Hamburg to NY; HUMBOLDT and ELECTRIC ....Help, p l e a s
Michael Palmer
On Thu, 05 Feb 98, "Diane A. Harkink" <dhar...@sure.net> wrote:
> Last night (Feb 4 '98) I had a great success at the Library. After
> only 15 minutes, I had located a key ancestor (with wife and kids) in
> GTA Vol. 14, pg 85 & clearly it was through the HELP/TIPS that all of
> you have provided during the past couple of months that made my initial
> search such a speedy one, especially in the area of "names". I had
> already made my list of "possible" spellings for my maiden name (ie:
> "GEIER" is the actual spelling, but I also looked for Geir, Gier, Guyer,
> and ... Geyer ...."bingo"!!). My ancestors arrived on May 29, 1861 on
> the HUMBOLDT from Hamburg to New York. These people were:
>
> GEYER, W. (for William) 32 M Farmer
> Wilhelmine 26 F W
> Auguste (a) 4 F Child
> Ottilie 2 F Child
> Maria .06 F Infant
>
> Ages and names of the German-born part of this family all matched up;
> more were born in Reynolds and Goodland, Indiana.
>
> [snip]
>
> Tonight (Feb 5 '98) I returned to the library, and had a similar quick
> success on William's brother....Frank (with wife and son). Looking for
> the same variety of names, I found them in a GTA volume a few later than
> his brother (these ancestors were in volume 21, p147). They arrived
> on the ELECTRIC on June 19, 1868 (a day after the husband's birthday --
> what a nice present...a new country!) from Hamburg to New York. These
> people were:
>
> GEYER, F. G. (Frank) 35 M Farmer
> Johanne 35 F W
> (John) Carl 9 M Child
>
> Her age is off by 5 years (should be 30) and the son's (Carl) is off by
> 3 (should be 12). I'm assuming for the time being that these
> discrepancies are possible, (maybe keying errors by the transcriber)
> given the previous warnings about GTA, but I will look for confirmations
> else where. There were 3 other children born in Germany that died
> there before their trip, and one other son that was born in Goodland,
> Indiana (...he never married..).
>
> MY PROBLEM IS THIS.......I've spent most of the day on the Internet
> check "ship" sites and tonight at the library checking a SHIP reference
> book, and I could find NO REFERENCE to these 2 ships (HUMBOLDT and
> ELECTRIC). I've saved most of Michael Palmer's notes on German ships
> for 1850-1900, and found no reference to these ships in them either.
> H E L P ! ! ! ! ! How is it possible that the 2 ships aren't listed.
> I would like to receive all the particulars about the ships that I
> can, including the pictures. On one web site, I found a reference to 2
> Humboldt's, but one "fell apart" in 1853 and the other didn't go into
> service until after 1870.
>
> Any help that anyone can lend in finding detailed info on these 2 ships
> would be GREATLY APPRECIATED.
1. HUMBOLDT.
According to contemporary New York newspapers, the Hamburg ship HUMBOLDT,
[H. D.] Boysen, master, arrived at New York on 29 May 1861, from Hamburg
32 days, and 25 days from the Lizzards, with merchandise and 363
passengers. "28th inst[ant], while anchored in the Lower Bay, Hermann
Petersen, a passenger, jumped overboard and was drowned".
Because of the notorious inaccuracy of the transcripts in _Germans to
America_, you should check the published information against the
microfilm copy of the original manifest, which you will find in National
Archives Microfilm Publication M237, roll 211. You can borrow a copy of
this microfilm through AGLL, any LDS (Mormon) Family History Center
(Family History Library microfilm #0175567), or Interlibrary Loan. You
should also check the information against the list of passenger departing
Hamburg, deposited with the Hamburg authorities (the Hamburg Passenger
Lists), which you will find on Family History Library microfilm #0470841.
(For a description of the Hamburg Passenger Lists, see the account by Jim
Eggert and myself at
http://www.genealogy.com/gene/www/emig/ham_pass.html.)
The HUMBOLDT was a 3-masted, square-rigged ship, built by H. J. A. Meyer,
of L"ubeck, in 1853 [Bielbrief L"ubeck 9 June 1853], for the Hamburg
shipowner, Robert Miles Sloman. 306 Commerzlasten; 156' 6" x 32' 4" x
21' 6" Hamburg measurement (1 Hamburg foot = .286 meters), length x beam
x depth of hold, "zwischen den Steven".
Masters:
1853-1858 - P. N. Paulsen
1858 - J. B. Grell
1858-1866 - H. D. Boysen
Voyages:
1853-1858 - New York
1858/59 - New York/London
1859-1861 - New York
1861/62 - Quebec/Sunderland
1862-1866 - New York
She became a total loss on 4 December 1866.
Sources: Ernst Hieke, _Rob. M. Sloman jr., errichtet 1793_,
Ver"offentlichungen der Wirtschaftsgeschichtlichen Forschungsstelle e.V.,
Hamburg, Bd. 30 (Hamburg: Verlag Hanseatischer Merkur, 1968), p. 373;
Walter Kresse, ed., _Seeschiffs-Verzeichnis der Hamburger Reedereien,
1824-1888_, Mitteilungen aus dem Museum f"ur Hamburgische Geschichte, N.
F., Bd. 5. (Hamburg: Museum f"ur Hamburgische Geschichte, 1969), vol. 2,
p. 210.
I am sending, by separate post, a black-and-white scan of an oil painting,
dated 1855, by L. Petersen, of the four vessels (the first of which was
the HUMBOLDT) commanded by Capt. Paul Nickels Paulsen (1812-1882). The
painting remains in the hands of the captain's descendants; however, it
may be possible to obtain a high-quality reproduction of it by contacting
the Museum f"ur Hamburgische Geschichte, Holstenwall 24, D-20355 Hamburg,
or the Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum, Hans-Scharoun-Platz 1, D-27568
Bremerhaven, http://www.deutsches-schiffahrtsmuseum.de/DSM/edsm.htm,
e-mail: postm...@deutsches-schiffahrtsmuseum.de
2. ELECTRIC.
According to contemporary New York newspapers, the Hamburg ship ELECTRIC,
[J.] Junge, master, arrived at New York on 18 June 1868, from Hamburg, 29
days, with merchandise and 438 passengers. "June 8, 3:30 AM, lat 46 22,
lon 57 30, weather very thick, was run into by an unknown bark, bound W,
striking us abaft the main chains, carrying away maintopgallantmast; did
not ascertain the amount of damage the bark received other than the loss
of bowsprit; the bark had no lights set, and apparently no one on deck;
could not see anything of her at daylight; in lat 45, lon 47 30, saw 20
large icebergs, all in the space of a few miles".
As above, you should check the information published in _Germans to
America_ against the microfilm copy of the original manifest, which you
will find in National Archives Microfilm Publication M237, roll 297, a
copy of which you can borrow through AGLL, any LDS Family History Center
(Family History Library microfilm #0175652), or Interlibrary Loan. You
should also check the information against the Hamburg Passenger List for
this voyage, which you will find on Family History Library microfilm
#0472899.
The ELECTRIC was a "medium clipper", built by Irons & Grinnell, at
Stonington/Mystic, CT, launched on 5 September 1853, and registered at
New York on 10 November 1853. 1046 tons (1273 tons in the New York
certificate of registry); 185' 1" x 38' 7" x 21' 5" (length x beam x
depth of hold). She was owned first by G. Adams, and later by the Gerry
family of New York. She made a single voyage around Cape Horn to
California, sailing from New York on 15 November 1854, and arriving at San
Francisco on 4 March 1855, a passage of 116 days. She sailed from San
Francisco on 24 March 1855, and crossed the Pacific to Hong Kong in 48
days. From Hong Kong she proceeded to Shanghai, from where she sailed to
New York in 106 days.
Aside from this single round the world voyage, the ELECTRIC served in the
North Atlantic trade, in particular between New York, Havre, and Antwerp.
On 30 July 1856, she was purchased from Brower, of New York, for $62,250,
by the Hamburg shipowner Robert Miles Sloman, who continued to employ her
primarily in the North Atlantic trade. On 2 November 1868, she sailed
from Hamburg with 350 passengers and a general cargo, and on 21 December
1868, went ashore at Great Egg harbor, New Jersey. Her passengers were
landed on the beach, her cargo was lightered, and she was towed to New
York, where extensive repairs were made. On 7 November 1872, while bound
from Hamburg to New York, she was abandoned, leaky and nearly full of
water, in lat. 40 North, lon. 55 West. Her crew, together with the crew
of the British bark CHASE--which the ELECTRIC had earlier come upon in a
sinking condition--were picked up by the HELMESBRAND, Kjaer, master, and
landed at Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland.
Masters:
1856-1859 - J. C. Wienholtz
1859-1863 - H. C. Johannsen
1863-1869 - J. Junge
1869-1872 - C. J. N. Peyn
Voyages:
1856-1861 - Mlb/intermediate ports/Bremerhaven
1861 - New York
1861-1862 - New York
1862 - New York/London
1862-1863 - New York/London
1863-1864 - La Plata/Callao
1864 - New York/London
1864-1865 - New York/Newcastle on Tyne
1865 - New York/London
1865-1866 - New York/London
1866 - New York
1866 - New York/Bremerhaven
1866-1867 - New York/London
1867 - New York/Philadelphia
1867-1868 - New York/Philadelphia/Bremerhaven
1868 - New York
1868-1869 - New York/Bremerhaven
1869-1871 - Dona Francisca/Batavia/Semarang/Nieuwediep/Amsterdam
1871-1872 - New York/Bremerhaven
1872 - New York (twice)
Sources: Octavius T. Howe and Frederick C. Matthews, _American clipper
ships, 1833-1858_, Marine Research Society (Salem, Mass.) Publication No.
13 (Salem, MA: Marine Research Society, 1926-27), vol. 1, pp. 153-154;
Carl C. Cutler, _Greyhounds of the sea : the story of the American
clipper ship_ (New York: Halcyon House, c1930), pp. 426 and 497; William
Armstrong Fairburn, _Merchant Sail_ (Center Lovell, ME: Fairburn Marine
Educational Foundation, [1945-1955]), II.1272,; III.1662, 1964, 2021,
2023, 2029, 2037, 2040, 2059, 2069, 2097; IV.2267, 2648; V.2856, 2858,
2859; VI.3649; Hieke, _op. cit._, p. 374; Forrest R. Holdcamper, _List
of American-flag Merchant Vessels that received Certificates of Enrollment
or Registry at the Port of New York, 1789-1867 (Record Groups 41 and 36)_,
National Archives Publication No. 68-10, Special Lists No. 22
(Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, 1968), p. 196;
Walter Kresse, _op. cit._, vol. 2, p. 212.
I am sending you, by separate post, a black-and-white scan of a
lithograph, by Wilhelm Heuer, of the ELECTRIC. For a good-quality
reproduction, contact the Museum f"ur Hamburgische Geschichte or the
Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum (see above for addresses).
Because the ELECTRIC was built in the Mystic, CT, area, you might wish to
contact the Mystic Seaport Museum, 50 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic, CT
06355-0990, http://www.mystic.org, and inquire whether the museum's
collections contain additional information on, or possibly even a
pictorial representation of, her.
You might also wish to contact the following individuals, whose ancestors
also sailed to New York aboard the ELECTRIC: Sharon Teeslink,
sat...@il.net, whose ancestors arrived at New York aboard the ELECTRIC on
20 June 1861, and Phyllis Reasoner, pre...@tc3net.com, whose ancestors
arrived at New York aboard the ELECTRIC on 14 November 1865.
Michael Palmer
--
Michael Palmer
Claremont, California
mpa...@netcom.com
Diane A. Harkink
DEAR MICHAEL:
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. You must have a huge library
to contain all the information you have about Ships of our ancestors.
I knew if anyone had any info on the HUMBOLDT or ELECTRIC, it
would be you. Your descriptions are so thorough, and the tips/hints
on where else to look for additional info are also extremely helpful.
Thank you again for helping ALL OF US family genealogists with
info on our ancestor's ships to their "new world".
DIANE A. (GEIER) HARKINK
dhar...@sure.net
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
2/7/98 08:43am PST
----------