Jürgen Hellmers
A summary of Jürgen Hellmers’ work as a seaman for the years 1838-1844 can be found in an html document here or in a Word document here. On his ninth voyage, his ship—the Bremen—left for Philadelphia in July 1844, so he would have arrived some time later that year. It would appear that he “deserted” there, not making the return trip. Records in Philadelphia suggest that he remained there for some time. It appears that he made a Declaration of Intent to be naturalized on 5 March 1846. On 5 March 1855, he took the Oath of Allegiance. What happened to him thereafter is not known. Hellmers family tradition (from a 1963 interview with Hinrich’s granddaughter Palmyra Hellmers) was that there was a “brother in Philadelphia,” perhaps a brother of Hinrich. In 1899, the Hellmers family had this added to a death notice: “Philadelphia papers please copy,” indicating there may have still been relatives there.
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