• This bowl is used to hold cranberry sauce at every Thanksgiving and Christmas in our home.  It came from my ancestor Heinrich Helling.
• Heinrich (Henry) Helling (1821-1889) came to America from Derental, Duchy of Brunswick, Germany, in Nov 1848, with $50 worth of money, a wife, and infant. According to his obituary,  Henry had worked from dawn to dusk, 6 1/2 days a week for a  farming/manufacturing firm for 5 years before emigrating for a total of $125 worth ($25/year of money with all his bread and cheese deducted) 
• He came to Martins Ferry, Ohio, and opened a coal mine. Legend has it, his wife, Sophia, helped him in the early days digging and carting out the coal herself as well.  This endeavor grew and he very quickly amassed quite a little fortune for his growing family of 5 children (including my father’s great grandfather, William Helling). In due course he opened and was first President of Buckeye Glass Co and then Northwood Glass Company, which made fine cut glass.   He also became President of the Ohio Exchange Bank and opened a vineyard selling grapes to make wine. Interestingly, the house he built in 1860s (near the Ohio River) had a secret basement compartment to hide runaway slaves, which he did at great risk to himself and his family. My father and his sister loved going down to that secret cellar when they were kids!!   Henry Helling was also a founder and first president of St. John's Lutheran Church in Martins Ferry. He died in 1889 at age 67.

 

• For all his industry, Henry Helling was best known for his glass companies.  

 

– Jamie Jensen

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more