Ralph Heiden - I also have some papers here from the German government that gives August and his family permission to leave Germany. It is for August and his wife, Rika, and three children, Heinrich, Ernst and a little girl, Meta.

Helma (Heiden) Nickel - Meta was the one that died on the ship on the way over. August and his family arrived about a year before William was born on April 1, 1874.  [See note below]

Jeanie & Wilma (Heiden) Bicking - We always heard that she died on the boat and was buried at sea.

Ralph Heiden - Unfortunately, the ship’s records do not show that happening. Normally, if someone died on the ship, that would be noted and there is nothing on the list to indicate that Meta died on ship. The ship’s list that I have shows August Heiden's age 34, a mason.

Norma "Jeanie" Heiden - A mason? Oh, you mean a bricklayer, not a member of the Masons.

Ralph Heiden - Yes. It also lists Rika, 31, his wife, Herman, 6 years old, male, Ernst, 4 years old, a male, his children, and Meta, 9 months, his baby.

Helma (Heiden) Nickel - Herman? That should be Henry.

Ralph Heiden - You’re right, it is Heinrich (right). But there was no mention of anyone buried at sea.

Wilma (Heiden) Bicking - We all heard the story that a baby was buried at sea.

Ralph Heiden - That would seem logical since there doesn’t appear to be a record of her here in Michigan. At least not that I have found so far.

Later research discovered that Meta made it to America but died on June 16, 1873 only 12 days after they arrived from Germany. She was just 2 years and 5 months old at the time of death and is buried at the Zion Lutheran Church cemetery in Monroe, Michigan.

Wilma (Heiden) Bicking - Were the Rambows on the ship list that you got, Ralph?

Ralph Heiden - No but I don’t have the complete list. I only have a copy of the first page with the details about the ship and then the page that lists August Heiden and his family. They were passengers number 304 through 308 so there were probably 400 or more people on the boat. I will check it out.

Wilma (Heiden) Bicking - It is funny that they lost that baby, Meta and didn’t name some other children after her later on.

Norma "Jeanie" Heiden - Helma, is your middle name, Meta?

Helma (Heiden) Nickel - No, its Nettie. That was Nettie Spohr, they were a neighbor and she stood up for me. She and Aunt Emmie and Uncle Heinrich "Henry" Heiden were my Godparents.

The Rambows came to America in April, 1874 on the ship, S.S. Thuringia about one year after the Heidens arrived in 1873 on the S.S. Saxonia.

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.