Immigration Crossings
Our ancestors emigrated from their homes in Europe, and came to America during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This page contains the information of their immigration, the routes and the ships they traveled, from the earliest in 1834 to the most recent in 1927. They came from Germany, from Ireland, and from Italy. The route took as long as 30 or so days by sailing ship, and as short as 10 days by fast steamer.
1834
My Great Great Grandparents, Jacob Nicklas and Elizabeth Koebel, had their first child in Ulster County, New York, in 1852. Other than that, I have no clue as to when they actually immigrated. The reason for listing them here under 1834 is an old family belief that they "met on the boat in 1834", though if they did, in 1834, they would have been only about 9 and 2 years old, respectively, and hence would have been immigrating with their families. The first written evidence I have of them in the US is when they baptized three of their children on 8 Mar 1857 at Christ Church, in the City of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, NY. There has been belief in the family that one or both of them came from Alsace-Lorraine, though both Alsace (or as it was then, Elsass) and Lorraine were provinces of France at the time. Baden-Württemburg was just across the Rhine. From the 1930 census, I now know that Jacob was from Bayern (Bavaria), and Elizabeth was from Alsace-Lorraine. Probably Alsace, since it was primarily German-speaking.
1847
Our first (somewhat) documented ancestor known to make the trip is my Great Great Grandfather, Johannes Müller, born 10 Feb 1821, who came from Rosenfeld, in Württemburg, to New York, in 1847, at age 26. We’ve yet to find an entry for him in any of the emigration indices, or on a ship’s manifest, and don’t know if he came alone or with family. The 1847 date comes from his entry in the 1900 census. His mother, Susanna, traveled seven years later.
My Great Great Grandmother, Christina Link, born in 1826 or 1827, came to America from somewhere in Württemburg. She married Johannes, and they had their first child, my Great Grandmother Anna Miller, on 26 Mar 1853. Like Johannes, we’ve yet to find an entry for her in any of the emigration indices, or on a ship’s manifest, and don’t know if she came alone or with family or what year she might have arrived. Christina and Johannes lived for a time in Hunter, Dutchess County, NY where they attended Hunter Presbyterian Church, and baptized their second and third children there.
1851
My Great Grandfather, Patrick Monahan, born Mar 1844, came to America in 1851 from either County Cavan, or from Meath in County Mayo, in Ireland, at age 6. Immigrating so young, he probably came over with his family. At age 18 he enlisted into the Union Army in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was mustered in Pittsfield a month later into Company K of the 37th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. He married Catherine Cahill on 25 Feb 1872 at St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, in Brooklyn, NY. We’ve not yet found an entry for him on a ship’s manifest.
1854
My Great Great Great Grandmother, Susanna (Nagel) Müller came to America from Rosenfeld in 1854, at age 61. She traveled with two of her daughters, Elizabethe Margaretha Müller (age 36) and Johanna Müller (age 24). We have found their entries in the Württemburg Emigration index. They arrived in New York aboard the barque Mercury, which had sailed from Havre, France, on 18 Sep 1854. They settled in Jackson County, Indiana. Susanna's son, Johannes (my Great Great Grandfather), had traveled to the US seven years earlier.
The sailing ship they traveled on, the Mercury, was a 3-masted, square-rigged ship (typical silhouette shown at right), built by Westervelt & Mackey, New York, for Boyd & Hincken's Havre Second Line of packets between New York and Havre, and launched on 3 September 1851. 1,350/1,156 tons (old/new measurement); 193.6 x 38.10 x 22.2 feet (length x beam x depth of hold); 2 decks, draught 21 feet. She was the largest vessel in the Havre Second Line, and the fastest (she is often considered a "medium clipper"): in the 18 years (1851-1869) in which she sailed in the line, her westbound passages, from Havre to New York, averaged 33 days, her fastest passage being 23 days, her longest being 49 days [Derived from a posting to the Emigration-Ships Mailing List by Michael Palmer - 12 Dec 1997]
The Mercury was a barque (or bark); usually a three-masted sailing vessel with the foremast and mainmast square rigged and the mizzenmast fore-and-aft rigged, a relatively common rig on the oceans. The mizzenmast carries no yards: there is a hoist-and-lower fore-and-aft sail and a gaff topsail. The barque was a popular rig, and more of this type were built than all other square rigs combined.
1865
My Great Great Grandparents, John Cahill, born about 1832, and Margaret Smith, born about 1834, came to America from Ireland about May 1865 with their three children: John Aloysius Cahill (know as Jack - born about 1850), Catherine Cahill (born Dec 1855), and Mary Cahill (born about 1858). My Great Grandmother, Catherine Cahill, married Patrick Monahan on 25 Feb 1872 at St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, in Brooklyn, NY. However, we’ve yet to find an entry for her on a ship’s manifest.
1884
My Grandmother, Louisa Elizabeth Lagomarsino, was born in the US on 17 Mar 1884, to parents (my Great Great Grandparents), Giovanni Lagomarsino and Maria Soracco, who had immigrated sometime before, from Italy. I've no record as yet as to their arrival or presence in the US. Louisa's family later took in a boarder, Luigi Capurro, who married my Grandmother on 21 Apr 1906 in City Hall, in the Borough of Manhattan, in New York City, NY.
1893
My Grandfather, Luigi Capurro, came to America from Neirone, Italy at age 15, on the steamer Kaiser Wilhelm II, which he had boarded in Genoa. He arrived May 9, 1893. He is said to have traveled alone. After boarding with her family, he married my Grandmother, Louisa Elisabeth Lagomarsino on 21 Apr 1906 in City Hall, in the Borough of Manhattan, in New York City, NY.
The steamship he traveled on, the Kaiser Wilhelm II, was built by A.G.Vulkan at Stettin in 1889 for Norddeutscher Lloyd (North German Lloyd). Her dimensions were 4,773 gross tons, length 449.6ft x beam 51ft, two funnels, four masts, a single screw and a speed of 16 knots. There was accommodation for 120 1st, 80 2nd and 1,000 3rd-class passengers. Launched on 23 Apr 1889, she sailed from Bremen on her maiden voyage for Southampton and New York on 27 Aug 1889, and was then put straight onto the Bremen - Suez - Australia service. After six round-trip voyages, she was rebuilt to 6,661 tons and on 22 Oct 1892 she sailed from Bremen for Southampton and NY. On 30 Nov 1892 she was transferred to the Genoa - Naples - NY service, until on 5 June 1893 she sank at her berth at Genoa (this was upon returning from dropping off my Grandfather in NY). She was refloated, reconditioned, altered to two masts, and on 8 Jul 1893 resumed the Bremen - Southampton - NY service until 8 Nov 1893 when she went back to the Genoa - Naples - NY run. On 18 Dec 1900 she left New York on her last voyage to Naples and Genoa and was then renamed "Hohenzollern" in 1901. Between 9 Jan 1901 and 21 May 1906 she ran between Genoa, Naples and New York, and subsequently ran within the Mediterranean Sea. On 10 May 1908 she ran aground at Alghero, Sardinia, was refloated, and then scrapped in Italy. [Derived from a posting to the Emigration-Ships Mailing List by Ted Finch - 12 Sep 1997]
1910
My wife's Grandmother, Bianca Maria Michela Palimera Bianco, traveled from Italy with her husband, Vito Masillo, sometime between March 1910 and March 1911. They had been married 7 Mar 1910 at City Hall, in Eboli, in the Provincia di Salerno, Region Campania, Italia. Their two sons, Vincent and Antonio, were born in the USA on 11 Mar 1911 and 20 Sep 1912. In a few years they returned to Italy, as Vito was dying of diabetes. Antonio, my wife's Father, returned to the US. We’ve yet to find an entry for any of them on a ship’s manifest.
1920
My wife's Grandfather, Domenico Granato sailed from Palermo 7 Sep 1920 on the Patria, arriving in America 25 Sep 1920. He was going to Omaha, Nebraska, where he had worked to earn money to pay for his wife and daughter to join him in America. Like him, many people from Lentini, Sicily, had gone to Omaha to settle with their families, or to earn money and settle elsewhere. Later, on the SS Duilio, he arrived again in New York on 27 Sep 1925, after having worked in Omaha from 1920 to 1924.
The Duilio (pictured at right) was laid down in 1914, but, due to the war, was not launched until 1916 and did not sail on her maiden voyage to New York until 1923. She was built by G. Ansaldo & Company, Sestri Ponente, Italy for Navigazione Generale Italiana. Her dimensions were 24,281 gross tons, length 602.4ft x beam 76.3ft, two funnels, two masts, four screws and a speed of 19 knots. There was accommodation for 280-1st, 670-2nd, and 600-3rd class passengers. Launched on 9 Jan 1916, she left Genoa on 29 Oct 1923 on her maiden voyage to Naples and New York and sailed on her last run on this service on 24 Jul 1928, when she was transferred to the South America service. In 1932, she went to the Italia Line and was transferred to the South Africa run in 1933. In 1937 she went to Lloyd Triestino and on 10 Jul 1944 was bombed and sunk at Trieste. Refloated in 1948 and scrapped. [Derived from a posting to the Emigration-Ships Mailing List by Ted Finch]
1927
My wife's Grandmother, Maria (Maci) Granato, and Mother sailed from Naples 22 Nov 1927 on SS Colombo (pictured at right). They arrived in New York on 4 Dec 1927. They were going to 131 Union Street, in Brooklyn, NY. The steamer Colombo was operated by the Italia America Line. It left Genoa, then stopped in Naples, then Palermo (where they probably boarded), then arrived in New York after the Atlantic transit.
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