Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
April 2016
Trowel from the 1950s
Historical Context
Trowels have been the most important tools for masons for centuries, and it is documented that they were already used by Roman craftsmen. To this day, the trowel, in various designs, is used for working with mortar or plaster. Smaller triangular trowels are also used in archaeological excavations to carefully and slowly free objects from overlying layers of soil.
Short Biography
Hans Scheib was born in 1940 in Winterbach in Saarland and later apprenticed as a bricklayer there. In 1960, his life changed: Hans was drafted and was to serve in the military. He decided to leave Germany. His destination: Canada. Many stories about ‘the endless prairie of Canada’ and the ‘Rockies, primeval forests, and Niagara Falls’ had been told by baker Luis to the village youth in Winterbach – and thus awakened Hans Scheib’s sense of adventure. The young man traveled via Paris on the former troop ship ‘Arkadia’ to Quebec City. Upon his arrival on August 22, 1960, he had just 35 dollars in his pocket. An official at the Canadian consulate in Cologne had advised Hans to go to London, Ontario. Upon arrival, his money was spent, and the young man urgently sought work. He found a laborer’s position and started earning 85 cents per hour. Since he did not speak the language, he enrolled in evening school – and studied English with other emigrants from Germany. With the language skills improving his professional situation, Hans found a position as a foreman at Esam Construction and built high-rise buildings. His private life also changed significantly during language classes: he met and fell in love with the Pfälzerin Heidi Mergenthaler. On September 23, 1963, the couple married, and two sons were born. Professionally, things continued to improve: Hans remained in construction but took on leadership positions. ‘An ascent like in an emigrant storybook,’ says the now 74-year-old with a smile.
Significance of the object
The trowel of Hans Scheib is a commercially produced standard product. Its significance as a migration-related museum object is revealed only through the emotional connection to the emigrant’s life story: When Hans Scheib set off for Canada in 1960, the young mason packed his triangular trowel as well. He wanted to earn a lot of money in his new homeland – and was initially only laughed at for it. It took several years of hard work until he achieved the hoped-for financial stability and professional advancement in the construction industry, but Hans held onto his dream. He still preserves the trowel today as a symbol of his hopes that he was ultimately able to turn into reality. Today, it is not only a unique memento in the craftsman’s life story but also a testament to his reasons for emigrating: the search for work and a better livelihood.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de