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As a young man in the 1880s Friedrich had left Europe and his birthplace of Kallstadt (Bayern) to seek his fortune in America during the Gold Rush, heading to Washington State and the Yukon to open hotel-restaurants catering to gold-diggers. After marrying Elisabeth in 1901 the couple moved to New York. But by 1904 she had grown homesick and they returned to make a living in their homeland.

Yet their homeland rejected them, because Friedrich Trump had broken the law. By going to the U.S. he had skipped Germany’s compulsory military service. As punishment his German citizenship was revoked. Trump groveled and begged to the authorities, writing to a local prince to ask “Why should we be deported? This is very, very hard for a family.” But it did no good.

Cast out from the land of their birth, on June 30th 1905 the Trumps followed so many others of the world’s poor, huddled masses, yearning to be free, and traveled once again to the United States.

What if he was allowed to come back to Germany?
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