Johann Heinrich Ludwig Grannemann, my 3rd great grand uncle, died three weeks shy of his 19th birthday on December 1,1843. Born in Nordhemmern, Germany in 1824, Johann must have yearned for America. Two of his brothers – my 3rd great grandfather, Johann Heinrich, and the oldest brother, Johann Heinrich – had already made the trip to America by 1842 and were married and busy sowing seeds of many varieties on farms in Missouri.

And so Johann Heinrich followed in their footsteps and set out across the Atlantic. When he arrived in America seven to eight weeks later, he had only survived the first leg. He then likely boarded a stagecoach which delivered him (some weeks later) to his final destination in “Herman”, Missouri where he then died.

Yes, he died young. And yes, he made that arduous trip in vain.

But the part of Johann’s life that fascinates me is his death, or rather, news of his death. I’ve often wondered if immigrants communicated with their relatives back in the “old country” and now I know. My researcher in Germany – a genealogy genius – revealed to me recently that Johann’s death in Missouri was recorded in the same church register in Nordhemmern that holds his baptismal record from 1824. That means either one of two things – someone came to America and returned to Germany carrying the sad news of Johann’s passing; OR, a letter somehow made its way back successfully. Keep in mind, we’re talking 1843.

Either way, it’s both sad and extraordinary. Think about it… there’s no record of his death in MISSOURI and yet somehow it made its way back to Germany where it was buried and then unearthed in an old church register some 170 years later. You can’t make this stuff up.

Kenfolk: Utlauts
Relation: 3rd great grandfather
Common ancestor: Johann’s parents, Johann Christian and Anne Dorothee Luise (Bredemeier) Grannemann, are my 4th great grandparents