Worth pondering
One of my ancestors came from Germany in 1738 on the ship The Winter Galley. That year is referred to as 'The Year of Destroying Angels' due to the sheer amount of death.
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:The_Ship_Winter_Galley
"For the current year, 1738, a special name was needed, the Year of the Destroying Angels.
However, this year the sea has held quite a different harvest, because by moderate reckoning, more than 1800 died on the 14 ships arrived till now. While there are still two missing, we have reasons to assume them lost for they have been at sea for more than 24 weeks."
...
"On the 4th of July last I sailed out of Dover in England and arrived here on this river on the 9th of September with crew and passengers in good health but on the way I had many sick people, yet, since not more than 18 died, we lost by far the least of all the ships arrived to-date. We were the third ship to arrive. I sailed in company with four of the skippers who together had 425 deaths, one had 140, one 115, one 90, and one 80. The two captains Stedman have not yet arrived and I do not doubt that I shall be cleared for departure before they arrive since I begin loading tomorrow. I have disposed of all my passengers except for 20 families."
Will there be similar accounts 250 years hence, in the European califates, about how their ancestors took upon themselves the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean?
My people arrived in Phildelphia in 1803 from the ship “Orange” he was fortunate enough to pay his passage and came alone. Still couldn’t have been a fun ride
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Very interesting, thanks for posting.
Placemark
Read Ben Franklin’s account of his ship journeys. He invented a sling on the end of a pole on a lever that one would sit in for a dip in the ocean for a quick bath. Franklin wrote that you had to be on the look out for sharks.
Some of mine came across the border into the NM territories....they had been part of the French military /colonials of N Mexico. Bout 1900 or so.
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ping
A horse a woman and a cow upon completion of servitude. Wow. Where does the woman come from? Essentially in servitude as well?
Man so much for the “good old days”.
Who writes and edits this stuff a 6th grader?
“Add to this want of provisions, hunger, thirst, frost, heat, dampness, anxiety, want,...”
add to this want of provisions.... hunger?
add to this want....want...?
Most of my ancestors were german or german swiss arrived in pennsylvania in the period 1690-1750. The reports we have heard and read were that typically about 1/3 of the passengers died in the crossing.
These numbers track with the deaths in the slave ships making the crossing from africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Thanks. Rather eye opening.
My paternal ancestors were indentured Irish.
Textide, I was surprised to learn that it’s still incredibly risky. Following a professional mariners’ forum made me realize that. DH’s boss is a retired Navy Swimmer & recently told him (in a conversation about the El Faro) that ships sink all the time- you just don’t hear about it.
You wouldn’t think- considering the size, construction, & technology of modern shipping, that would be true. How these wooden ships made it is a wonder.
Thank you for the ping, SunkenCiv.
ps. One of the mariners on the forum has a tagline I like. It says something to the effect that if you find a man who doesn’t believe in God, send him to sea. I’d been thinking that there was a marked absence of atheists there.
One of our ancestors was born at sea in the 1700s. It’s a wonder (and mercy!) that the poor baby and his mother survived. Well ... we know he survived ... hope she did, too.
50,000 convicts had reached the colonial shores... Their descendants are members of the democrat party.