Today, just on the heels of celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, is the 175th anniversary of my first Hettinger ancestors stepping foot onto the southern tip of Manhattan, New York as immigrants on July 16th, 1851. Ellis Island didn’t open until January 1, 1892 and Castle Garden, the precursor didn't open until 1855, so they landed at South Street Seaport on the southeast side of Manhattan (Overview & History Ellis Island). It was a bustling place with immigrants landing, cargo being unloaded, and business being carried out. Though it had already been 13 years since the first completely steam powered ship had crossed the Atlantic, and 11 years since they were regularly in service, they were not yet economical for the working class (Crossing the Atlantic by Steamship). Below is a lithograph from 1851 of the southern point of Manhattan, with the docks clearly visible on the left side of the island. Notice the river steam boat off the the bottom tip of Manhattan.
The ship on which the Hettingers sailed was the "Maid of Orleans", named after Saint Joan of Arc using one of her nicknames. What was it like to leave behind rural Bavaria (remember Germany doesn't become a country until 1871, during this period it is a group of independent kingdoms) and venture to the US? First we must explore the part of Bavaria they left behind. Oberotterbach, which literally means over the otter brook or creek, is a town that lies a very short distance to the north of the Alsace-Lorraine region of France. This area has been very highly contested and has changed hands between the French and the Germans numerous times over the years (
lsace-Lorraine: Translating German and French Names and Place Names). It has gone back and forth so many times that the town due south of Oberotterbach (by less than 4 miles), that sits on the French side if the border between the 2 countries, Wissembourg has both German and French street names. The street names are not necessarily a translation of eachother, but 2 unique street names for the same street. It also is not uncommon for a person to have a French first name and a German last name such as Pascal Dahl.
(Image: Manifest of Maid of Orleans Landing in New York City July 16, 1851, 1851)
(Transcription below)
Oberotterbach sits on the Deutsche Weinstrasse (German Wine Road) or Südliche Weinstraße (southern wine road). Even though the roads existed prior to, the route was officially named in 1935. The area is still known for farming of grapes and for its wine (
Zum Wohl Die Pfalz Südliche Weinstraβe). Much of its income and existence comes from tourism around wine. It is a picturesque little town with various colored half-timber houses accented with contrasting timber and shutters. Red Terra cotta caps them off, many with chimneys, and some with roof top ornaments. The signage, and implements of grape harvest and pressing, and wine barrel heads dot the regions.
(Image: Picture of DeutscheStraβe Sign, Wissembourg, France, 2008)
(Image: Panoramic image of Oberotterbach contrast adjusted for using Google Gemini, 2008)
The houses all sit close to the road, with a side walk between them and the road. They have no front yards, but many on the main roads have grape vines that grow up from a void in the side walk to an arch that spans across the street. The surrounding country side is covered in grape vines.
(Image: Picture of Street in Oberotterbach, 2008)
It has never been a large town, even today there are just over 1000 residents. (
Population of Oberotterbach) There is no train station, nor are there any hotels and there is only 1 restaurant, the Shutzenhaus. I was able to visit Oberotterbach in 2007 while traveling in Germany.
More on that in a future blog post.You will need to click "akzeptieren" to accept the terms and conditions.
(Image: Picture of Sign Entering Oberotterbach, 2008)
Oberotterbach is separated from any sea port by a couple of hundred miles. It wasn't exactly easy to get to a seaport that was facing the right direction towards the U.S. Le Havre was a logical port, even though it's 440 mi from Oberotterbach. Having come from an agricultural town in Bavaria, it's fair to think that they weren't very well off. The cost to cross the ocean in steerage or third class at that time was the equivalent of $20 to $30 U.S. dollars (2017). That converts to between $859 and $1289 today. To put that into perspective, that would have been 75 to 100 days of labor. Children were half price. For a family of two adults and two children, which was Nicholas and Elizabeth's case, that is a whole year of work.
Google Maps. (2026). [Modern day walking route from Oberotterbach, Germany to Le Havre, France][Satellite Retrieved from Google Maps
Getting to La Havre was a chore in itself. France did not have a completed east-west rail line at that time. For the wealthy, they could take a stagecoach all the way. This seems very unlikely for my ancestors. Since they had family that stayed in Germany, it is feasible that they rode in a wagon pulled by horses to a train station about 115 miles away. This would have been a multi-day trek as they would have only been able to cover 10 to 15 miles a day. The last option would have been for them to have met up with the Seine River and then take a steamboat through Paris to Le Havre, but this method seems to have been favored by those with goods that they were bringing along with them. (A Brief History of French Railways). My best guess is that they would have taken a wagon to the train. Whatever the case may have been, there was cost and time associated with getting there. Realistically, if Nicholas had to work for 1 year to pay the way, Elizabeth probably would have been working as well to feed and provide for the family during this period, and it potentially could have taken more time than that to save up the money for the rest of the trip once they landed in the U.S.
(Image: A Sketch of Le Havre, France 1850s)
Once they arrived in Le Havre they may have had to wait for an outbound ship, as short as a few days and as long as several weeks. The ships would commonly wait for favorable weather before setting off to America. At that point in time it would take between 20 days and 73 days to cross the ocean with the average being 36 days (
From Germany to America: An 1853 Journey).
Crossing the Ocean
The ship that they happened to find passage on was built in 1848 as a merchant vessel. Not much is known about the ship. There are very few records that were kept, as this would have been seen as a waste of time. An inspection report is found in 1866 reporting that the ship was in good condition and fit to sail anywhere in the world (see image below). The level of interest I have in this ship now, far exceeds the interest that anyone at the time would have had. For them, it was just a means of transportation, for me, it is how my family came to America. They were not luxurious, just work horses that were used to make money until they cost too much to repair, or they sank. An image of the ship does not exist, but the report states that it was a 3 masted square rig. Above is an image that fits that description.
The ships manifest states that there were 360 souls aboard. While the manifest does not explicitly state
their level of comfort while traveling, being that they were farmers and that Nicholas worked as a laborer upon arriving in Louisville provides me with evidence to believe that they probably were in steerage. Steerage literally means between the decks. The height between the ceiling and the floor was between 5
1/2 and 6 ft tall. For reference I am 6 ft 3 in. There were technically berths for the travelers, but they were nothing more than an elevated shelf, and they were quite often overfilled. Taking immigrants to America was a business, and just like today, profits ruled. There was one large straw mattress that they would all share, commonly with strangers. In Nicholas and Elizabeth's instance they were traveling with three other adults, 3 children and 2 infants, for a total of 10 people. Most likely they would have all shared the same berth. Included in the party were my Great x3 Grandfather Nicholas Hettinger, Great x3 Grandmother Elizabeth (nee Frey), their children Sophia and Johann, Elizabeth’s sister Catherine Frey, Nicholas’ older brother Jacob, his wife Louisa, their children Louisa, Jacob (infant) and Marguerite (infant). (Annual Surveys Report for Maid of Orleans 31st December 1866, 2008)
Berths were only separated by a thin wooden wall or temporary canvas curtain. There was very little light in steerage. In good weather the hatches were opened allowing sunlight to shine through, and fresh air to come in. In bad weather the hatches were all closed and covered, and a few whale oil lamps were lit. The ships would toss and turn with the waves. The conditions would have been absolutely horrid. There was no bathing onboard and the straw mattresses would start to rot from the constant soaking from seawater. While there were privies on the main deck that could be used in good weather, in bad weather the passengers had to rely on a slop bucket to relieve themselves. In bad weather seasickness would have been wide spread. These buckets would commonly overturn into the bilgewater as the ship tossed and turned. On top of this it would have been hot as they would have set out across the ocean in late May, or early June. When I consider that the ship was overloaded with passengers, I cannot imagine a worse way to travel. (Image: On The Atlantic Steamer: Steerage Passengers, 1870, 1870)
The third class passengers were responsible for preparing their own food. The captains were required to provide basic rations but that only included hardtack, flour and potatoes. Immigrants were better off if they were able bring any amount of food with them, this included dried meats, like ham, which would have been luxury. There were stoves provided on the main deck but few and far between. The passengers would have to stand in line to be able to use them. The immigrants would commonly make a porridge out of the hard tack, and potatoes, and the lucky ones would add the ham they brought. Don't forget that in a storm the hatches were closed and those stoves would not be made available, so if the passengers below deck wanted to eat, they would have to eat the ingredients raw. (Image: Emigrants from Liverpool to America - 1850, 1850)
The conditions on board made for the perfect breeding ground for all kinds of diseases; typhoid, cholera, and dysentery to name a few. Best estimates show between 5% and 10% of steerage passengers died at sea. On the Hettinger's voyage one infant named Mina Schmitt passed away, and would have been buried at sea. Once they arrived in New York the adventure was not yet over.
Arriving in the Land of Opportunity
Ellis Island was not opened as an immigrant receiving station until December, 1900. As mentioned
before, prior to this, immigrant ships would arrive next to cargo ships on the south eastern side of Manhattan. Passengers would disembark into a world where they did not speak the language. There was no central federal immigration system, so other than one required document, a customs check and quick med check, they were free to leave. The only documentation was a ship's manifest with each passenger's name, age, sex, and occupation, their country of origin and their intended destination and the number of passengers who died during the transatlantic voyage. The purpose of the passenger manifest was to make sure the ships weren't overloaded and that they had sufficient supplies. The immigrants then had to clear customs themselves to make sure they paid duties on commercial goods they may have been trying to bring in under the guise of personal goods. Unlike later immigrants, the extent of the medical check was to make sure no passengers had communicable diseases such as cholera, typhus, yellow fever, or smallpox. If there were passengers with these diseases the ship was quarantined and there was a whole process for making sure the immigrants were well before being released. If no communicable diseases were found, after the passengers cleared customs, they were released onto the wharf. (Image: 1850: Busy Scene at The South Street Seaport, 1850)
What the immigrants met next was utter chaos. Thieves and bad actors would straight out rob them, try to deceive them, or lead them to undesirable jobs or living conditions. If the newly immigrated Hettingers still had money left after the crossing of the Atlantic, they would not have had to hang out in New York for long. If they had not planned appropriately or had been swindled once landing in New York, they would have had to stay there and work for a while to be able to afford the rest of their journey to Louisville. Nicholas' naturalization petition in Louisville is dated 11/5/1861 and states that he had lived in Louisville for the last 9 years indicating that if they stayed in New York, it was not more than a month or so. Whatever their case, the next leg of their journey could have been one of 3
methods. The quickest (4 to 6 days), most expensive method, and probably the most unlikely, was to take a series of 3 trains to Cincinnati, Ohio and then take a steam boat down the Ohio River to Louisville. The second option would have been to take a train or steamboat to Philadelphia, then rail or boats through interlocking canals to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. They then would have loaded onto a steamboat that would have come down the Alleghany River to the Ohio River. This method involved an interesting bit of engineering in that the Alleghany Mountains (part of the Appalachian chain) run midway between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. An inclined plane railway had been built to pull the boats over the mountains (see above image). This method would have taken 7 to 10 days. (Image: Drawing of Sectional Canal Boats)
The 3rd option proved to be the slowest and most economical, and was the most likely choice for the Hettingers' mode of transportation. This was the same route that most of the cargo followed. They would have taken a steamboat up the Hudson River to Albany, New York, a canal boat through the Erie Canal to Buffalo, New York then a steamboat across Lake Erie to Cleveland, Ohio. Next, they would have taken a canal boat through a series of canals, until they reached the Ohio River where they could take a steamboat south. This route would have taken 2 to 3 weeks. The boats they would have taken were "line boats" which carried freight and passengers. Like the conditions on the ship they took across the ocean, food would have been very simple, and the amenities extremely basic. This method was the oldest and the most smooth because they were on water for all of their journey. (Image: Steam Boat on Missouri River)
In my research to the present I have been unable to locate Jacob, Sophia and their 3 children. I do know that Nicholas, Elizabeth, Sophia, Johann (who becomes known as John here in the US), and Elizabeth's sister Catherine, all make it to Louisville.
Arrival in Louisville
A good estimate from the time that they left Oberotterbach until they arrived in Louisville is 70 days, or just over 2 months. (Havre-Union Line) Chances are good that they would have been greeted at or within days of their arrival by Nicholas' older brother John Joseph and his wife and children. John Joseph arrived in 1848 and his wife Maugerite (nee Fisher), and their children Joseph, Catherine, Ludovica, Maurgerite, Dorthea, Johann, Louis and Elizabeth all who arrived Apr 2, 1851 just 3 months before Nicholas and his crew.
The first records that I have of them in Louisville are the 1860 census. Jacob, their 3rd child, and Katherine, their 4th, both appear in all 3 censuses with his birth location being Kentucky. This does not prove Louisville, nor does it prove Kentucky, particularly since Sophia & John who were born in Bavaria, according to the ships manifest, both were listed in the 1860 census (3 different times, possibly showing they were not fully settled yet) as being born in Kentucky. From the time I realized that we were coming up on the 175th anniversary of the crossing, until now, I have not been able to locate them between their arrival in New York on 7/16/1851 and their first appearance in the 1860 census on 6/7/1860. I have reviewed the city directories that I have access to and did not find any of the 5 adults prior to 1865. With the current information I have at hand, I don't know if they stayed in New York or not, or if they stopped off anywhere else on the way.
(Image: Petition for Naturalization of Nicholas Hettinger, 1861)
Transcription:
Nicholas Hettinger[,] a native of Germany[,] personally
appeared before the City Court of Louisville[,] and sworn to[,] and filed the
following petition praying to be admitted a citizen of the United States of
America towit:To the Honorable the Judge of the City Court of Louisville
Your petitioner Nicholas Hettinger a native of Germany would respectfully state that he was born in Bavaria that he immigrated to
the United States of America in the year 1851 and landed at New York in the
State of New York in the year 1851 that he is Forty two years of age that he has resided in the City of Louisville Ky about 9 years last past
that it is and has been for three years last past bona fide his intention to
become a citizen of the United States of America and absolutely and entirely
to renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any and every foreign
Prince Potentate State or Sovereignty Whatever and particularly to the King of
Bavaria to whom he now owes allegiance.
Nicholas Hettinger [signature]
As I mentioned above, the first time we have record of them here in Louisville is in the 1860 census. In reality they were recorded 3 times in the 1860 Census in different houses. The names, ages, Nicholas being listed as a wood chopper in all 3, and the locations of their births are the same across all 3, enough to have very high confidence that all 3 listings are my Hettingers (see note below "Last Names from the 1800s") . In the years between the first 1860 census appearance and Nicholas' death from pneumonia 12/22/1883 we know very little. See the timeline below. As mentioned above, they do have 2 more children after arriving in Louisville, Jacob (born May 6, 1854) & Katherine (born 1/31/1860). Jacob & Emma have 12 children, with 8 living to adulthood. Jacob is my great great-grandfather and goes on to marry an Emma Hittinger. Yes that is correct, Hettinger but with a "i" instead of an "e"; This definately will be a blog post in the future. Katherine marries a Joseph Fante and has 3 boys and a girl.
Once they found "a place of their own" they lived in the same house for the rest of their lives. They lived on the south side of Broadway at the present intersection with Barrett Avenue. As Louisville was expanding into what was the country, streets were changing names and addresses were being reassigned. Initially the house was 10 Newburg Road. When Newburg road was rerouted and later renamed Baxter Avenue from Eastern Parkway to Broadway, there new address became 10 Barret Avenue, as the now orphaned segment was renamed. Finally in about 1882 the addresses were reassigned to align with the 1000 block series, making their final address 1582 Barret Avenue. Unfortunately the house was torn down at some point between
Timeline of Nicholas & Elizabeth's lives
1860 (June 7th) Census, working as a wood chopper, all 5 family members plus Elizabeth's sister. living with a Louis Fry and family (could be related to Elizabeth and Catherine?), has personal estate of $100, but no real estate
1860 (June 25th) Census, Nicholas is working as a wood chopper, missing Elizabeth & John, living with a Corney Hill and family, and has personal estate of $500
Note: Elizabeth is enumerated in another household (Thomas Doncaster) listed as a painter.
1860 (Sept. 11th) Census, working as a Wood Chopper, all 5 family members plus Elizabeth's sister.
Value of real estate is listed as $600, indicating he owns the house
1861 (January 5th) Nicholas is naturalized (women's naturalization status was attached to their husband during this time)
1864 Sophia marries Henry Just at St. Marin of Tours Catholic Church
1865 Directory-Nicholas is listed as a laborer
1866 Nicholas is fined for throwing filthy water on the street. This would be worth about $105 today.
1867 Directory-Nicholas is w as a Brickmaker
1868 Directory-Nicholas is w as a Brickmaker
(Image: 1866 News Article)
1870 Census-Nicholas, John and Jacob are listed as laborers. Kate is in school. Katherine Frey is listed as at home. Sophia, her husband Henry Just and their 2 children Elizabeth and Mary are living in the house as well, for a total of 10 people. The value of the real estate is $1000 (worth $25,000 today) and $200 in personal estate.
1873 Directory-Nicholas is working as a laborer
(Image: Brick making and construction in 1821, 1821)
1874 Directory-No job is listed. Brick manufacturing was a seasonal job, with the companies closing during the winter months as digging up clay becomes very difficult and instead of drying the bricks would freeze and crack. I suspect that the information was collected while he was out of work.
1874 Jacob married Emma Hittinger at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church
1875 through 1879 Directories-Working as a laborer
1880 Directory-Nicholas is working as a laborer
1880 Census-Nicholas, Elizabeth, Catherine and Catherine Fry are in the house. Their strong German accents must still be coming through as both Catherines are enumerated as Gurtrend. Nicholas is working in a brick yard, and listed as having not worked 4 months out of the year. Catherine is 20 years old and at home. Catherine Frey is listed a boarder.
1881 Directory-Nicholas is working as a laborer for J.B. Komp, who runs a brick yard
1882 Directory-Nicholas is working as a laborer
1883 Directory-Nicholas is working as a laborer for H. Krupp & Bros., who run a brick yard
1883 Nicholas dies 12/22 from pneumonia, no doubt affected by working around brick kilns most of his life. (Image: 1883 News Article)
1884 Directory-Even though Nicholas had passed, he still shows up as a laborer (the directories were already printed for the following year by the time he passed in late December)
1885 through 1890 Directory-Elizabeth is listed as the widow of Nicholas
1890 Elizabeth dies 1/25 of Paralysis at the age of 71. A death notice for her is not published in the Newspaper.
1890 Katherine (daughter) marries Joseph Fante
1896 Katherine Frey dies 2/16. She is buried with Nicholas and Elizabeth in an unmarked grave. Next to nothing is known about her. She shows up in the 1885, 1889, 1892 and 1896 directories boarding with her sister and brother in law.
Time line is constructed from Censuses, City Directories and various other records found on Ancestry.com.
Nicholas & Elizabeth are buried in St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery at the corner of Goss Avenue and Eastern Parkway. Their graves are marked in German with matching marble stones.
Nicholas Hettinger
Geboren
Den 19, Sept. 1817
Gestorben
Den 22, Dez. 1883
R. I. P.
(Image: Picture of Nicholas Hettinger's Grave Marker, 2008)
Transcription:
Elisabeth Hettinger
Geboren
Den 11, Jun. [believed to be Jun] 1818
Gestorben
Den 25, Dez. 1890
R. I. P.
(Image: Picture of Elisabeth Hettinger's Grave Marker, 2008)Nicholas did create a will in 1874, apparently upset with his son-in-law of 10 years, Henry Just. In the document he wills all of his belongings to Elizabeth and explicitly states that his son-in-law shall get no share. Nicholas states that if Sophia, his daughter, passes before Henry that it passes on to their children (again, leaving him out).
(Image: Will of Nicholas Hettinger, 1874)
Transcription:
HettingerWill
Ex
In the name of God amen.
I[,] Nicholas Hettinger, of the City of Louisville[,] Kentucky[,] being of sound mind and memory but considering the frail and uncertain life[,] and the surety of death[,] do therefore make[,] publish[,] and declare this as my last will and Testament (viz) That after my death[,] when all my just debts are paid[,] I give and bequeath to my beloved wife[,] Elisabeth Hettinger[,] all my personal mixed[,] and real estate[,] of which I may be possessed at the time of my death for her sole use and benefit[,] after the death of my wife the property[,] what may be left[,] shall be equally divided between my children to their heirs. But[,] it is expressly my will that my son in law[,] Henry Just[,] shall be excluded from all rights[,] titles[,] and claim from all and every property[,] but his wife's (my daughter's) share shall be exclusively for her and her children’s benefit. Should my wife make a will[,] she shall make it accordingly to these instructions. Should my son in law be alive at the death of my wife[,] my daughter[,] Sophie Just[,] shall be debarred from selling her share[,] but the same shall be after her (my daughters) death[,] be the property of her children[,] and I appoint my wife Elisabeth Hettinger as Executrix of this my last will and Testament without Security. In witness whereof[,] I have hereto set my hand and seal this 13th day of December 1874.
Witness Nicholas Hettinger
Fred Von Hoven
Fred Friesche N.P.
State of Kentucky
At a County Court held for Jefferson County at the Court House in the City of Louisville on the 27" day of December 1888. The foregoing Instrument of writing purporting to be the last will and Testament of Nicholas Hettinger[,] dec'd late of this County[,] was produced in Court[,] and proven by the oaths of Fred Von Hoven[,] one of the subscribing witnesses thereto[,] who also proved the attestation of Fred Friesche[,] the other subscribing witness thereto[,] whereupon the same was established by the Court to be the last will and Testament of said Testator[,] and ordered to be recorded[,] and is recorded in my office as clerk of said Court.
On August 18,1888 I find a real estate transfer for 25 feet on Payne Street from Elizabeth to Sophia for $1,400. Whether Elizabeth abided by her husband's wishes in the will, or not, may never be known. The timing seems extremely coincidental, if she did.
After Elizabeth's death, there are 3 listings in the newspaper (1/9/1891, 3/28/1891 and where Sophia has filed a petition with the chancery commissioner asking for settlement of the estate. The outcome of the estate is unknown at this time.(1891 Newspaper Article)
Looks like a trip to the court house or perhaps the archive in in order to go down this rabbit hole.
In Retrospect
Louisville was growing at an incredible rate during Nicholas' time, and bricks were in high demand for
buildings, houses and roads. It seems that Nicholas worked in the brick making trade his whole life. He is listed as a wood chopper in the 1860 census, and wood was the primary fuel used in firing bricks. My opinion had been that being a farmer was a more distinguished occupation until I started researching brickmaking in Louisville during that period. Being a molder was a skilled job that took years to master, and was critical to the final quality. Same with a clay mixer, who had to get the recipe right or the bricks would fail after firing. I tried to located something in Louisville that would have been constructed during the time. Aside from the many buildings there was an event being planned that would put Louisville on the map. (Brickmaking Was a Physical Demanding and Financially Risky Trade)
(Image: Lithograph of View of the Buildlings of the Southern Exposition, at Louisville, KY, 1883)
The Southern Exposition was designed to show the world that the post-civil war South was strong. Louisville businessmen wanted to be profitable and wanted to show the world they had goods to provide. The plan for the exposition grew from simply showing off production and use of cotton, into many aspects of agriculture, technology, and industry. The Southern Exposition was the first large public event lighted by Thomas Edison's electric light bulb which he invented just 4 years prior. While the building built for the exposition was made of wood, it was supported by large brick columns, and virtually every brick yard in Louisville was employed to provide bricks for these columns. Unfortunately the makers of bricks at that time did not mark the bricks indicating which brick yard made them. The only way for certain to know which buildings or roads he made bricks for will be to find a receipt for purchase. (The Southern Exposition 1883-1887) Perhaps this is another rabbit hole for the future for me to go down.
Why Louisville, Kentucky?
There are several reasons the Hettingers chose Louisville. By the 1850s the costal states were filling up. Much of the land east of Kentucky had been claimed. Also, New York was the major port of entry for the United States. Louisville is within the “German Triangle”, a geographical area defined by Cincinnati, Ohio, St. Louis Missouri and Milwaukee, Wisconsin which saw heavy settlement of German immigrants starting somewhere around 1840 and continuing into the 1880s. The Hettingers coming out of Germany were Catholic, and Louisville was a large Catholic city. Lastly, you go where your neighbors go. Chances are good that someone from Oberotterbach, or the vicinity had settled here and written home about this land of opportunity. Joseph Hettinger, Nicholas' older brother settled here first. (Ulrich & Ulrich, 2015) (Image: A New Map of Louisville, KY, 1856)
There were a number of other families over time who chose to settle in Louisville from the same town or area in Germany including Westerman, Fried, and Dahl to name a few. The Hettingers were following those who had come before them.
Aside from Nicholas' older brothers Joseph and Jacob, his nephew also named Jacob immigrated in 1860 at the age of 18 and Jacob's sister Elizabeth immigrated as well. Joseph and the nephew Jacob move out of the city into surrounding towns (Gillmans Point, now known as St. Matthews) to farm. For some reason Nicholas & Elizabeth stayed in Germantown and the surrounds. I have wondered if they had family gatherings, or just went their separate ways. Nicholas and Elizabeth were chosen as their niece Elizabeth's Godparents (since they were Catholic, she was baptized as an infant), I wonder if they met her at the wharf, or perhaps the train station as I would like to think they were met upon their arrival.
Researching where you came from can be a daunting task, particularly in a big city, and one that was doubling in population every decade for almost a century straight from its beginning in 1790. To complicate this, Louisville was a frontier city, so not all who came here stayed. Louisville exists where it does due to the falls of the Ohio River. Before the locks were built in the 1830s, Louisville was a stop on your journey, if the river wasn’t high enough to go over the falls. Even if it was high enough, it was still dangerous with an estimated 8 to 12 boats a year breaking up. By the time the Locks were built, Louisville was the 15th largest city in the US (with 10,341 people living here) (https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-biggest-us-cities-1790-2025/).
Why did they leave?
Germany wasn’t a country until 1871. Prior to it was a collection of kingdoms, duchies and principalities, with the kingdom of Bayern (Bavaria for us English speakers) being the one in which the Hettingers lived. There had been a failed revolution attempt in 1848 and there was a good bit of political instability and economic hardship. As mentioned before this land was also highly contested and had frequently switched hands between the Germans and the French.
Additionally there was economic hardship and over population. (When Did They Come) For a people who worked as farmers, land was the elixir of life. The average German family of 4 needed 20 to 30 acres of land to be able to produce enough food to survive. Since the population there had boomed, the law of Anerbenrecht (right of the single heir) had been put in place, which said the family farm could not be divided amongst the children, but only the oldest son (primogeniture) could inherit it. This prevented farms which were already on the small side to support a family from being divided anymore. (Rose)(Germans in The Midwest) In my case, Nicholas' oldest sibling was Catharina, so she would not have inherited the land. Next, John Joseph, was the first to emigrate to Louisville. Next was Jacob who emigrated with Nicholas (my ancestor). Fourth in birth order was John, who was the father of Nicholas's niece and nephew (Jacob and Elizabeth mentioned above as haven emigrated) did not emigrate. Perhaps he took ownership of the farm. (Image: Advertising Brochure for Emigrants from 1850, 1850)Lastly, my ancestor Nicholas’ father passed away in 1823 and then his mother in 1845. Not much is known about my 3rd great grandmother Elizabeth Frey's parents.
A note on last names from 1800:
It was not uncommon for people to not know how to spell their last names, or even to spell their last names multiple ways. A proper spelling wasn’t as important as it is today. When you add language differences, German accents and letters with accent marks looking for a single last name becomes an exercise in all of the variations. This tangibly presents itself in the early city directories where you find from one directory the same person with variations in their last names (and the directories were typeset and printed, not hand written. This means that a search for Hettinger now becomes a search for Hettiger, Hettinger, Hittinger, Hottinger, Hüttinger, Huettinger, and Huttinger just to name a few variations. All of these variations are found in Louisville and could be the same family, or different families. Following 1 individual may mean searching for records under one or more of these variations of the spelling. I will cover more on the other spellings later, but for now I will use Hettinger when I mean anyone who was born as or married into the family and took the surname Hettinger, as that is by far the most common spelling.
To further complicate research, there were the German spellings of first names, like Nicholaus, Johann, Katherina and Ludovica. Then the English, like Nicholas and Nickolas, John, Katherine, Catherine or Kate, and Katie and Louisa. Additinally, the Germans loved reusing the same names over and over, so you get many people named the same first names. The internet has made research much easier, but the documents still have to be weeded through.
Disclaimer:
The work presented here was a monumental task to compile. I have taken care to correctly identify facts as to the best of my capabilities, and if not certain, I have stated that it was my opinion. I have been researching on and off for just short of 20 years. During that time, more documents and information have come available, mainly through the internet, and my techniques have been honed. With this being said though, I had not taken an exhaustive look at Nicholas and Elizabeth prior to this blog. It took doing the math on their immigration date approximately 2 months ago, realizing that today (July 16, 2026) was going to be the 175 anniversary and that now, was no better time to piece together as much as I could. Writing a narrative really helps to highlight what you don't know. It also caused me to go down the rabbit holes of a number of subjects including their immigration, an exhaustive timeline of their lives here in Louisville, the exact location where they lived (which is by the way, less than 5 miles from where I currently live), the brick making industry in Louisville in the mid 1800s, and lastly the Southern Exposition. Each of these side quests could take months on their own on which to venture. I am sure I have made mistakes, and know there are still holes. Please offer corrections in the comments.
Acknowledgements:
Lastly I would like to give a posthumous big thank you to Anna Mae Hettinger, who did an immense amount of research on the Hettinger family back before the internet. Anna Mae is my 4th cousin, 1 time removed (or, she and dad are 4th cousins, that is they share the same great great grandparents). I never knew Anna Mae as she passed away in 1992. To be honest, I probably never would have known her. She had passed by almost 15 years before I would start my own genealogy journey, and I don't believe there would have been a reason to have met, which is not to say that we may have walked past each other and never knew it. I did attend at lease 1 family reunion when I was younger, but it probably would have just been my great-aunts and uncles, and their descendants.
To connect us up though, you have to cross into Germany and back to Louisville. In the last week I was looking through an 1982 phone book for Louisville and I found Anna Mae as well as my parents listedm as well as 43 other Hettingers. I distinctly remember looking through the phone book when I was younger and seeing all of the Hettingers listed. I wondered back then, who they all were and if we were related. All of these many years later, I realize, yes, we are all related. I also realize that so many other last names in that book are relatives as well. Reality is many more than I could have ever imagined. My connection to Anna Mae and her research are for another post on another day.
Additionally, I would like to thank Steve Dahl, whos' ancestors also settled in Louisville from Oberotterbach. If he had not taken a cold phone call from me, I probably would not have been able to visit Oberotterbach, and definitely would not have had the experiences that I did while there, nor met relatives that I have that still live there.
Image References:
(1) Bachman, J. (1851). Lithograph of New York City [Photograph]. https://www.history101.nyc/aerial-view-brooklyn-manhattan-1851
(2) (1851). Manifest of Maid of Orleans Landing in New York City July 16, 1851 [Photograph]. Scanned From NARA Microfilm. https://www.Ancestry.com
(3) Hettinger, C. (2008). Picture of DeutscheStraβe Sign, Wissembourg, France [Photograph].
(4) Hettinger, C. (2008). Panoramic image of Oberotterbach contrast adjusted using Google Gemini [Photograph].
(5) Hettinger, C. (2008). Image of Street in Oberotterbach [Photograph].
(6) Hettinger, C. (2008). Image of Sign Entering Oberotterbach [Photograph].
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(9) Rendering of square rigger ship: AI created by http://gemini.google.com
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(12) (1850). Emigrants from Liverpool to America - 1850 [Photograph]. https://www.alamy.com/emigrants-from-liverpool-to-america-1850-image732831224.html?imageid=489E4EB9-A9E4-47F3-A442-53B2452C37FB&pn=2&searchId=83e3627c513ce4472885d27924f1fb26&searchtype=0
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(14) (n.d.) Drawing of Sectional Canal Boats [Photograph]. https://www.funimag.com/funimag28/Allegheny01.htm
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(16) (1850) 1850 Louisville Riverfront [Photograph]. https://www.facebook.com/groups/727273197843494/posts/1966411613929640/
(17) (1861). Petition for Naturalization of Nicholas Hettinger [Photograph]. https://www.Ancestry.com
(18) (1866, May 30). Ordinance Warrants. The Louisville Daily Journal, 3. https://www.proquest.com/
(19) (1883, December 27). Deaths Reported Yesterday. The Courier Journal, 8. https://www.proquest.com/
(20) (1821). Brick making and construction in 1821 [Photograph]. https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/discover-your-ancestors/periodical/99/a-solid-trade-3185/?
(21) Hettinger, H. (2008). Image of Nicholas Hettinger's Grave Marker [Photograph].
(22) Hettinger, H. (2008). Image of Elizabeth Hettinger's Grave Marker [Photograph].
(23) (1874). Will of Nicholas Hettinger [Photograph]. http://www.ancestry.com
(24) (1891, January 9). To Settle the Estate. The Courier Journal, (Morning), 8. https://www.proquest.com
(25) (1883). Lithograph of View of the Buildlings of the Southern Exposition, at Louisville, KY [Photograph]. https://historiclouisville.weebly.com/the-southern-exposition-1883-1887.html
(26) (1856). A New Map of Louisville, KY [Photograph]. https://kyhistory.pastperfectonline.com/Webobject/0BFC0E10-5E1A-446A-AB84-313810505299(26) Advertisement for immigrant ship to America: https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/jportal_derivate_00033773/AWZ_4_1850_Reg1.pdf
(27) (1850). Advertising Brochure for Emigrants from 1850 [Photograph]. https://stadtarchiv.heilbronn.de/stadtgeschichte/unterrichtsmaterial/neuzeit/auswanderung/quelle-prospekt.html?tx_contrast=0
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