Title: John and Anna Theurer’s Arrival in Nebraska
General Information about Item:
- Verbal folklore, arrival stories
- English
- Germany/United States
Informant Data:
- Karen Theurer-Pinkerton, collected November 1st, 2017 via telephone
Contextual Data:
- Social Context: This story is typically told at family reunions by the oldest member of the family present. It is the first of several stories about the family’s life in the United States following their immigration.
- Cultural Context: The cultural context of this story is reflected in its similarity to other stories of families moving to the Great Plains. Nebraska (and eventually Wisconsin) had the draw of fertile, open lands that could symbolize a new start for poor immigrants.
Item:
John and Anna Theurer did not own land in Germany, and therefore had difficulty making a living in their home country. They emigrated from Germany, traveling to Nebraska after landing because that was the state that the family who had promised to support them had lived. John and Anna diligently worked their friends’ land, but they longed for a home and farm of their own, something they had left Germany in search of. Soon, the small family came across a newspaper promising unclaimed in the farther-north state of Wisconsin. Seeing their chance, John and Anna thanked their Nebraska friends for all they had done and left, once again traveling in search of a better life. They were able to claim small parcel of land, and there began the Theurers’ life in Wisconsin.
Informant’s Comments:
Karen heard this story about her relative’s arrival in the United States from her family while growing up in Wisconsin, where the Theurer’s eventually moved to.
Collector’s Comments:
- John and Anna Theurer are my relatives as well, and as such it was interesting for me to learn why they left Germany to come to the U. S.
Collector’s Name: Hannah Pinkerton ‘19
Tags/Keywords:
Arrival stories, verbal folklore, Germany, United States, farmers