Photo, Iowa 1910
Nikolaus Dumont was born in 1854 in Besch, Saarland. To escape the Prussian military service, the young man emigrated to the USA in 1873. His parents, Peter and Anna Dumont, as well as his two sisters, followed him in 1876. Aboard the “Vaterland,” they reached the port of Philadelphia on April 17. From there, they continued to Keokuk County, Iowa, where the family reunited with Nikolaus. Together, they ran a farm there. In 1879, Nikolaus married Margaretha Schmall, who also came from Saarland. The couple had eight children. Nikolaus passed away in Keokuk County on August 31, 1944. The photo of Nikolaus Dumont shows the emigrant in front of his own house in Iowa. This documents for his family in Germany that he had “made it” in the New World. To this day, his descendants proudly preserve the image. It is a symbol of the success and respect that the young man achieved in the USA.
