Crossing the Atlantic in the 1820s, For the "Un-enslaved"

Steamship travel in the 1820s  (photo from Fun Facts from the 1800s, Petticoats and Pistols) "

Click for more...

For several years, I have been researching the immigration experience of one line of my ancestors that we can clearly trace to France. This is only one branch of the family tree, so I hope to use the lessons learned to delve into the stories of how other family members came to America, including my African ancestors, which are the most difficult to trace. There is always more research to do, but I have found some interesting information to share. I hope you will submit comments and ask questions so that we can all be enlightened.

The Vapailles immigrated to Louisiana from Trilport, France in 1829. Transatlantic passenger travel emerged during the 1820’s. Although a few passenger ships could have carried from 100-200 passengers, this was not the norm and regardless of size, the accommodations were bleak. Luxury passenger vessels traveling between Europe and North America, such as the Titanic and Lusitania, did not emerge until the turn of the century. Earlier European migrants, such as the Vapailles, most likely had “challenging” experiences during their transatlantic voyage, but obviously their hardships were mild compared to the trauma experienced my enslaved ancestors.

The photo of a 1820s steam vessel was extracted from a Google search entitled “1820

Transatlantic Steamships”. The site did not include a name for this vessel and it appears it was powered by a combination of sails and steam. The image of the vessel raises many questions. How many passengers could be accommodated? What were the accommodations like? Glenvick-Gjonvik (GG) Archives, an internet source, states that emigration in the 1820s was small scale, merchant vessels took limited paying passengers and accommodations were meager. GG Archives reports that up through the late 19th century, passenger travel conditions characterizing transatlantic steam and sailing vessels were grossly unsanitary. Conduct among crew and passengers alike were uncivil, criminal and immoral; and many passengers died from diseases, starvation and homicide. They further elaborated that laws had to be passed in Europe and the United States (1840, 1852, 1855 & 1863) to establish standards for sleeping accommodations, adequate stocking of fresh water and provisions and conduct; but these standards were nearly impossible to enforce.

The Vapailles traveled from LeHavre, a French port on the Ship Crescent in 1829. Although Liverpool to New York was the most popular route for steam and sailing vessels in that day, Port LeHavre in France was also a popular port of departure. I don’t have information regarding whether the Ship Crescent was primarily a passenger vessel; however, I do have at least one page of the ship manifest which included 25 passengers - there may have been more. They arrived in the Port of New Orleans on January 29, 1829 and based upon internet sources, their trip probably lasted between 20 and 30 days (two weeks longer than from Europe to New York). During that period New York was the major port, and immigrants going elsewhere had to have "a personal or local motive with a definite plan and purpose” (GG Archives). Based upon an unpublished academic paper (Keeling & Weiss, 2012) the cost would have been between $100 - $150 per passenger.

I could not find any images of how the Port of New Orleans would have appeared in 1829 when the Vapailles arrived. The photograph shown below was taken in the 1850s. Based upon other sources such as Congo Square (Freddi W. Evans, 2011), they found a very diverse city, inhabited by native Indians, whites from multiple European countries, free blacks of color and many enslaved.

The Port of New Orleans in 1850s

It’s your turn. Click the Comments Section below and share your thoughts or information about your ancestors’ immigration experience or ask questions. Keep your responses within no more than a couple of paragraphs and provide links so that interested readers can make further inquiries. I plan to post some of the comments and questions so that we can learn from each other.