Seagoing Cowboys!
The term itself makes one curious, draws one in. Who were they? What did they do? My own curiosity began with an envelope of my grandfather’s photos given to me by my father after my grandpa died. Growing up in the Church of the Brethren, I knew about seagoing cowboys; but I didn’t know my Grandpa Abe had been one of them. In September 1946, at age 49, he sailed to Poland on the SS Pierre Victory with a load of 774 horses. This shipment was part of a program run by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration to help countries devastated by World War II recover and rebuild.
Grandpa Abe and fellow cowboys on the SS Pierre Victory, October 1946
The story hiding in grandpa’s photos meshed with a growing interest I had in writing a young adult novel. What a great topic! I thought. I could write about the journey of a young seagoing cowboy to Poland. Little did I know what a journey the pursuit of this project would become for me!
My curiosity led me to a former pastor, Rev. Al Guyer, who I knew had been a seagoing cowboy to Poland. Maybe I could learn from him what Grandpa’s trip might have been like, I thought.
Al’s story drew me in.
Al Guyer and Jack Baker prepare to leave home for the journey of a life time in November 1945. Source: Albert Guyer
That interview was in January 2002, right before our family moved from Maryland to Northern Indiana, smack dab in the middle of seagoing cowboy country where the story of the related Heifer Project, today’s Heifer International, began. My passion for the story grew with every cowboy I interviewed and I’ve been uncovering, documenting, writing, and speaking about this little-known history ever since. It turned out to be a much larger story than I had anticipated, taking me all across the country to interview cowboys and visit various archives, including those of the United Nations, Heifer International, the Church of the Brethren, and the Mennonites.
Digging for information in the Heifer International archives.
Most recently, my research has taken me to Germany and Poland where I was able to see where the seagoing cowboys had been and meet recipients of animals delivered in 1945 to Poland and in 1950 to Germany.
In September 2013, I met with 11 Reichswald settler families in Germany who received heifers in 1950 from the Heifer Project. My interpreter and friend Ingrid Marx is on my right. Photo credit: Hannelore Erkens
I had a joyous meeting with the Stanislaw Debert family in Pruszcz Gdanski, Poland, in October 2013. Stanislaw received a heifer from the Heifer Project and two horses from UNRRA in late 1945. Photo credit: Magda Starega
So what about my novel?
Finding Charity, which has long since been drafted and gone through three major revisions, is resting. Along the way, I realized it was a nonfiction book about the seagoing cowboys that was needed and wanted by the cowboys, as well as a book about the beginnings of the Heifer Project. So that has become my priority. I have a children’s picture book, Grandpa Was a Seagoing Cowboy, under contract with Brethren Press; and I’ll keep you posted on its progress. But for now, the point I’m at is sifting through a roomful of accumulated research materials to find the stories for my nonfiction books.
Lots and lots of files to process!
l’ll be sharing pieces of this history here as I go. I hope you’ll join me on my journey.
[My intention is to post every second and fourth Friday or Saturday. I invite you to become a regular follower.]
The Seagoing Cowboys 
Good morning Peggy! For the past four years I have been re-creating the Amish Love Story my parents were. Oral history from our mother and everyone in our family and community was that our daddy had been on a cattleship to Europe. My father never talked with us six children about this. He did leave behind a meticulous diary of his voyage and a picture of his crew before getting on the S.S. Henry Dearborn in Baltimore on December 11, 1945 at B&O Terminal Pier 9. After calling the Brethern Relief Center No. 78, he was instructed to go to the American Hawaiian Office. It wasn’t until last year that I realized the magnitude of his ship voyage. No one ever mentioned it was part of World War II relief efforts and that my father went as a conscientous objector to do his part. This morning I googled S.S. Henry Dearborn again, and you and your amazing historical preservation came up with a beautiful picture of the ship. I am in suspended breathing at this discovery of a huge world of history our daddy was part of. And that I can be a part of through a connection with you. I look forward to hearing from you!
P.S. Our fathers name is John M. Stoltzfus (passed away August 18, 1986 at age 64)
He mentions in his diary is ship mate was a Mennonite from Ohio named Vernon Miller
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How wonderful to hear from you, Fern! I will email you a response.
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Peggy, So great to see this and thanks for all your effort! My father was a Seagoing Cowboy who went to Poland so it is wonderful to see the photo of you and the Polish family.
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Good to hear from you, Eric! Yes, I’d been in touch with your father. And I see in my seagoing cowboy card file that he was also a cowboy foreman on his trip on the SS Frederic C. Howe in May 1946. Hope you’ll enjoy the blog!
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Thanks, Joyce. You are a wonderful kindred spirit, and I’m so grateful that you’ve come into my life.
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Such impressive research. Your passion is amazing! And I love that you are validating the cowboys’ stories while reminding us of kindness in the wake of war.
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