To a stranger, this is just an antique treasure chest. But to me this 182 year old steamer chest is a time capsule of courage. Its journey began in 1844 in Westphalia, Prussia,(Germany) when my ancestors, Henry Fendorf and Caroline Brammern packed their entire lives inside it. They boarded the ship Bark Minerva in Bremen, Germany, crossing the Atlantic to Baltimore, Maryland, before eventually settling in Miller County, Missouri. It passed from mother to daughter, from Caroline to Louisa, then to Florence and eventually to my great grandmother, Frieda Ruth Dover. Frieda protected this heirloom for nearly 40 years and preserved the legacy of the voyage that started it all. As Frieda’s great grandchild, seeing the chest reminds me directly to that 1844 journey. It is a reminder that my life in America exists because they were brave enough to leave everything behind. This trunk didn't just carry important items from Henry Fendorf and Caroline Brammern from Germany, it carried my family’s future!

– EA

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