This and That

Mercer County Pioneer Woman Liwwat Boke

By Helen Kaverman, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Monday, June 16, 2008 (2 months, 2 weeks ago)
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(Part III)

Liwwat Boke wore out several of her homemade quill pens with her many writings and drawings she left for the rest of us to enjoy. How many? Luke Knapke, who compiled her biography of her journals, said he knew of well over 1,000 pages of writing on about 45 topics. At least 10 topics were lost through the years. The book covers only 200 pages of her writings. She did several hundred excellent drawings. They were dated from 1816, when she was nine years old to 1882, the year of her death. Her drawings were made on quality paper.
One of her chief topics was “Our Passage to America”, including hand drawn elaborate maps showing their trek from her home at Nellinghof, Oldenburg, right or north on Bremen, where they boarded ship for the trip up the river to Bremerhaven and the North Sea. It was a long journey. Another map showed the travels from Baltimore to Mercer County.
Liwwat wrote that the first day of their journey from home in Nellinghof was bleak and miserable for her. She described her powerful feelings, which sounded like sadness of leaving home. It poured down rain all day and she hurt her foot so badly “that I thought I would nevermore be able to walk”. Her foot hurt for days but the swelling finally went down. They saw other travelers from Fladderlohausen, who didn’t impress her much. They spent their nights in homes of people along the way. This lodging was inexpensive. They bought bread and eggs from some of these people. One person gave them an iron bound water bottle with a stopper. About halfway to Bremen Liwwat said it was melancholy and slow.
“Weariness of body, mind, patience and hope overtook her and several of her fellow travelers.”
She said they all had “stinking feet”.
Liwwat didn’t tell exactly how many days it took to get to Bremen but they passed through several towns and villages including Holdorf, Lohne, Vechta Wildeshausen and Heilingrade. I suspect they pulled their wagons on foot because she never mentioned any oxen. The lay of the land changed as they got further north. That region had more sand and it was cold. They had to smear their two wagon wheels or axles with tallow “and they pulled easily again”.
A big problem was finding a spot where they could be “modestly proper when urinating and so forth.” There were no bushes or outhouses along the way.
Liwwat wrote: “We are now inside the great port city of Bremen with a lot of commotion, noise and strangers, unknown ways and customs, trade structures, high buildings and ships. We stayed near the Weser quays or piers in the so-called Straw House where the sleeping beds are hard wooden benches with fresh (?) straw on them. One must watch out to not get lice or fleas. And washing the face and body is almost impossible here since we do not find privacy. And we must always exercise a lot of concern for our food, chests, clothing and travel money. There are thieves here, also drunks and ladies of the night.”
She continued “We talked with various ship’s representatives and took space on a sailing ship to Baltimore. We learned about the costs, the accommodations, the decks or ‘tween decks, etc., also about our physical safety from the sailors and other rascals. We are not familiar with the ship’s routines. We were here about 15 days and obtained through passage with other families, stalwart Catholic people from Vorden who sheltered with us most of the time.
In about 15 days we were on deck and got a cabin that was about like a sleeping alcove at our house, with two drawers under the sleeping berths. It was for us grand and also venturesome. The next morning the captain came and steered onto the Weser River, and rang and tolled the bell. Slowly the banks of  the Weser slid past and we were under way to Bremerhaven on the North Sea. (The water wet this piece of paper and I laid it in the wind until it was dry again.) A half hour under way from Bremer we caught an unfavorable wind so that we had to anchor. We stayed overnight, but on board there was a great deal of commotion. The sailors, the young ones were rolling drunk and took up the harpoon. They cursed and annoyed some of the girls and women. They were whining like dogs or horses. It was fearful. God help us!”
She continued, “We were under way by sunrise. ‘The wind is right’, they say. We learned that the water is subject to low tide and high tide, also about tide charts and the combining with the river’s own flow. Sailing requires skill and wind. In the evening we anchored again.”
The next day, she continued, “Today like yesterday, the river is narrow and shallow. We are a little seasick, our heads go around and most of our group vomited over the side of the ship. And what is funny, we are not yet upon the sea!”
The next day they passed through the river and into the North Sea.

(To be continued next week.)

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