More on the Blum Family

In 1880 Andrew sent money to Germany for his brother, William and his wife, Caroline (Moessinger), and their four children, Charles, Mary, Fred, and Lena, to come to America. Andrew purchased them a home in Omaha and helped William gain work in the brewery as a laborer.

Charles Blum

born 10/14/1872

died 4/18/1951

Mary Blum

born 5/25/1875

died 10/17/1964

Fred Blum

born 9-13-1876

died 6-13-1948

born 6-29-1878

died 8-1-1923

When I think of our ancestors and how they came to leave thier homelands to come to America it gives me a sense of the strong desire to fullfill a dream.  How hard it had to be, many of them coming to this strange world alone, and penniless, and not knowing the language.  Traveling miles and miles and working along the way before settling in a place they could call home.  And think of the strength in the family bond that tied them together as they worked to bring their other family members to them.  But for most, it was to never again see their homeland, and many of their family that were left behind.

In 1881 Andrew once again sent money to Germany.  This time  it was for Caroline's sister, Louise Moessinger.  When Loouise arrived in Council Bluffs, there was no one at the depot to meet her.  The slave traders offered to help her but instead took her to the auction block to sell her as domestic help.  Can you even imagine the releif she must have felt when Andrew arrived with the steamship ticket he had paid for to New York, and the rail passage ticket from New York to Council Bluffs?  Can you imagine being a young girl in a new country with a language barrier standing between you and your destiny?  I myself would have sit down and cried.  Perhaps she did.

Andrew and Louise Blum

Andrew married Louise on June 27th 1881, at Council Bluffs, Iowa.  After their marriage they lived in a house on the north west corner of Nicholas and Pierce streets.  Andrew was a maltster for the Geise Brewery Co. at the time.  January 23, 1882, they welcomed their first born into the new world here in Omaha, Nebraska.  The weather was so cold and the living quarters, barely adequate, that they kept the baby in the oven to keep her from freezing.

Ida Blum

born 1/23/1882

Died 2/27/1967