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Between 1850 and 1930, about 5 million Germans migrated to the United States, including Hubert Rauen, who came in 1857 and Gertrud Bonslett, who came in 1861. Both traveled from Germany to London where they boarded a ship to Castle Gardens (now Castle Clinton), on an island off the southwest of Manhattan which was the first official immigration center before Ellis Island opened in 1890.
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Hubert was 23 and traveled alone. The ship's passenger manifest noted he and his fellow German passengers travelled on the "lower deck" of the ship, also called steerage, a term for the lowest category of passenger accommodations on a ship. His occupation was listed as Smith. Back then, anyone who worked with metal was called a smith. A black smith worked with iron, a white smith worked with tin, and a gold smith worked with gold. (This was one of the most common occupations, which is why Smith is now among the most common surnames worldwide.)
Gertrud Bonslett was 25 and traveled with her brother, Jacob. Her other brother, Leonard Bonslett, had come to America in 1851 and went to California first before coming to Spring Grove where he ran a general store from about 1859 -1862.
Gertrud and Hubert were married in Johnsburg in 1861 as there was no catholic church in Spring Grove yet. They homesteaded on 80 acres in Burton Township in sections 31 & 32 and acquired 20 more acres later. When they arrived, almost all the land around here was wooded, and Hubert set about clearing the land so they could farm and raise beef stock. He would haul the cord wood to the railway station at Ringwood to be used for firing trains on the newly constructed Northwestern Railroad. Many Native Americans still lived in the area and were not an uncommon sight for them.
They had 12 children, with seven surviving to adulthood, including Joseph Rauen, who was covered in last week’s story. They were charter members of the new St. Peter Catholic Church and Gertrud was a member of the Christian Mothers’ Society. They and their children were well-respected and civic-minded, with their sons holding offices in Burton Township and the village.
By 1910, they had retired from farming and were living in downtown Spring Grove with their son, Mathias, probably around 1812 Main Street. They celebrated their golden anniversary in 1912. Hubert died in February 1917 at the age of 88. Gertrud then sold their 100 acres to John Miller for $1,500. She died in January 1926 at the age of 90. The home in which she died on Main Street was just across the street from the first home she lived in Spring Grove 70 years earlier.
Story by Laura Frumet
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