Henry J. Sommer's "Seegars"

The Coat of Arms of the Duchy of Baden tops
Heinrich Josef Sommer's 1859 passport

Great-grandfather Heinrich Josef Sommer [pronounced with a "z" and a long "o"] arrived at Castle Garden, New York City's immigration center before Ellis Island, on May 13, 1859 aboard the ship Mercury. His passport was issued by authorities in his hometown of Weinhein, Duchy of Baden about six weeks earlier. Between Heinrich's passport and the Mercury's manifest, I know Great-grandfather sailed to the the United States from Hamburg in northern Germany via LeHavre, France. He had booked passage through Chrystie, Schlossman & Co., a travel agent for Badischer citizens emigrating to the United States. The company made all the travel arrangements, including ship and railway fares, overnight accommodations (as in LeHavre), and insured the emigrant's belongings. Food costs for the voyage were provided, although the emigrant was responsible for procuring the food ahead of time. Heinrich was housed on deck.

Henry was assigned to Co. F,
29th NY Infantry Regiment

Although being housed on deck sounds a bit rough and cut-rate, we don't know the actual conditions of Heinrich's accommodation. It's unlikely he was an impoverished immigrant. The contract with Chrystie, Scholssman & Co. couldn't have been cheap. His family was probably comfortably well-off; his father, Franz Heinrich Sommer was a soap-maker which was a skilled trade. On July 16, 1855, Heinrich earned a certificate from a school in Mannheim showing his successful completion of an apprenticeship in "business knowledge [management]" which qualified him as a merchant. Heinrich had probably procured a job before ever setting sail; he was employed as a leaf tobacco dealer with the "seegar" importer L. Bamberger & Co. almost immediately upon arrival in the United States.

Heinrich anglicized his name as soon as he arrived in the United States. He became Henry Joseph Sommer [pronounced "summer"], and bequeathed his new name to three more generations before a great-grandson, on the birth of his son, said: "Enough!"

H. Sommer Co. cigar brand

Henry was a man of ambition and determination. In 1861, when President Lincoln called for men to enlist in the army following the attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, Henry Sommer was quick to enlist as a private in the 29th New York Infantry Regiment (also known as the 1st German Infantry because it was comprised primarily of German immigrants). He might have enlisted out of a fervor for his new homeland, but it's more likely he responded, as did so many immigrant men and boys, out of self-interest. Enlisting promised an expedited path to U.S. citizenship, and citizenship would open up additional opportunities for an up-and-coming young man. For good measure, Henry even re-enlisted in the army, and then at the end of that enlistment period, joined the Marines. He became a citizen shortly after the war's end.

H. Sommer Co. cigar brand

Henry returned to L. Bamberger & Co. as a book-keeper for a couple of years at the end of his military service. He married Anna Maria Katharina [Mary Catherine] Rühl in Philadelphia on May 18, 1867. The couple set up residence in Milford, Bucks County, north of Philadelphia, and then set about starting a family, the first of their five children being born one year after their marriage.

H. Sommer Co. cigar brand

Meanwhile, Henry set up a cigar factor for L. Bamberger in nearby Quakertown, By 1873, he was prosperous enough to buy out the local enterprise and rename it the H. Sommer Co. Henry's main factory was in Quakertown, next door to the family home. By 1905 he had established at least seven smaller factories throughout the
area, becoming one of the most prominent and prolific manufacturers of affordable cigars in the country. He died on January 14, 1910 and left the business to his three sons: Ferdinand, Henry Jr., and Edmund. Within ten years, Henry Jr. and Edmund relinquished their business interests to Ferd ,who ran the business until its closure in 1937.

Female employees pose in front of the main factory.

Shipping label for one of the company's most popular brands