Meta Friedericka Henrietta Elisabeth Heiden was born on Friday, December 23, 1870 in Gross Wokern, Germany as the third child of August and Fredericka (Knaack) Heiden. She came to America with her parents, arriving in New York Harbor on June 4, 1873 aboard the S.S. Saxonia.

She died 12 days later on June 16, 1873 and is buried in Zion Lutheran Church cemetery in Monroe, Michigan.

There was an old family story that one of August and Fredericka's children died on board the ship during their trip to America. Finding the gravestone shown below helped to clear up the facts. Meta died about two weeks after the Heidens arrived in Monroe, Michigan.

I cleaned up the image in PhotoShop so it could be read more easily. The top line probably reads "Hier ruhet in Gott" which means Here Rests with God.