Roots in a New Land: The Journey of the Sievers and Englert Families

On the brisk morning of October 4, 1884, Henry Sievers, Sr. stood on the bustling docks of Bremen, Germany, his wife Wilhelmine and their children huddled close beside him. Before them, the German Lloyd steamship SS Ohio loomed large, its iron hull gleaming in the morning light. The air buzzed with the nervous excitement of fellow emigrants, their voices a mix of hope and anxiety as they prepared to leave their homeland behind. 

Henry took one last look at the country where generations of his family had lived, then stepped forward. It was time. With their few belongings packed in wooden trunks, the Sievers family boarded the vessel, bound for Galveston, Texas.

SS Ohio

The journey was arduous. The SS Ohio cut through the Atlantic, its massive steam engines churning day and night. Below deck, the steerage quarters were cramped and dimly lit, filled with the sounds of restless passengers and the cries of seasick children. Wilhelmine did her best to comfort their children, while Henry spoke of the new life that awaited them in Texas—a land of opportunity, wide-open spaces, and freedom.

After twenty-two days at sea, on October 26, 1884, the SS Ohio finally arrived in Galveston. The humid sea air was a stark contrast to the crisp German autumn they had left behind. As they stepped onto American soil, the Sievers family knew their journey was far from over. From Galveston, they would travel inland to Dewitt County, a place where many German immigrants had already begun to carve out a new life.

Two years later, on September 11, 1886, another German family stood on the same docks in Bremen. Michael Englert, his wife, and their children clutched their belongings as they prepared to board the SS Weser (1867), another German Lloyd steamship bound for Galveston. Like the Sievers family before them, the Englerts left behind everything they knew in search of a better future.

SS Weser (on the right)

Their voyage was much the same—long days at sea, unpredictable weather, and the endless hope that carried them forward. The SS Weser docked in Galveston on October 1, 1886, and the Englert family took their first steps onto American soil. Their destination? Dewitt County, where the Sievers and other German families had already begun to establish themselves.

When the time came for Henry and Michael to be naturalized, they took their oaths in Dewitt County. Under the laws of the time, when the head of a household became a U.S. citizen, so did every member of the family. With their naturalization, the Sievers and Englert families fully embraced their new homeland.

Both families farmed cotton, given the land conditions in Dewitt County. They labored under the hot Texas sun, working the fields to build a future for themselves and their children. They built homes, contributed to the growing German-Texan community, and remained deeply connected to their heritage.

The Henry Sievers, Sr Family

The Michael Englert Family

Their ties to one another deepened when Henry Sievers Jr., son of Henry and Wilhelmine, married Mary Ann Englert, daughter of Michael Englert, on November 21, 1893, in Dewitt County. The union of these two families was not just a marriage but a symbol of the shared struggles and dreams of German immigrants who had left everything behind to forge a new life in Texas.

Though they had left Germany behind, their traditions, language, and values remained an integral part of their lives. Their journey across the Atlantic had been only the beginning—now, as Americans, they were ready to shape the future for generations to come.