More on Hermann Heinrich Spoering from Lehrden

(Thanks to my wonderful, fellow researcher, Lydia, who helped so much with continuing the line of Spoerings back to Germany from the U.S.  We share Johann Spoering (1759-1811), my 3x great grandfather, as our common ancestor.  Her knowledge of the German language and her persistence made this such a successful endeavor.  Thank you, Lydia!)

A baptismal record found in the Elbe- Weser Triangle, Germany records (on Ancestry) confirmed that Hermann Heinrich Spoering was born on 16 January 1845, in Hollehrden (now Lehrde), Rottenburg (Wumme), Lower Saxony, Germany.

His parents, Jacob Friedrich Spoering and Catharina
Margaretha Norden Spoering (my great-great grandparents), had the infant baptized 
on 2 Feb 1845, at the only Lutheran church in nearby
Visselhovede - the Evangelisch-lutherische Kirche
St. Johannis, about six miles away from his
birthplace.

This church was built first in 1358 and renovated and expanded in the 18th century.  The bell tower shown with the clock was built in 1799.  The Reformation was well established in this area by the 1630s.

 Henry was the second son of his parents, and as a second son, he most likely would not inherit the family farm which had been in the family for generations at Stedebergen.  So, one of his options would be to marry a woman who did inherit a farm or some wealth, just as our immigrant Elling did when he moved from Tietlingen to Stellichte where his wife owned a farm.  Or perhaps the lure of cheap land in America called to him as then he could have his own farm.

Although Hollehrden was named as the birthplace of all the siblings, that name was changed to Lehrden along the way.  Lehrden can be found at the bottom center of the map, and interestingly, Stellichte, where our immigrant Ellings lived before immigration, is only about 2 miles to the east, and Bendingbostel, home of the Tietjes, about 4 miles to the west.

At the age of 30, Herman (called Henry) married Katharina Maria Flocke who was about ten years younger.  By 1882, they were ready to leave Germany with their three young daughters - Mary, Sophia and little Anna, only 9 months old. Their destination was listed as Defiance, Ohio, on the ship's manifest, landing first in New York City.

More information may be found on these previous posts:

Spoering immigration by Jason Snow:  
 http://attheriverbend.blogspot.com/2019/08/our-spoering-family.html

 Spoering Reunion

Our Spoering Family

Front Row: Lydia, Father Henry (my great-grandfather,) Amelia, George, Mother Mary (my great-grandmother,) Sophia
Back Row: Mary, Fred, Anna, Henry, Ida (my grandmother,) Freida, Kate


 
Front Row: Sophia (Marksch), Fred, Henry, George, Mary (Baden)Back Row: Anna (Helmke), Lydia (Loudon), Freida (Lange), Amelia (Schlegel), Ida Elling and Kate Tietje Elling

Since I've told the stories of Grandma Elling and Aunt Kate, it seems the right time to talk more about their family - the Spoerings. My Spoering great-grandparents immigrated from Germany through Bremen on the ship called the SS Main, arriving at the Castle Garden immigration station in New York City on March 6, 1882. On the ship's list for the trip, Henry, age 36, stated that he iwas from Prussia and his destination was Defiance, O.

It is likely that he had friends or relatives from his German town to come to in America. On his naturalization papers, Charles Evers and George Daum gave oaths that he had lived in the U.S. for the required five years and that he was of good moral character. Henry farmed in Richfield Township and at various times also lived in Monroe and Bartlow Townships in Henry County. It is said that he spoke only German.

Mary Floke Spoering was 26 years old at the time of immigration and we know her birth village was Nindorf, Prussia. Mary was born Catharina Maria Benien on October 26, 1855, the illegitimate child of Anna Catharine Benien, daughter of Harm Benien and his wife Gesche, born Meyer. The birth record states that "the illegitimate child is born in the house of the parents of the birth mother." Mary was baptized on October 29, 1855, in St. John's Ev. Lutheran Church in Visselhovedre. No godparents were listed. 

A later supplement to the birth record dated May 17, 1861, stated that "Carsten Heinrich Floke, resident of Jeddingen, and his wife Anna Catharina, born Benien, have declared before me, as parents of the illegitimate child entered on this page, and is now to be regarded as a legitimate child who will take the surname of the father Flocke." This was signed by a pastor and noted that it would be placed in the church records.

According to my helpful German researcher, this legalization of a child after marriage was quite common in these times. Illegitimacy rates were high because there were strict laws concerning marriage, especially that the male have a certain level of income before vows could be made.

The Spoering Immigration, 1882

Guest Author - The Spoering Immigration

Henry and Mary Sporing Arrive to the U.S. in 1882

written in January 2012 by Jason Snow, a great-great grandson of Henry and Mary Sporing

Henry and Mary Sporing, along with their daughters Mary (age 4) and Sophia (age 3), arrived in New York aboard the Main on 6 March 1882. Their place of origin was recorded as Prussia, and their destination was Defiance, Ohio. Henry's and Mary's ages, 36 and 26, are consistent with other records we have for these ancestors. What isn't consistent is the year of their immigration.

Henry declared his intent to become a citizen in 1884 and applied in 1886. In those records, he indicated his arrival in the U.S. as 8 March 1881, not 6 March 1882. Assuming the naturalization process at that time required 5 years of citizenship, the discrepancy would have enabled Henry to accelerate the process.

Their entry to the United States would have been processed at Castle Garden, the predecessor to Ellis Island before it opened in 1892. Castle Garden is now Castle Clinton National Monument, which is where the ferry to Ellis Island departs from lower Manhattan.

The Main was operated by the North German Lloyd shipping line. It was built by Caird & Co., Greenock, Scotland, measuring 365' x 40' and weighing 2,893 tons. The single-screw and compound engines were capable of 14 knots. There is no photo available, but the ship had two masts and one funnel. The Main first sailed in 1868, and its final voyage under the North German Lloyd company was in 1890. The same company ran a new ship also under the name of Main.

Source for the clipping is: New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957, Year: 1882; Arrival: New York, United States; Microfilm serial: M237; Microfilm roll: M237_447; Line: 44; List number: 253. Image and transcription obtained via Ancestry.com. Imaged cropped to show only Sporing family.

**Jason's great-grandmother was Lydia Spoering Loudon and his grandmother, Ruth Loudon.  Lydia's photo may be seen at this previous post.  Lydia may also be seen with baby Ruth on her lap in this reunion photo from about 1928.

Thank you, Jason!

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