The emigration process
The usual way to emigrate from Lippe began with registration with the Lippe authorities. This was a formal request for permission to emigrate, made at least four weeks before the planned departure. A private agent usually was selected, to whom a fee was paid for the booking of passage on a ship from Bremen. Finally, the emigrant travelled to Bremen to purchase the boat ticket and wait for the ship to set sail. Bremen was the only German port which allowed men under the age of 25 to emigrate without having performed military service. Bremen also was the best-organized German port in respect to the care and aid offered to emigrants. The Varenholz district was outstanding for the protection and help given to emigrants until they sailed.
History of emigration from Lippe
Emigration from Lippe began in the middle of the 17th century and continued for 250 years. In the 18th century, Holland was the foremost destination of Lippe's emigrants, with some also going to France, Denmark, and Switzerland. Holland entered a period of prosperity in the 17th century; men were attracted from neighboring countries to be workmen and soldiers. Emigrants from Lippe continued to favor Holland until the middle of the 19th century, when large numbers began to emigrate to the United States. In 1776 there appeared in the Lippe newspapers the first reports about colonial life in America and about the experiences of officers and soldiers from Lippe who took part in the American Revolution. Emigration to America remained slight, however, until the middle of the 19th century.
The all-time high for emigration from the Varenholz district was in 1847, a year of economic and social crisis, which culminated the following year throughout Germany in what is called the Revolution of 1848. In that year of revolution, Lippe's emigration reached its all-time high of 850. The percent of Lippe's population which emigrated was no higher than the average for the rest of Germany. But of the twelve districts into which Lippe was divided, the population of Varenholz had the highest percent of emigrants and the third highest percent of migrant workers. The large estates and forests of Varenholz made it impossible for the small farmer to add to his land and thereby increase his potential income.
Statistics and figures
19th-century Lippe:
Comparison of figures for Lippe of migrant workers (people going outside Lippe temporarily for seasonal work) and emigrants (people leaving Lippe permanently by emigration):
Yearly number of registered emigrants from the district of Varenholz (in which district the village of Stemmen is located). In addition to these numbers, there were unknown numbers of people who emigrated secretly, without registering with the Lippe authorities:
