I am revising my thesis manuscript, which in some cases means rewriting.
The transatlantic crossing in 1857 is a section that gives me major hiccups, and I can’t say this time around has been any easier. Incredible Tales of the Sea: Twelve Classic Sailing Stories edited by Tom McCarthy helped break loose my mental anchors. Melville et. al. to the rescue once more.
Michael Harm traveled without his family, but it’s not like he went alone. There were over 300 other German emigrants on his ship. I took this photo at the Bremerhaven Emigration Museum (Deutsches Auswandererhaus), which indicates that my great-great-grandfather was one of 103,100 leaving the German states that year. (Germany would not be a country until 1871.) However, Michael Harm sailed from Le Havre, France, so chances are he is not counted in these numbers.
After a forty-six day Atlantic crossing, we arrive at June 30, 1857 in New York City. Castle Garden Immigrant Center just opened its doors in 1855, and by all accounts, the Americans were hospitable, efficient and helpful as they processed the thousands upon thousands entering New York from Bavaria, Baden, Wuerttemburg, Hessia, Ireland, England, Wales, the Netherlands, Sardinia, France, etc. etc.
For 1857 New York, one history factoid I am in search of are railroad lines of the day. It turns out today is the 180th anniversary of the New York-Harlem Line. How do I know this? I stumbled upon this wonderful blog by Emily, who is “known by many who ride the train simply as Cat Girl.” With her blog “I Ride The Harlem Line,” Emily has done her research. Especially for the map (the railroad map published in 1858, available at her blog), I am oh so grateful.