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From: "Leah Joys" <>
Subject: [TSL] Films re: Passenger Lists to Joinville (Dona Francisca formerly)
Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2000 10:11:18 -0600


I was quite overwhelmed by the number of people interested in the films
that include the lists of passengers on various ships (most or all from
Hamburg) but with people of different nationalities who disembarked at Dona
Francisca as it was first known as but later known by the name Joinville.
I am not an expert as far as South American passenger lists are concerned.
I was researching my ggrandparents whom I knew had emigrated to Brazil.
Dona Francisca (Joinville) is in the state of Santa Catarina while the
little information I had on my ancestors indicated the state of Parana
immediately north. I was put on the right track in my research trying to
find passenger lists by a man who had lived most of his life in the city of
Curitiba in Parana (but who had had German ancestors who had emigrated
through Dona Francisca) who told me where I should be looking was Dona
Francisca, not some other port, for he knew that a great number of the
German settlers who emigrated to the southern part of Brazil had first
entered through there and then moved elsewhere. The early colony was a very
unhealthy place and a great many of the colonists died there; many who were
well enough moved elsewhere.
The two films are both available through the Family History Centers of
the Morman Church. The more important one as far as lists of passengers is
concerned is Film 1444467. This film gives lists of ships leaving Hamburg
for Dona Francisca between 1851 and the late 1890's and the names of the
captains of these vessels ,dates of departure and arrival, but another part
of the film is entitled "Registro de entrade de imigrantes na Colonia Dona
Francisca, 1850-1902" (text in German but title in Portugese). Even though
this film is in Portugese and German, it is not that difficult to figure it
out. At the end of the film is an index of names (done later) which is very
handy although I don't know whether or not it includes all the people on the
passenger lists; I rather doubt this.
One can search the Hamburg Passenger Lists (direct) for the various
years starting I believe in 1850 but I feel that the lists of names on the
film above are much more accurate. I found both my ggrandparents through
this film along with two other relatives; only one of these four was on the
Hamburg Passenger Lists.
The other film number is 1444458. This is a microfilm of records of the
Lutheran Church in Dona Francisca - baptisms, confirmations, marriages and
deaths and the very last part of it has a little on passenger lists. Order
the other film first or both of them. You may find your ancestors in this
civil registry (Registro Civil with Indice de baptismos, etc. but the text
in German) under deaths, for very many people died from fever, dysentry,
malaria, etc. there in the first few years of the colony. And by the way
the deaths start in 1851 and go to 1930; most of the other items are from
1852 as far as up to 1970 but others just go the 1930's.
By the way, on the Hamburg passenger lists (and the earlier ones
particularly are not that long to go through), one can find passengers to
other ports in Brazil and other parts of South America e.g Rio de Janeiro,
Santos, Sao Francisco and Valparaiso in Chile. There are likely others that
I have missed mentioning.
If anybody is interested there is a book by Carlos Flicker I think it
is who in 1965 wrote a book on "Historia de Joinville". The book is in
Portuguese and it's a long book but it also gets into names of ships to
there , conditions, etc. I have no Portuguese but I did gain some
information from the book. It too is available through the FHCenters (Film
no. 1224751).
I have other information on the colony as well from a book that a fourth
cousin of mine (Brazilian) obtained from the Brazilian embassy in Buenos
Aires written by an early German colonist who stayed just a short time.
I hope I haven't gone into this in too much depth but I hope that what I
have written may help somebody out there.

Leah Joys
Medicine Hat, Alberta

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