Great Grandmother Theres Kreuzer Balk lived 1840-1889??

On this Mother`s Day I will write about a Mother of long ago.

I saw a documentary on Ellis Island recently that may explain what happened to Peter Balk`s wife, Theres, upon arrival in America.  Family stories told she was very sick when they arrived.  The documentary was giving a tour of  the buildings on Ellis Island.  The baggage room was on the lower level.  They left belongings there and were sent to the receiving room.  It was a large room that would have been packed with tired, anxious people speaking many languages.  The people were funneled upstairs into interview rooms where it was determined if the immigrants were well physically and mentally.  Doctors stood at the top of the stairs to watch for physical disabilities.  Then they were screened to see if they had enough money (about $20) to make a start in the new world.  They were then directed to a set of 3 parallel stairwells down.  One allowed individuals to get a train ticket West, one allowed those sent to it to stay in the New York area, and the last was to the dreaded hospital where sick ones were tested to see if they had curable or noncurable ailments.  Those with noncurable diseases were sent back to their native land at the cost to the steamship that brought them.  That was only about 2 per cent.  I guess curable ones were allowed to recover in the hospital.  At the bottom of the stairs were doors to a room where people were joyfully united with family members or sadly realized that a family member did not appear healthy enough to join them. Evidently Peter, Joseph, and halfsister Anna Mary Kruezer had the $20 and were given train tickets West for they settled in Nebraska.  I can only speculate on Theres.  She was ill, about 49 years of age, had borne 6 of her 7 children in a bit under 8 years, buried 5 of them death do to typhoid.  We do not know her ailments.  I read from another source that it might be something as simple as body lice that detained them.  Did she have to go back and possibly did not survive the trip or die at Ellis Island.  I can only imagine the sadness of having to leave wife and mother there on the island.  I am sure she as any mother would want them to make a better life for themselves.  It is no wonder they never spoke much of life before.  I have heard Peter went back to Germany several times.  WHY?  Did he not want citizenship early because he could not freely go back and forth?  He would have had to renounce forever fidelity to reigning William II Emporer of Germany at the time.  I know Aunt Margaret, Joseph`s oldest living daughter, was not thrilled at the thought of Ernie going to visit Germany in the last couple decades.  She feared what he might find.

Too many questions.  No answers yet.