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Immigrants making the
journey from Europe or the British Isles to the New World faced many
obstacles on their journey. The trip across the Atlantic prior to the
1870's may have lasted up to 1 1/2 months according to surviving manifests
and personal narratives. The dawn of the steamship era saw the length of
the voyage shorted to 5-7 days depending on the number of stops and
weather conditions.
The length of these voyages
often affected the passengers in a variety of ways. Health and sanitation
facilities on-board were often lacking or non-existent for all but those
in first class. Passengers arriving prior to the steamship era often made
the voyage on cargo ships. Passengers were perceived as supplemental to
whatever cargo was being transported. Steamships offered improvements in
terms of speed and sanitation, but the majority of immigrants could only
afford the cost of passage by traveling in
steerage. Sanitation in steerage was not considered a priority by
shipping companies.
The length of the voyages
coupled with overcrowded conditions resulted in many of the following
situations:
1. Pregnant woman giving
birth at sea
2. High mortality rate among passengers from disease, crime, weather
conditions, or natural causes
3. Marriages occurring at sea either to enhance the couples chances of
being admitted to the United States or because they were finally free of
constraints existing in the countries of origin.
The mortality rate on some
sailing and steamships ranged from 25-50%. American vessels had a better
record for sanitation facilities and passenger safety. However, the cost
of passage was much more expensive than on vessels owned or operated by
companies operating out of British or German ports.
Records of birth, marriage,
and death were supposed to be noted on the ship manifest. The captain was
also supposed to keep track of the names in the ship's log, make a copy of
the list for the Registry Office for Civil Registration, Office of
National Statistics, and the Shipping Company archives in the country of
origin. Certificates of birth, marriage, and death were supposed to be
issued by the national office in the country of origin. In reality, many
were issued in the jurisdiction of arrival. If you uncover evidence that
the shipping company maintained reports from the ship surgeon, this could
be a valuable document. Surgeon's reports, when they exist, would list
births and deaths on a given voyage.
Many births occurred at
sea. The child was often named after the vessel, ship's surgeon, ship's
captain, arrival port, or country. Weddings were usually performed by a
clergyman amongst the passengers although evidence indicates that some
ship's captains also performed this function.
Bryan L. Mulcahy
Reference Librarian
Fort Myers-Lee County Library
2050 Central Avenue
Fort Myers, FL 33901-3917
Tel: (239)- 479-4651
Fax: (239)- 479-4634 |
