Post by franek80 on Feb 29, 2008 8:23:48 GMT -7
Destination: Canada
by, Victor Mishaloff
During the 1800's individuals of Slavic heritage decided to vacate their homes and find life in new countries. Those of Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovak, Ukrainian, Ruthenian and Russian heritages among others left their small villages and towns for Canada. As in America, tracking exactly what ethnic heritage they were can be complex. Since during this time the land they came from was referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Russian Imperial Empire or Galicia they were classified as Hungarians, Austrians, Russians or the all-encompassing phrase "German" for Austro-Hungarian Empire, and German Imperial Empire citizens. The Austro-Hungarian Empire saw many political upheavals and Hungary itself was striving for its own independence. In 1848 a revolution occurred in Hungary which would stir many (among other factors) to finally decide that immigration to a more stable country and government was a good decision. It is thought at times that most people from Eastern Europe tended to travel to America. While a high number of individuals did take this route, many also saw the benefits of re-settlement in Canada. During the 1848 period and beyond the rate of immigration was so low it was hardly noticed. This would change dramatically during the later period of the 1880's when thousands began to leave their homelands for various ports in Canada.
As people received correspondence from family and friends in new countries, they too would take the journey. Male members of families tended to come first to work, save funds, travel back, secure their families and then, journey again to Canada. This was common for many immigrants during this time frame. It was also an excellent way to obtain the finances necessary to pay the passage costs for an entire family, or, for relatives. Constant travel also had another benefit which is not thought of at times and that is, experience. After having traveled on a ship and using the same shipping company, an immigrant knew what to expect and how to rectify unforeseen circumstances. It also gave others who traveled with him (or her) a sense of security. Many immigrants would turn to a frequent traveler to ask how to operate a facet handle on board ship, how to maneuver around a ship, what the rules were and so-forth. Travel was filled with anxiety for the immigrant who came from a small town or, an even smaller village. To have someone on board ship who spoke your language and could explain things to you had a calming effect for many. If a family had made the final decision for total immigration, they would embark together, or in groups, until all had arrived at the final destination. Shipping companies during this period in Canada were the Allan (also know as the Montreal Ocean Steamship Line) and the Inman Line with others being the Dempster and Dominion Lines. These ships generally made many trips and there were other lines that did sail to Canadian ports also. A main route was to leave Liverpool, England, then to Quebec and finally stopping at the Port of New York in America. Others sailed to various ports in America such as Baltimore. If the immigrant was already in America, getting to Canadian ports such as Quebec, Montreal, Saint John, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, etc., was not that difficult from American Ports. Many also traveled via rail to Detroit or Chicago and then crossed the boarder. Others made use of the extensive rail system in New York State in America, which helped many, who resided on the East Coast of America get a train, which would take them to areas close to the Canadian boarder.
Travel during this period could be very difficult. Ships were the only way for a person who wished to immigrate to North America for travel and the voyage was long and could even be fatal. It is common to see from the shipping manifests a notation next to a name "died on board." The reasons for this could be varied but many times, it was due to medical problems, or, since they traveled in close quarters the contraction of various diseases. One such disease was conjunctivitis, which was very common and easy to catch. Many times, an immigrant could leave the port of departure in relatively good health but, upon arrival, could become ill from the journey, their diet, or again, disease. The shipping companies during the early periods of 1880 to 1900 that sailed to Canada from England and also the Canadian shipping lines, did conform with the 1828 Passenger Act which had rules and regulations for proper food and water (50 gallons of water for every person, per day, a supply of Bread, Biscuits, Oatmeal and other bread products of fifty pounds of weight for every passenger), rules prohibiting the discharge of passengers in any other port than the one they had originally contracted their ticket for, regulations in regard to women and children, but, it was still problematic especially due to the social class consciousness prejudices of that period in history.
Not only did immigrants to Canada face the trials of a journey by ocean but also, their own governments enacted laws and implemented procedures to stop them. These rules hoped to dissuade the massive numbers which were withdrawing from their empire boarders. During 1881 the Hungarian government passed a new law, which effectively stopped all immigration agencies within Hungary. This law lasted until the latter part of 1900. It was hoped that by issuing this law, individuals would be halted from the thought of leaving Hungarian territories. Even with this law in effect, immigration numbers continued to climb as more and more individuals sent for their families and as word spread of employment and land opportunities. When males of military service age began to leave in high numbers, the Hungarian government passed another law in 1903 to strictly check those wishing to leave its boarders. These practices really had little hope from the beginning of any form of success. Hungary could not watch every inch of ground that made up her territories and it was very easy to utilize the rail lines or horse and wagon to the nearest boarder area and simply walk over into Austrian territory. From there, booking passage upon the rail lines to a German or English port for departure was relatively easy if an individuals papers were in order. It was of little consequence what the various empires of Europe tried to stop the tide of those wishing to leave. Many individuals left their hometowns and villages legally and, illegally if necessary.
Differing Slavic heritages arrived in Canada during the 1880's. Many moved to other points upon arrival with a good percentage arriving in Manitoba. From Manitoba, others moved further west into Saskatchewan. It is also noted that many of those who did arrive in Canada had first settled in the cities and steel regions of the United States. There are accounts, which tell how immigrants disliked the mill and mine regions of America and the horrid conditions that prevailed in the mines and steel mills. Some left and since they had friends or family who did originally immigrate to Canada, they followed this course. Not only were they told of Canada by friends and family but via many other ways as well.
Documentation shows that Paul Oscar Esterhazy, a Hungarian, acted as an immigration agent for the Canadian government and had the job to recruit settlers to the Saskatchewan regions. As more and more individuals arrived, places such as Otthon, which is south of Yorkton and Saint Luke, Saskatchewan, were begun. Romanian settlers immigrated to Canada and some settled in Szekelyfold, Saskatchewan. During the later 1860's many Czechs also started to immigrate to Canada with having first settled in the Chicago regions of America. Many decided to proceed towards Canada for various reasons and this passage was not long due to Chicago’s close proximity to the Canadian boarder.
Czechs and Slovaks arrived in Canada and traveled west via the Canadian Pacific Railway. These immigrants settled at the town of Kolin, which is part of the Saskatchewan province today. Paul Oscar Esterhazy again had an influence bringing these settlers coming to Canada and he did not stop at those in Europe. He recruited many Czechs and Slovaks from America and in 1885, secured a good number of individuals from Hazelton, Pennsylvania who were unhappy with their life in the mines there. This group journeyed to "Huns Valley," Manitoba to re-settle and begin a new life. There were other settlements of Czechs and Slovaks in Canada which were Lethbridge, Star, Manitoba, Crows Nest Camp, British Columbia, Derby, British Columbia, Bellevue and Frank, which was located in the then named North-West Territories. It is difficult to research these individuals upon the basis of heritage at times. Many Czechs and Slovaks as mentioned were referred to as Hungarians or by other titles, which were not correct. Data does survive which identifies the heritage of immigrants to Canada but some of the early data is incorrect as to the proper identifier of these heritages.
Two heritages, which saw high numbers of individuals arrive in Canada, were the Ukrainians and Ruthenians. Many records of immigration to Canada are confusing, as they tend to group those from Ukrainian territory by a host of different names. Some Ukrainians and Ruthenians came from the Galicia regions (which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), others departed from the Kiev regions including numerous other places in present day Ukraine. The immigration records for these individuals identified them as Austrians, Galicians, Bukowinians, Ruthenians and even, Little Russians. It would not be until later in time that the proper term of Ukrainian was used to identify those of this heritage. Since these individuals came from such a confused geographic region, it is well understood that the paperwork they held contained many errors as to heritage and area of origins. There were Ukrainian settlers in Canada as late as 1893 but the time of high immigration for Ukrainians and Ruthenians would come during 1896 through 1900. The early immigrants from Ukraine in 1892 originated mostly from the town of Nebyliw and they settled in Edna, Alberta. Finding the territory of Canada to be a great reminder of their homeland, thousands came to settle. Ukrainians and Ruthenians eventually moved further and settled in various areas of Canada. Some of the places of settlement were Manitoba, Dauphin, Shoal Lake, Stuartburn, Whitemouth, Cooks Creek, Inter Lake, St. Norbert and Winnipeg. In other regions such as Saskatchewan they settled in Prince Albert, Fish Creek and Yorktown. Most had farms, which could range from a few small acres to as much as 200 acres. There were a small portion of these immigrants that did stay in the industrialized city areas but most went on to continue their lives as farmers.
During these years it was now the Austrian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to try and stem the tide of those leaving from Galitcia. Austria was not pleased with the exodus of Ukrainians and Ruthenians from their boarders and even went so far as to gather a committee to view this situation. A resolution was placed before the Galician Diet asking that large measures be taken to stop the mass migration using any means necessary. As with the Hungarians, Czechs and Slovaks, this did very little to stop those of Ruthenian and Ukrainian heritage from leaving their homelands for Canada. The Canadian government also wished to insure that these immigrants were not being taken advantage when immigrating to Canada. In 1897 an Immigration Agent of the Canadian government complained that the immigrants from Galicia were being charged very high prices for supplies, which the immigrants purchased upon their arrival in Canada. The Canadian government, along with her neighbor country, America, wished to also stem the tide of penniless immigrants from coming to their countries and thereby, possibly becoming a burden upon the limited social resources of that time frame. Various immigration rules and regulations were enacted to keep this situation within control.
By the year 1899 Canadian government statistics offer that over 10,000 immigrants of Ukrainian heritage had come to Canada. By the year of 1915, the total reached well over 150,000. A very telling window into the Ukrainians voyage to Canada can be read in relationship to the ship they sailed on, the SS Arcadia in 1897. Hundreds of Ukrainians boarded this ship as it sailed from Hamburg for its final destination of Quebec. The voyage lasted 21 days with a stop at the port of Antwerp, Belgium (no immigrant was permitted to leave the ship during the entire time of being at the dock.) It was a nightmare crossing with storms, immigrants becoming ill from the rough sea and two people dying during the voyage. The ship also was encased in ice, as this was early spring when it neared Canada. Due to the ice, most of the baggage that was held in the cargo area was destroyed. Many of the Ukrainian immigrants lost all they had in worldly possessions. Finally, the ship arrived in Quebec and 633 Ukrainians were moved to the railroad line for their final destination in the Canadian west territories. These Ukrainians were true heroes as to go though all of the above to arrive in Canada to start a new life took a strong will, and even stronger faith in their God, and in themselves to survive.
Hamburg & Bremen
(Common Ports of Departure)
by, Andrew T. Gallas
For those who immigrated to America and beyond during the years of 1880 to 1914 the ports of Hamburg and Bremen in the former German Empire cannot be discounted. A high number of those from central and central-eastern Europe departed these ports for the express purpose of immigrating to new homes. The records kept at these German ports are of vital importance to any researcher. The German Confederation constitution of 1815 gave citizens of all the German states the right of movement which also included immigration. Since those who chose to immigrate had to fill out paperwork this practice assisted officials in checking to see if those who did wish to leave were doing so legally. The officials never thought they would be providing those compiling genealogy data a wealth of information on their ancestors. The ports of Bremen and Hamburg had to keep records of all passengers who wished to board ships for distant ports. The final outcome of these requirements were records that offer a broad amount of vital information that is not available anywhere else. Some of these records are available via microfilm at the LDS Family History Libraries. For records that are not available, contacting one of the archive addresses below will produce an answer if the particular archive in Germany may have what the researcher needs.
HAMBURG
Hamburg is one of Germany’s largest ports. More than 11,000 ships leave its docks each year. From the nineteenth to twentieth century, Hamburg berthed ships that traveled all the oceans in the world. Since this port was such a magnet for Europe’s shipping trade, it was only natural that the immigration of those seeking a better life in other countries would develop. Viewing the present day webpage of the City of Hamburg gives an excellent idea of this city and also offers information on immigration from the port of Hamburg. www.hamburg.de/ Once the immigrant traffic turned into massive numbers, the authorities had to keep clear and accurate records. Before 1845 Hamburg local rules forbid shipping companies from advertising for those wishing to immigrate to points outside of Germany. After 1855 the numbers were rising and it was decided to keep two types of immigrant passenger listings. There were one for immigrants sailing to other European ports for travel on another ship and another for those sailing to their final destination to another country.
Passport application records are available for the years 1851 to 1929. These records are very intriguing in that they offer a glimpse of what the immigrant had to explain in order to travel. Those who were male had to prove they had either served, or were exempt from any form of military service. Passport applications had to be filled out and in proper order to process the immigrant. Without this clearance, the traveler would be detained until their case was resolved one way or the other. Most immigrants arrived at Hamburg with their passage ticket. These tickets were obtained in various areas where the shipping companies had local offices. Many times these offices were housed by an agreement between the shipping company and local government. Others arrived with no ticket and if they were financially destitute, would stay in Hamburg for a few weeks to work as a laborer or housekeeper to pay the cost of a ticket. The problem with working in Hamburg could be complicated as the immigrant would have to register with the local police during their stay. Passport records indicated the travelers place of birth, birth date, name and trade (i.e. occupation). There are many records on file with Hamburg in relationship to the immigrants. Not only are passport applications available but also residence, citizenship, and passenger lists. If a researcher knows the ship and date that their ancestor traveled it is a good suggestion to try and write to the archives to see if they hold any form of information that maybe invaluable for research.
For research of the Hamburg records, the address is:
Staatsarchiv Hamburg (Hamburg state archives)
ABC Strasse 19A
20354 Hamburg, Germany
BREMEN
Bremen was a counter port to Hamburg in many ways. Both were originally founded in the ninth century and served as an embarkation point for high numbers of immigrants. The one point where they differ is that Bremen held the largest number of immigrants sailing to new countries. It has been concluded by research that during the past two centuries, over seven million individuals departed from the ports of Bremen/Bremerhaven with approximately ninety percent heading for ports in the United States. The passenger lists for these ports are informative. The laws of 1832 for Bremen ordered that shipping companies file a list of all passengers with this city’s governmental immigration department. These lists had information such as the immigrant's name, age, place of birth and trade (i.e. occupation). Unfortunately the lists for the period of 1910 to 1920 were destroyed during the Second World War. The period of 1921 to 1939 are fully available but are not indexed. The archive's staff will make a search for information if requested. The archives for Bremen have other areas that can fill the gaps for the records of 1910 to 1920 that were destroyed. They do have copies of some passenger lists but the researcher would have to write to the archives to see if they have the ship that you require.
Other information that is available are the actual shipping logs of the various vessels, photos and the building plans of many German ships. Birth and death records are also maintained if this event took place on board ship. These records also offer information such as the place of origin of a child’s parents, or the place of origin of an individual who died while on board ship. Information can also be found for those who worked their way over as a laborer on a ship and basic information on the ships crew.