ILHAMILT-L Archives

From: Joe Weiss <>
Subject: Re: [ILHAMILT-L] Migration to Southern IL
Date: Sat, 08 Jul 2000 17:47:44 -0500
References: <3967866D.E22F9A41@iquest.net>

The ship passenger list will show city of departure and date of arrival in New Orleans and list all members of the household and ages as a minimum. Some will have occupations and intended destinations.
There are two different sets of microfilms for New Orleans. The most readily available is the passenger list which are sequential by arrival date. There are some name index book that cover these films but if you don't have an exact arrival date or if you
have a common name it may be difficult. There were lots of arrivals during that period and each book and each microfilm roll covers about 3 months.

The other set of microfilm that I have only seem at Regional Archives in Chicago which is called something like toll house index cards. There was a card for each person as they arrived that listed ship and arrival date. These cards were stored and then
filmed alphabetically and the film covers many years so it is easier to find someone if you don't have an exact arrival date. This will then get you back to the other film.

The passenger list may help identify other families that they traveled with. Once you find the passenger list check the entire list for same names. I have families split up as they come off, sometimes males and females are listed separately. Sometimes
older sibling or anyone who could speak English seem to be separated. Don't forget to be creative on spellings when when looking for names. I know of one case that part of the family is listed as Miller and the rest as Mueller. Most of the arrivals could
not speak or write English so they took for gospel however the non German speaking immigration employees spelled their name.

Once they landed in New Orleans transportation up the Mississippi and Ohio was readily available. One of my lines was in Southern Indiana buying property 8 days after landing in New Orleans.

Don't be discouraged to research the German heritage. There are lots of German records available but you need to identify a city so watch census or naturalization records or any family bibles. I am now researching my second set of German ancestors from the
1850's emigrations and in both cases have found records back to late 1600's.

Joe Weiss

DJ kenzler wrote:
>
> Greatest listers of all which I belong to. This is just a request for a
> logical guess from all of you. Family arrive in New Orleans 1853 to
> work on railroad and migrated to Decatur by 1860 and then to
> McLeansboro. Believe some children died or got married along the way.
> What is your best guess as to begin tracing their route along the
> river? Anyone dealt with a list from New Orleans area and what sort of
> records are available from that period? Any suggestions would be one
> step further. Am so excited for Felty's to be sent out - know I'll find
> oodles of info there and I'll be set for the long midwestern winter
> months. Thanks to all!!!!
>
>

This thread:

• [ILHAMILT-L] Migration to Southern IL by DJ kenzler <>

  • Re: [ILHAMILT-L] Migration to Southern IL by Joe Weiss <>