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Archiver > MDWASHIN > 2006-10 > 1161420796


From: "JACQUELINE KALINAUSKAS" <>
Subject: Re: [MDWashin] 19th Century Travel
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2006 02:53:16 -0600
References: <20061021000659.72652.qmail@web81807.mail.mud.yahoo.com><BAY111-DAV15D1FE413DC777736D76E280020@phx.gbl><BAY111-DAV40A8F63F48F937B81A17380020@phx.gbl>


Mary Ellen and list, my last thought- I promise, sorry that my brain is
working slowly- it is late and in the middle of the night. But Mary Ellen if
your ancestors had easy access to the great Boston Harbor in Massachusetts,
since they lived in that state, wouldn't they perhaps just take a ship from
there and sail - probably not sail in the mid 1800 hundreds but steam ship
( which became poplar about 1820) down the Atlantic Ocean along the east
coast till the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and then to the western coast of
the Bay into the Potomac to Georgetown in D.C. or wherever the docking place
would be at the time. The C & O Canal runs parallel to the Potomac River
from Georgetown. This route was used for transporting goods , animals and
people in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries from my reading and recalling my
high school history classes of the early transportation uses of the general
area.

Now enough from me- hope this helps a little and good night.
Jackie in Idaho


----- Original Message -----
From: "JACQUELINE KALINAUSKAS" <>
To: <>
Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 1:31 AM
Subject: Re: [MDWashin] 19th Century Travel


> Mary Ellen and list, another thought that I had and forgot to add to my
> previous email, was that our early ancestors traveled much more then one
> would think even with out the modern transportation tools we have now in
> the 21st century. They did tend to move around a lot. You might want to
> do some research on old migration paths. Old Indian trails that turned
> into National highways like the old National Road, , the old Philadelphia
> Road went through Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland on what is now
> called Buffulo Road. There is US Hwy 50 as well. I can think of several
> others that would get a person easily to the part of the country you are
> referring to from the north. Pathways instead of Railroads. Also there
> are the water ways. The Chesapeake Bay was used quite a bit as a highway
> from getting from the north to the D.C. area and points south. George
> Washington used it quite a bit from Mt Vernon to Philadelphia so my
> history books told me. And in your case then up the Potomac River to the
> 7th street Wharfs in D.C. and a horse and a short buggy ride To Georgetown
> to pick up the barge on the canal. Just another thought.
>
> Jackie in Idaho
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "JACQUELINE KALINAUSKAS" <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 1:01 AM
> Subject: Re: [MDWashin] 19th Century Travel
>
>
> > Mary Ellen, As far as the C & O canal goes I don't think that would be
> > an option from Baltimore. But a train from Baltimore to Union Station or
> > whatever was there at the time (don't recall right now when the station
> > was built w/o looking it up-oops I did and it was built in 1907 -the
> > trains using it was the Pennsylvania RR, The Baltimore and Ohio and the
> > Chesapeake and Ohio railroads but prior to that the Pennsylvania RR had
> > tracks on 14 acres of the Mall and a station there as well as each
> > existing railroad at the time had their own stations and tracks and that
> > would mean a fairly short buggy ride to Georgetown to catch the barge
> > going up the canal) and then perhaps some kind of public conveyance -
> > horse and buggy or buckboard from the station to Georgetown and then
> > pick up a barge on the Canal to the four locks area.
> >
> > By the way- back to the above history- The Baltimore and Ohio RR was in
> > D.C. proper 30 years before the Civil War so that would be in the
> > 1830's( I think it was about 1835 and the station was close to or right
> > behind or on the North side of the Capitol building). The Pennsylvania
> > RR was brought in during the Civil War or right after coming in from
> > Pittsburg. The Chesapeake and Ohio RR (not to be confused with the
> > Canal) was used in ------(sorry don't recall that information) The
> > canal was originally to be built to cover from the D.C. area
> > (Georgetown) and go the many miles to Pittsburg but that proved way too
> > costly because of the terrain so it ended with 185 miles to Cumberland,
> > Maryland and eventually was completed about 1850. If I recall my
> > Maryland history correctly.
> >
> > I don't know if one can travel the canal now in 2006 but in the 1940's
> > and 1950's when I was growing up in D.C. and the Maryland (Montgomery
> > County) area we would often take a barge ride for a summer afternoon and
> > it was still pulled by horses or some beast of burden. Beautiful area
> > with lots of trees overhanging the Canal. Don't recall how far up we
> > rode it now. Probably to Glenn Echo if any one on the list is familiar
> > with the area. But the original equipment was still in use to raise and
> > lower the water levels. As a child I was quite impressed with the
> > procedure but it sure took a long time to move. Very slow and that is
> > why the trains took over and the canal was never a big success as the
> > founders had hoped.
> >
> > I am sure this is more information then you or anyone else wanted to
> > know. Sorry but hope it helped some.
> >
> > Jackie in Idaho
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Mary Ellen Chambers" <>
> > To: "MDWASHIN-L" <>
> > Sent: Friday, October 20, 2006 6:06 PM
> > Subject: [MDWashin] 19th Century Travel
> >
> >
> > > Would anyone on the list have any thoughts or data how the "normal"
> > > people traveled? Guess that would be the newly forming middle class;
> > > carpenters, tradesmen, etc. in the latter half of the 19th century.
> > >
> > > My husband's family settled in Green Spring Furnace area about 1850.
> > > His g grandfather was a C&O boatman who probably based out of Four
> > > Locks on the canal. The family had relations in MA, Salem - Peabody -
> > > Waltham. Since his g grandparents were nearly illiterate and their
> > > children (sons) learned to read & write after serving in the Civil
> > > War, letter writing between the branches would not have been too
> > > common. We have the MA cousins listed at special occasions in MD.
> > > They were not wealthy, so how did they travel that distance to visit?
> > > Stagecoach or train or boat to Baltimore then the C&O canal, curious
> > > how they kept in contact over the years before automobiles, buses,
> > > phones, etc.
> > >
> > > Mary Ellen Chambers
> > >
> > >
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