German and Irish Immigrants in the Midwestern United States, 1850–1900 Regina Donlon German and Irish Immigrants in the Midwestern United States, 1850–1900 Regina Donlon Maynooth University Maynooth, Kildare, Ireland ISBN 978-3-319-78737-4 ISBN 978-3-319-78738-1 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78738-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018938341 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifcally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microflms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. 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Cover credit: bauhaus1000/Getty Images Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer International Publishing AG part of Springer Nature The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland The legacy of heroes is the…inheritance of a good example Benjamin Disraeli This book is dedicated to the memory of my late father Timothy, who always supported and encouraged my studies, and continues to be my inspiration. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of any research is validated by the support and encour- agement of many people. This research would not have been possible without the assistance extended to me by the staff of numerous research institutions in the United States. I am sincerely grateful to Molly Kodner and the staff of the Missouri History Museum, St Louis; Nancy McIlvany and the staff of the State Historical Society of Missouri at the Thomas Jefferson Library, University of Missouri, St Louis; Hunter Richards and the staff of the Concordia Historical Institute, St Louis; and Rebecca Altermatt and the staff at the Archdiocese of St Louis Archives. I am indebted to Janice Cantrell at the Diocese of Fort Wayne Archives, the research teams at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, and the History Center in Fort Wayne. During my Ph.D. process, I received steady support from my supervi- sors Dr. JoAnne Mancini and Dr. Gerard Moran at Maynooth University. Their guidance and unique insights were central to the development and completion of my dissertation. I am also grateful to Dr. Diane Dunnigan who undertook not one, but two, research trips with me to the American Midwest and to Dr. Fidelma Bryne for her help and support throughout the research process. I also wish to acknowledge Dr. Enrico dal Lago at National University of Ireland Galway for his guidance during my time there. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the team at Palgrave Macmillan, particularly Megan Laddusaw and Christine Pardue, whose support and advice was invaluable throughout the publication process. vii viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to the Department of History at Maynooth University, especially Professor Marian Lyons, Dr. Jacinta Prunty, Prof. Terence Dooley, Ann Donoghue, and Catherine Heslin for their support and encouragement along the way. Dr. Mel Farrell and Dr. Jacqueline Crowley were also instrumental at key phases throughout the process. Your suggestions and observations are very much appreciated. It is to my family that I owe my greatest debt. I would like to thank Martha and Glenn for their constructive input throughout the redraft- ing process. Finally, to my mother, Elizabeth, and my partner, Stephen, I wish to thank you both for embracing the experience of German and Irish immigrants in the American Midwest with the same vigor and enthusiasm as I did. Whether as sounding boards or confdants, your support and advice was, and continues to be, invaluable and always wel- come. Thank you for your understanding, patience, and encouragement. CONTENTS 1 Introduction 1 2 An Uncertain Future: Ireland, Germany and the United States at the Turn of the Century 23 Introduction 23 The Economic Effects of War and Modernization as Causes of Emigration 26 The Demographic Cycle Model as a Cause of Emigration 29 Political Affairs as a Cause of Emigration 32 Conclusion 35 3 Making the Transition: Irish and German Immigrants Arrive in the Midwest 37 Introduction: The Midwest as an Immigrant Destination 37 Economic, Political and Religious Attractions 40 ‘What Will Ye Do in the Wilds of America’ 42 ‘Bound for New York’ 44 ‘Do Not Foolishly Linger in the Cities’ 49 ‘To This Fine Country, I Would Direct the Attention of Emigrants’ 53 ‘Westward, Ho!’ 58 Conclusion 63 ix x CONTENTS 4 A Peaceful Conquest: Immigrant Settlement in St Louis and Fort Wayne 65 Introduction 65 ‘A New and Brighter Era’ 67 ‘A Peaceful Conquest’—St Louis 70 ‘The People of the Kerry Patch Are Poor but Independent’ 74 Fort Wayne—‘A Rich and Prosperous City’ 79 Who Were the Immigrants? 80 Conclusion 91 5 Production, Enterprise, and Innovation: The Economic Activity of German and Irish Immigrants 93 ‘Do Not Hurry’—A Guide for Enumerators 94 The Generations Come of Age 100 Securing ‘Genteel Employment’ 104 A Job ‘Executed with Neatness and Dispatch’ 107 ‘Creative, Progressive and Dependable’ 111 ‘There Are a Lot of Things Going on in This Neighborhood That Might Be of Interest to You’ 113 ‘Newsboys Hawked Their Wares at Every Intersection’ 115 Conclusion 119 6 A Reputation of Respectability: Social and Cultural Aspects of Immigrant Life 121 Introduction 121 ‘A Scene Seldom Equaled Anywhere’ 123 ‘Behind the Doors of the Turnhalle’ 128 ‘The Widest Possible Range of Clubs’ 132 ‘The Oldest Catholic Organization in the United States’ 134 ‘A Reputation of Respectability’ 137 ‘Old Time Hilarity and Solemnity’ 139 ‘Pioneers and Shamrocks’ 142 Conclusion 144 7 The Church on the Hill: Religious Entities in the American Midwest 147 Introduction 147 The Immigrant Church 149 COntents xi The Formation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod 154 ‘Consistent and Untiring Action’ 156 ‘The Irish Gave Enthusiasm, the Germans Gave Stability’ 159 ‘A Protest Against American Exclusivity’ 166 ‘A Basement Operation in a City Church’ 168 ‘The Lynchpin to Ethnic Identity’ 171 Conclusion 174 8 From Discrimination to Domination: Immigrant Political Participation 177 Introduction 177 Nativism and the Know-Nothings 181 Civil War 184 Local Politics—Patronage and Spoils 190 Zepp and Noonan—Two Cogs in the Political Machine 192 Immigrant Statesmen 196 The Politics of the Old Country 199 Conclusion 203 9 Piety, Poverty and Perseverance: The Experience of Immigrant Women 205 Introduction 205 ‘Wanted—A Good Girl to Do General Housework’ 207 An Assembly of Curious Women, Girls, and Children 215 ‘Visited Mrs. Wandell in the Evening’ 223 ‘The Solemnity of Religious Engagement’ 226 Conclusion 232 10 Conclusion 235 Introduction 235 The Context and Process of Emigration 235 The Immigrant Experience 236 Conclusion 244 Bibliography 245 Index 267 LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 4.1 Overall composition of German and Irish immigrant groups, St Louis 1850–1900 82 Fig. 4.2 Overall composition of German and Irish immigrant groups, Fort Wayne 1850–1900 83 Fig. 4.3 Immigrant generation trends in male and female migration, St Louis 1850–1900 84 Fig. 4.4 Immigrant generation trends in male and female migration in Fort Wayne, 1850–1900 85 Fig. 5.1 German and Irish generational occupational trends, Fort Wayne, 1850 101 Fig. 5.2 German and Irish generational occupational trends, Fort Wayne, 1900 102 Fig. 5.3 German and Irish generational occupational trends, St Louis, 1850 103 Fig. 5.4 German and Irish generational occupational trends, St Louis, 1900 103 Fig. 9.1 German and Irish female occupational trends, Fort Wayne, 1850 208 Fig. 9.2 German and Irish female occupational trends, St Louis, 1850 209 Fig. 9.3 German and Irish female occupational trends, Fort Wayne, 1900 210 Fig. 9.4 German and Irish female occupational trends, St Louis, 1900 211 xiii xiv LIST OF FIGURES Map 3.1 Possible migration routes of German and Irish immigrants from eastern cities to the Midwest, 1850–1900 57 Map 3.2 Birthplace of ethnically German- and Irish-Americans residing in St Louis, MO in 1900, outlining the most popular immigrant destinations prior to settlement in St Louis 61 Map 3.3 Birthplace of ethnically German- and Irish-Americans residing in Fort Wayne, IN in 1900, outlining the most popular immigrant destinations prior to settlement in Fort Wayne 62 Map 4.1 Map of St Louis c.1870 highlighting German and Irish ethnic neighborhoods 76 Map 4.2 Map of Fort Wayne c.1900 highlighting German and Irish ethnic neighborhoods 81 LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Passenger departure numbers from the ports of Dublin, Queenstown, and Bremen, 1857–1867 45 Table 3.2