Getting nowhere

I’ve made progress in genealogy, in history, in German, in blacksmithing, but when it comes to nineteenth century Atlantic crossings, I’ve hit a brick wall. Make that a sandbar.

I’m looking for information on the transatlantic crossing from Havre, France to New York harbor in the mid-nineteenth century. I have a copy of the passenger list of the ship on which my great-great grandfather sailed.

Internet searches for pictures of his 1857 ship Helvetia, captained by Lewis Higgins, have yielded nothing. What kind of ship was it? I found the Helvetia as later showing up in Victoria, B.C. in August of 1857. But such entries are thin gruel when I’m looking for fruit and nut-laced oatmeal, like diaries and personal accounts. Or a captain’s log, say. Stardate 1857.

The Smithsonian book “Ship” by Brian Lavery informs me that the “French Messageries Maritime” was a major shipping line. There was also the “Compagnie General Transatlantique” service from New York to Le Havre.

Family legend has it the crossing took 46 days. That’s a long time, even by 1850s standards. It must have felt to my great-great grandfather like he was getting nowhere.

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