Fleischhacker: Coming to America

Joseph and Susanna (Klein) Fleischhacker immigrated to America in 1903.
Why did they leave their homeland?

Life in Austria

In March of 1986, my husband and I had the pleasure of of interviewing his Great Aunt, Sr. Alana (Anna) Fleischhacker, O.S.B.¹Fleischhacker, Sr. Alana (Anna). St. Cloud, Minnesota. Interview by Patrick and Karrie Blees. 31 March 1986. Transcript, privately held by Karrie Blees, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 2022. She was the third daughter born to Joseph and Susanna. At 92 years old, she was still very sharp. Here are some of her childhood memories:

I had a beautiful life until I was 10 years old. We lived on a lovely farm in Apetlon with a beautiful orchard. We had grapes, cherries and other fruit. My father [Joseph Fleischhacker (1858-1904)] was the oldest of the family. He got the house and the farm and was expected to provide dowries for his sisters.

When my mother married him, she married into a home where his father and mother still lived and they had at least two sisters at home. My mother had to cook for all of those people.

The way the houses in Europe were built was so terrible in those days. They were made of stone and the whole house was in one: the barn was attached to the house. There was the pump room and another room and the kitchen and then there was our store room. Behind all this were were the barns, but you had to go outside to get to the barns, you couldn’t get in from the house. So then we had a horse barn, a cow barn, a pig barn, a great big granary and a wine cellar, because we had a lot of grapes. That was all in one.

Joseph is Sick

Sr. Alana also told us about her father’s illness:

You know that my father had leukemia and that is what made us go bankrupt. Father couldn’t do the work anymore, they had to go to the bank and borrow money. My father was sick for four years. They went to every doctor that you can think of and nobody knew anything what to do. So finally, the last advice they said if he would cross the big ocean, we would get well. The water would have an effect to make him well. They did not know leukemia then.

One thing that I remember, they called it “bad blood” and they advised that we should get blood suckers and put them on his leg to suck the bad blood out. So we had to do that. I don’t know how many times – every month or so. We had a big front room, and we didn’t have heat in there. It was cold and we had a bottle of water with the blood suckers inside and the water froze! We children were so happy because dad wouldn’t have to do that anymore because the blood suckers were dead.

Leaving the Burgenland

At the age of 10, Anna (Sr. Alana) traveled with her family from the Burgenland to America. Eighty-two years later, she recalled:

Dad, mother and five children ranging from age fourteen to four: Mary, Joseph, Anna, Gisela, and Catherine left Apetlon on October 20, 1903. We went by way of Vienna at night by team. From there we boarded the train to Rotterdam where we waited for two days.  Then we crossed the English Channel to Liverpool.

I think at Liverpool, we had to stay ten days until the ocean liner came.  The big ocean liner which we boarded was headed for Boston, United States of America.  It was a pleasant trip with only one bad storm at sea. During this storm, they covered the whole ship with canvas and made everybody get off deck. 

The departure lists for the ship Columbus, leaving Liverpool on October 29, 1903. ²“UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960” database. Ancestry. www.ancestry.com: accessed 6 Sep 2022. entry for Josef Fleischacker, laborer, ticket 85162, departed Liverpool 29 October 1903 aboard the Columbus bound for Boston. From the ticket numbers, it appears that each adult ticket included 2 or 3 of the children. That would explain why Susanna is not listed immediately after Joseph.

The steam-powered Columbus³After two voyages with the Dominion Line, Columbus, along with three other Dominion liners were sold to the White Star Line for use on their new service between Liverpool and Boston. Columbus was renamed Republic. Photograph in the Public domain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Republic_(1903)#/media/File:RMS_Republic.jpg. was built in Belfast in 1903 for the Dominion Line.

Arriving in the United States

Next week, we’ll look at the unbelievable turn of events when Joseph and his family arrived in Boston.

SOURCES

• 1
  Fleischhacker, Sr. Alana (Anna). St. Cloud, Minnesota. Interview by Patrick and Karrie Blees. 31 March 1986. Transcript, privately held by Karrie Blees, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 2022.
• 2
  “UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960” database. Ancestry. www.ancestry.com: accessed 6 Sep 2022. entry for Josef Fleischacker, laborer, ticket 85162, departed Liverpool 29 October 1903 aboard the Columbus bound for Boston.
• 3
  After two voyages with the Dominion Line, Columbus, along with three other Dominion liners were sold to the White Star Line for use on their new service between Liverpool and Boston. Columbus was renamed Republic. Photograph in the Public domain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Republic_(1903)#/media/File:RMS_Republic.jpg.