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Stronger

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In 1893 a young boy named George immigrated to the United States as an indentured servant Explore a taste of George s journey here

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StrongerText and illustrations copyright © 2022 by Pamela S. PeckmanPrinted in the United States of AmericaAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For more information, address tenoclockpress, LLCwww.tenoclockpress.comLibrary of Congress Control Number: 2022911105ISBN: 979-8-9864263-0-3First Edition

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By PameLa SteiNmetz PecKmaNIllusTrations by:NasTya NovoZhilova Farhan NuRsahaL Tess PecKmaN HenriKe ALicia ArzoRWith special contributions from Karen Sherman Bushy

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To my treasured Sunday supper people, my dearest friends, and my loving and supportive family (of Steinmetz, VanSlyke, Peckman and Niewoehner lineage)Together, we will always be STrongeR. To my Coronavirus Quarantine Team of Contributors: Kurt Peckman - Chief Sounding Board Charles Peckman - Photography and EditingMax Peckman - Head of Research / International CultureTess Peckman - Art/Design Partner in CrimeAlways go the extra mile.To Dr. Barbara Krueger and Dr. Jayanthi RamaduraiYour commitment to excellence has inspired me. I am infinitely grateful.To Nastya NovozhilovaThanks for lending your incredible talent.To Karen Bushy Thank you for preserving and sharing our family history.What a gift you have given to so many people.A special thanks to every family member who answered questions related to this project. I could not have completed this book without your help.

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CeLeBraTE YouR LifE. HoNor ThoSe Who MaDE it PoSSiBLe.

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George tiptoed past a crowded bed of brothers and sisters. He was always the first to tackle morning chores.George was not the youngest or oldest.He was not the shortestor tallest,or fastest,or funniest.But George was the hardest-working one of the bunch.

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Searching and snipping. Pulling and plucking. George gathered food for the week.His dull shovel battled the hard, frosty ground.George wanted to beto dig a healthy harvest. There were many mouths to feed at home. But good picks were scarce in the family’s small garden.JuSt a LittLe STrongeR

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George cleaned his tools. Then he raced to his special place.Church bells led a choir of cuckoos and sheep and cows. The celebration of a new week was George’s favorite song. Closing his eyes made it even more beautiful.

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In his secret spot, George was the King of Kitzingen.Past the rolling hills and vineyards, he pictured the grand storybook castles of Bavaria. He longed to taste the rich feasts inside.

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This was a land of clean air and good people who worked the earth. George loved his homeland,

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and he loved Sunday supper.Mama’s fresh rye bread was the smell of home. Warmth and comfort always filled the kitchen.But with many faces around the table, there was little food for every belly.George’s family struggled.

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LaNDjobsMany neighbors faced similar challenges. Several looked for a better life in America. There, they had found more land for less money. There were more jobs with good pay.And more food on the table.Soon, George’s family would move, too.There was finally a helper to pay for their trip.

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George packed a small bag for the long journey. Then, on a crisp November morning, he heard his Sunday song for the last time.InDepeNDeNCeoPPoRTuniTyfreedomThe thought of leaving Kitzingen scared George.He knew nothing about America. He loved his home.Mama promised the move would bring many blessings.George trusted her word. He tried to feel each time the family spoke of changes. But he wasn’t so sure about faraway places.STronger

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Giant vessels and colorful signs filled the shipyard. Hundreds of people were feeling many things in their hearts. Some faces looked happy and excited. Others seemed sad and anxious. George felt all these things.

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A man in thick glasses checked George’s body. Another stranger washed him, head to toe, with warm vinegar. Even George’s bag went inside a giant barrel for cleaning. No germs could be on the ship!

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An important part of creating a book is finding the perfect art to tell a story. STrongeR is based on real-life events. Some pages show illustrations from actual photographs. Are you a good “finder?” Can you locate these pictures in the book? This is the Red Star Line shipyard in Antwerp, Belgium. The photo was taken about the time that George’s family left for America. Source: Red Star Line MuseumThis is an actual photo of a Wyoming sheep farm in the early 1900s. There was no photo available of the Liesys’ farm, however.This is a postcard of Kitzingen at the time George still lived in Germany.At the port in Antwerp, third class passengers took hour-long showers with hot vinegar and benzene, to rid them of lice. All luggage was disinfected in large steam sterilizing machines. Source: Red Star Line MuseumFiND iTGeorge and Mary in Nebraska.George is holding the horses.

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WhaT iS aN INdEnTureD SeRvaNt?George and his family were immigrants. That is, they came from another country to settle in America. Immigrants had two options. They could pay for the trip to America themselves or have it paid for by someone else. Many families like George’s could not afford the trip on their own. So they arrived as indentured servants. They signed a contract to work, not for money, but to help pay for the cost of their trip on the ship. It took most indentured servants years to complete the contract. Only then could they freely live wherever they pleased. Immigrants also needed a relative or a “sponsor” to enter the country. They could not board the ship without the name of a person who would look after them once they arrived. Mr. Leisy was the sponsor of George and his family. AboUT KiTziNGeN Kitzingen is a cozy town. It is in a part of Bavaria, Germany, known as Lower Franconia. There are vineyards all around.In the center of town is the River Main. Daily life centers around that river. People stroll along the banks on the grounds. They are beautifully planted with heaps of flowers by Kitzingen city gardeners. It is a brilliant spot for picnics or just taking a break. Many special events occur there. For example, from May through October is ‘Stadtschoppen.’ This is an event where people can sample the best Franconian wines.There are many great foods to try in Kitzingen. Franconian food is hearty and rich. People enjoy ‘Schaufele’ (pork shoulder), ‘Blaue Zippfel’ (Franconian sour bratwurst) or even ‘Krapfen’ (German jelly-filled donuts). Traditionally, Franconians eat a LOT of dishes with potatoes and cabbage. Yum!

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GeoRGe - a TiMELiNE George John Steinmetz is born in Kitzingen, Germany to Elizabeta Kraus on November 25, 1881. Records show that this is likely just after his natural father (Johann) passed away at the age of 39. 1881George’s family decides to move to America. It is a land of opportunity and freedom, so they set sail from Antwerp, Belgium, in November 1893. Along the family’s journey to America, George spends his 13th birthday. The ship carries both animals and passengers, so it is bound for Pennsylvania, rather than the brand-new facilities at Ellis Island. A photo of the SS Pennsylvania is pictured above. It is one of the ships belonging to the Red Star Line.1893Travel to America is costly ($75 for adults and $25 for children, with $75 converting to approximately $2,000 in American currency today). So George’s family arrives as indentured servants. This means that they can only stay in America if they promise to work hard for their “sponsor” (the person paying for their passage to America). For George and his family, that person is Mr. Leisy. After arriving in Pennsylvania, the family travels to Nebraska. But George and his brother (August) must leave the rest of the family. The brothers will live and work on a sheep farm in the Wyoming territory. The Leisy family has familiar Bavarian ways since they are originally from Friedelsheim, Germany. Photo of the SS Pennsylvania Source: Red Star Line Museum - Antwerp, BelgiumA blacksmith’s life helping to build rail cars. (George is far right) George and Mary’s WeddingGeorge and Mary, George and August “learn the ropes” at the sheep farm in Wyoming. They are hard workers, and the Leisy family is good to them. While in Wyoming, George befriends a Cheyenne boy. He learns some language and skills like making a teepee and gardening. The boy gives George his very first horse.George is raised by his mother and stepfather (John Bohlig). His siblings include Henry (1871), Eva (1872), August (1874), Elizabeth (1875), Marie (either 1880 or 1882). His step-siblings (the Bohligs) include: Johann (1884), Margaret (1885), and Sybilia (1889). Two other brothers (George and Michael) passed away when they were little boys.

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After the sheepherders lose the range wars to the cattle barons, the fences come down, and the sheepherders are put out of business. George and August take the train to Wisner, Nebraska, to live with their mother and the others again. George continues to work o his passage in Wayne County, Nebraska.George meets Maria Fabriz, a Nebraska girl also of German roots. 1907George marries Maria Fabriz, who changes her name to Mary since George’s sister is also named Maria Steinmetz. They change the name to prevent confusion (two Mary Steinmetz women in a tiny Nebraska town).As a wedding present, the Leisy family gifts George a passage paid in full (earlier than expected). George and Mary are free to settle wherever they please.George and Mary welcome their first child into the world, Eva Frieda, born on April 10, 1908, in Wisner, NE.George and Mary have a second child, Gertrude Margaret, born November 20, 1909 in Wisner, NE.Herbert Frederich is George and Mary’s firstborn son, born May 14, 1911, in Wisner, NE.August Herman (Gus) becomes the fourth child in the George & Mary Steinmetz family, born April 8, 1913in Wisner, NE.George and Mary pack up and head across the plains to Logansport, IN. George finds work at his brother Henry’s bar and later learns the blacksmithing trade.1917After having three boys in a row and now settled in Logansport, George and Mary welcome a baby girl, Elizabeth Regina, on April 11, 1918. The same year, George registers for the draft (WWI). With his new skills, George finds work with the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis Railroad (The PCC&StL) and the Fruit Growers Express. He works as a blacksmith to build wheel trucks for railroad cars.The baby of the family, Marie Katherine, is born on October 18, 1920, in Logansport, IN.Along with his sons, George leaves Logansport to find railroad work in the Chicagoland area. Until George finds a job, Mary and the girls remain in Indiana.1922George is employed by the Thrall Car Company in Chicago Heights, IL. Among other residences, George and Mary spent the most time living at 7831 S. Hermitage in Chicago, and later, at 3226 Jackson in Chicago Heights, ILGeorge and Mary move in with their daughter Eva and son-in-law, Clyde Reynolds at 80th & Perry in Chicago. Mary’s health starts to decline.Mary Steinmetz passes away in January of 1956, following a lingering illness.1956George moves in with son Herb and daughter-in-law, Sue Steinmetz in Markham, IL. George retires from Thrall at the age of 75. However, he remains active by doing lawn and landscaping work at Markham Lutheran Church.1967George Steinmetz passes away on April 7, 1967 at the age of 86.George and Mary’s children (early 1940s) lined up in birth order: Eva, Gert, Herb, Gus, Wally, Bette, and Marie., George finds work and moves the entire family to the Chicagoland area. 1925This pocket watch was George’s retirement gift from Thrall Car Manufacturing.George becomes a naturalized citizen of the United States of America.Another brother, Walter Alfred, is born on November 3, 1914, in Norfolk, NE.George read from this well-worn German Bible each and every day. He was a man of great faith. See if you can find one of the pages from this Bible on one of the RED pages in this book.George and Mary’s beautiful garden (left).George at the forge (below).

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It taKes a TeaM!The best part about creating a book is finding a team of people with unique skills to help bring a story to life.Just as America’s strength comes from those who arrived from foreign lands, artists from all over the world helped to create this book. One lives just a few hours from George’s hometown of Kitzingen! Pamela Steinmetz Peckman (USA) - Art Director/Design Nastya Novozhilova (Russia) - Principal Illustrator Tess Peckman (USA) - Design/Illustration Henrike Alicia Atzor (Germany) - Portrait Illustrator Farhan Nursahal (Indonesia) - Scenic Line Illustrator

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George and his family traveled from Kitzingen, Bavaria (Germany), to the huge, bustling port of Antwerp (Belgium). They most likely arrived by horse and buggy. There was no train service between those cities. And certainly no automobiles yet. The family’s trip to America started with a rugged 350-mile-long ride. They first traveled through the familiar Bavarian countryside. Then into the changing landscape of Belgium. And finally, they arrived at the huge port filled with sailing vessels. Ships were loaded with people and goods traveling to and from the farthest world seaports. What an incredible sight!How could George or his family have known just what the journey would be like? They traveled in the hold of a cattle transport ship across the storm-tossed Northern Atlantic for two cold, windy, and snowy weeks... only to land at another big, bustling port. The family was eventually put on a west-bound train that crossed the Appalachians toward the Great Plains of the United States. It truly was The New World!How could George have known that the trip across the Atlantic Ocean would lead him to meet Mary, the love of his life? He could never have imagined that his inherent character and personal integrity would someday be the light to guide generations of his children and their children.How could he possibly have known that after 130 years, the small family he started with Mary would grow to 250 members? He would be so proud of those who have carried on his commitment to hard work, ethical standards, quiet, deep faith, and love of family. How flattered he would be that one of his great-granddaughters would think enough of his story to tell it to you today.HoW CouLd He Have KnoWn?by Karen BushySteinmetz Family Historian (and granddaugther of George Steinmetz)

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GeoRGe loved his secret Sunday spot, his big family, and Mama’s fresh rye bread. But he did NOT like all the new talk about unfamiliar and faraway places. What would moving to America mean for George?How would he find the strength to face all the challenges ahead?