Helma (Heiden) Nickel - Here is a book that the preacher must have given Ma and Pa on the day they were married. It is all in German and that is all that I could make of it. That would have been in 1897 when they were married. It really should be with the Heiden History.

(The inside panel of the book reads: Die Gebetsschule oder Die Herzen in die Hoehe! Das Gebet im allgemeinen und das Vaterunser im besonderen erklaert durch Gedanken, Sinnbilder und Dergleichen. Sonntagsschulen und der Familie dargeboten.

This translates into: “The school of prayers or High up the hearts! The prayer in general and the Lord's prayer especially explained through thoughts and allegories. Presented to Sunday Schools and to the family.”)

Norma "Jeanie" Heiden - Can you understand German, Ralph?

Ralph Heiden - A little bit. I have been getting help on translations from the Prodigy computer network. Let’s start through some of this stuff that I have accumulated over the years. It was very fortunate that in about 1971 my mother and I went over to visit Aunt Agnes (William Carl Heiden’s sister-in-law and wife of John Heiden). I asked, “Do you have any old papers or anything?”

Well, she went up in the closet and got this old box with these old documents. It has August Heiden's naturalization papers when he became a U.S. citizen. There were some old letters from Germany.

In the early 70's, I sent to the East German government requesting information and that is where I got a good start on the Heiden’s in Germany.

Here is a document where my great-grandfather, August (right), applied for U.S. citizenship. He had to renounce all allegiance to the Emperor of Germany.

I have maps of the tiny little towns in what was East Germany where all our ancestors came from. They were sort of like Maybee and Ida and Grape. Very small little places only a few miles apart.

Norma "Jeanie" Heiden - What about High German and Low German?

Ralph Heiden - I don’t know much about it but I think it is just different ways of speaking the language similar to Irish English versus British English versus American English.

Google says, "Low German, also known as Plattdeutsch, is spoken in the northern, flatlands of Germany, while High German dialects are found in the southern and central regions, including the mountainous areas."

One of the envelopes from the 1920s letters from Germany is shown below. It seems a miracle that it was actually delivered to the correct person.

Ralph Heiden - Do you recall any stories about your grandfather, August Heiden ?

William Frank Heiden - About all I remember of him is going over to their place on South Custer and he would be sitting in that old high back chair.

Marie (Heiden) Tommelein - And he had that earphone in his ear so he could hear.

William Frank Heiden - Other than that, I really don’t remember anything else about him.

Ralph Heiden - We always heard a story about when they came over that a little daughter died on the ship. Well, Myrna (Drake) Bishop who is Bertha (Heiden) Drake’s daughter and granddaughter of Herman Heiden, was told that the little girl lived through the voyage but died here and is buried in Monroe. Mary Lou did some detective work and found that she was buried in Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Monroe on June 16, 1873 only 12 days after they landed in New York.

Marie (Heiden) Tommelein - And there was a gravestone for her?

Ralph Heiden - Yes.

Mildred (Roggerman) Heiden - There was a Laas baby buried next to her too.

Ralph Heiden - That’s another question. I keep hearing about the Laas’ but nobody really knows what relation they were to the Heidens.

Marie (Heiden) Tommelein - They were always there at the reunions.

William Frank Heiden - I think it was Bill Laas (right) from Texas. They came every year.

Marie (Heiden) Tommelein - There was Miss Libbie Laas. I don’t think she ever got married but I can remember her being there.

William Frank Heiden - Maybe they came over from Germany together or something. There had to be some connection. They were always big at the reunions along with the Burmeisters.

Mary Lou (Heiden) Opfermann - Since Meta was buried next to a Laas, it makes you wonder if they had some early connection.

Marie (Heiden) Tommelein - Did the Laas’ come over on the boat with August?

Ralph Heiden - No. The one (Laas child) that is buried at Zion Cemetery was buried in 1869, four years earlier. So, they were already here.

Here’s an idea that I’m starting to wonder about. August, my great grandfather, had a half sister. In the 1920's, her granddaughter sent a series of letters to August’s wife, Rika.

I finally found an elderly German lady who could read the old script writing and is translating those letters word for word. I have about 5 or 6 of them done now.

In one of the letters, they say that they were corresponding with Elizabeth Laas (Libbie Laas). So, perhaps, the Laas’ are descendants of August Heiden's half-sister. They would be a distant relative but still related. I don’t have any evidence to draw that conclusion but it might be that way.

Mary Lou (Heiden) Opfermann - That could be the connection.