A Woman’s Perspective
A discussion of letters written in the 1850’s by Anna Henriette (Jette) Geisberg Bruns, a German immigrant woman from Munster who moved to Jefferson City, Missouri.
The letters written by Jette Bruns (pictured above) give us a unique and somewhat rare perspective into the life of a German immigrant woman in the 1800s. Most documents and letters we have from this period were written by men or focused on them. In this post, I will be focusing on one small collection of letters out of roughly 270 letters from the book Hold Dear, as Always Jette, a German Immigrant Life in Letters. These letters were compiled and translated by Adolf Schroeder, a prominent historian of Germany and German immigration to the US. While I will only discuss a small section, I strongly encourage everyone to read more of this book and learn more about the struggles immigrants faced in the country.
Anna Henriette (Jette) Geisberg Bruns married her husband Bernhard Bruns in Germany and immigrated to the US with him and some family members. She had around 10 children, 3 would die from scarlet fever in their youth, and two others fighting for the Union in the Civil War. Throughout her life, she was strong and independent. She managed to put up with her husband and family along a difficult journey while also acting as a strong leader and figurehead. After the death of her husband, Jette became a prominent figure in the community herself, often holding meetings of German politicians in her own home. While she was determined to make America home, she was incredibly homesick. She continued to write to her family for years, keeping connections between America and Germany until her death in 1899.
The letter I selected is written just after her move to Jefferson City from Westphalia with her husband in 1854. She details some of the struggles she faced during her move, including misplacing some furniture, and explaining that due to being so busy, she hasn’t been able to write consistently to her relatives. Her husband is considering getting involved in the state political scene but has fallen ill with pneumonia. After falling ill, he worries if he will survive and says Jette should consider going back to Westphalia (where they had settled first, or even Germany, which she refuses, despite being homesick. Later in the book, we learn that her husband, Dr. Bernhard Bruns, is elected mayor of Jefferson City and serves as mayor during the Civil War, up until his death in 1864.
I found this object in the digital archives of SHSMO when looking for resources in Cole County. Immediately I was intrigued. I remembered discussing in class how rare it was to find sources from a woman’s perspective, especially a German immigrant woman’s. Many of the letters went hand in hand with the material we have discussed in class.
This section of letters was written in Jefferson City, although there are also letters from St. Louis (their initial stop), and Westphalia, which they founded as a Germany colony with a group of other Germans. Jefferson City served as an important place for German immigrants moving along the Missouri river. Old Munichberg was near the river and was the first destination of Germans entering Jefferson City. Originally, Munichberg was its own settlement, but as both Jefferson City and Munichberg expanded, they became merged. Jefferson City is the capital of Missouri and surprisingly has a significant German influence. This can be seen in both its history and present day. Old Munichberg is currently being preserved and revitalized by the Old Munichberg Association in Jefferson City. (The Once and Future Village, Explore Missouri’s German Heritage, Merhoff)
This section serves as a prime example of the experiences of German immigrants coming to the state. Hope was a major driving factor for most immigrants. Like Jette and her husband, after hearing and becoming infatuated with Duden’s portrayal of the state, many Germans immigrated to Missouri to set up communities of their own, (like the Bruns did in Westphalia, MO).
At the time the letter was written, there were a lot of important political developments in Missouri and across the country. The letter was written the same year the Whig party collapsed and the Republican party emerged. Jette mentions the Whigs and Democrats and the shifting affiliations and conflicts between them during that time. The Know-Nothings, a political party heavily based around anti-immigrant sentiments, had also become a prominent party. Jette states “Since the August elections, one party, which is called the Know-Nothings, is more in favor with the Americans. These are native Americans who deny the immigrants and Catholics many of their rights. Here too there are said to be very many of them, and they hold secret meetings.”
In this section of letters, Jette also shows us German attitudes and inclinations in politics as well as during the Civil War. This can help us better understand how German immigrants viewed their identities and their roles in the growing country. Jette’s sons would go on to fight, and die, in the Civil War showing that despite being new to the country, German immigrants were willing to give and fight for the future of a country that treated them as outsiders, and for their new homes.
Jette’s letters were written to inform her family members in Germany of the Bruns’ progress in America. They also served as an outlet for Jette who could convey her true feelings about living in the United States as well as her concerns about events happening around her. As seen in the passage above, there were many setbacks and difficulties her family had to overcome coming to the US. Although the intended audience was just for family, having these letters as a record for the public to look back on is a great way for us to dig deeper into the minds and lives of immigrants in the past. The USA is a country based around immigrants and immigration, so this is an important part of our history as a nation.
