When August and Rika (Knaack) Heiden came to America in 1873, the passenger list included a man named, “Heiden, Christ., age 56, and Sophie, 28, his daughter” but we do not know what, if any, relation he might have been to our branch of the Heiden family.

During our research, we came across this article in the Monroe Evening News which included the name Christ Heiden. This could be a coincidence or it could be the same Heiden from the ship. If it was, the man would have been 102 years old.

Turns out it is a coincidence. The man in the article is Christian Heiden who was born in Germany in 1858. He lived in Raisinville Township with his father, John and mother, Sophia (Yentz) until he was committed to the Pontiac State Hospital. He died there on February 26, 1936 at the age of 78. A contributing factor to his death was "senile deterioration".

His father, John, was born in 1814 in Nienhagen, Germany. This is one of the little villages in the vicinity of Gross Wokern, the birthplace of August Heiden. So...