An Immigrant Family’s Story: A Newspaper Account (Part 1)

During the summer of 1859, my great, great, great grandparents, Joachim [pronounced “Waa-Keem”] and Henrietta (Bingher) Peters emigrated from Germany to America with their six children.

My Grand Aunt Beulah recorded this brief memory which had been passed down through several generations: “Seven days into his voyage to America, Joachim Peters directed his family to kneel on the floor of the cattle (not that kind of a vessel, but what we’ve been told all our life) boat that carried them and give thanks that they were leaving Germany.”

Although Beulah found their New York passenger list decades ago, and I found their Hamburg passenger list several years ago, I wanted to know more about their passage. Earlier this week I logged onto newspapers.com. I searched for the ship’s name from the passenger list, steamboat Bavaria, and narrowed the results to the correct year, 1859. I knew they’d arrived on July 2nd, so I scrolled down to that date. I quickly found what I was looking for, though it was published on the 4th and not the 2nd.  With details from the passenger lists, I confirmed it was the correct “arrival.”

The New York Times shared:

Arrived.

Steamship Bavaria., (Ham..) Laupe. Hamburg, via Southampton June 18. 1 P. M. with mdse. and 257 passengers to Kunhardt & Co. Passed Sandy Hook at 6 A. M., and arrived off the Battery at 7:50 A. M. Experienced strong westerly winds throughout the passage. Passed Cape Race June 27, at 10 A. M.; saw no ice. June 18, off St. Alban’s Head, signalized Am. ship Sonora.

What neat information to add to the story of my ancestors’ passage! Some of the details I love:

• • they sailed from Southampton, not directly from Germany
  • the ship had merchandise and 257 passengers
  • they “experienced strong westerly winds throughout the passage”
  • they “saw no ice”

I did more research and will explain some of the other details in my next post.

My Line of Descent: