Karl Heinrich Buchmiller - Part 4

          About this time the German Army showed interest in Karl but he wanted no part of it. He left home August 30, 1880, and made his way down the Rhine River to Rotterdam, The Netherlands. From there he worked his way across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City on a ship. In New York he worked and saved his money.

New York Passenger List 

      Emil joined him in New York when their grandmother, Christine Buchmiller, died and left each of her grandchildren 149 marks. Emil told his mother's landlord about the inheritance and asked him if he would loan Emil some money on it so he could go to America. Even though the man had never met Emil before, Herr Gross loaned the Buchmiller youth the amount he needed. Emil had read in the Church publication, Der Stern, about railroad construction jobs in Logan, Utah. He joined a German Church group going to England and sailed with them to New York. He arrived in May of 1882. Emil and Karl soon found each other, but Karl had had the misfortune of being "rolled" or robbed. Emil had to share his meager possessions with his brother, including the proceeds from the sale of a small squirrel Emil had brought with him from Europe.

     They traveled by train from New York to Ogden, Utah, and then to Logan. The pair arrived June 4, 1882, and were met at the depot by a number of German and Swiss members. Among them was Jacob Spori from Switzerland who would become a good friend to the family. He was an educator but was working for the railroad to earn money. The next day, Monday, Jacob took Karl, now 22, Emil, and a son of Brother Drussell to the Collinston railroad camp located about 15 miles north of Logan. They started work the following morning.  Shoveling for 10 hours a day was very difficult for the brothers, especially for Emil, as he had been working in an office. The young German brothers finally became used to the hard work and were able to keep up with the other men. They were paid $1.25 a day plus board.

    

The bequest from their grandmother came in September and with that and their savings Karl and Emil were able to send for their mother and sister and Emil to pay his debt. The two arrived in Logan but the brothers were not there to meet them. They were working near the Idaho border. The women stayed at the depot and continued to wait patiently. Karl and Emil knew they were there but had to wait at the job site for the payroll car to come. They needed the money they had earned before they could return to Logan. The payroll car finally came and they were paid in gold coins. Karl stayed behind, probably to safeguard their money. Emil hopped a freight train that was about to head south. The roadmaster allowed him to ride free because he worked for the railroad. It was dark when Emil arrived in Logan, but he shouted "Mother" and she answered him. She and Mary had waited all day but the sound of her son's voice made it all worthwhile. Karl came the next day and the family was reunited.

     Leonhart had married about three years before Karl and Emil joined the Church. The family helped Konrad come to America and he settled in the eastern part of the United States. Leonhart is believed to have come later. The older brothers were not heard from again.

     The mother, Barbara, told of a dream she had as a young girl. She dreamed she was in a beautiful garden with flowers and trees. She saw a girl friend who owned a tree that bore golden nuts. She saw the tree and it had only five nuts on it. Some were half open with the golden kernels showing. She asked the friend to let her have the tree for a while. A personable gardener wearing a white cap transplanted the tree for her. She did not see where he transplanted it. Barbara said the golden nuts represented her five children and they were not to stay in the country of their birth. That was represented by the tree being transplanted, she said.