigrants,” returning home after a few years to take over the family farm in Amrum or Föhr. There were hardly greater contrasts: there, the bustling metropolis; here, the flat countryside. Temporary emigration is another special feature of this unusual chapter in the history of German emigration, explains Katrin Quirin: “Return migrations occurred throughout Germany, but on both islands, their number in the 20th century was over 22 percent – compared to 18 percent nationwide.” The exhibition at the Deutsches Auswandererhaus particularly tells the story of these returnees through six fascinating life stories.
Erk Tadsen (2nd from left) initially works as a carpenter after his emigration in 1962. Ingeborg (2nd from right) follows him a few months later and finds employment as a nanny.