TRAVEL TO AMERICA: Ships of Passage

Model of the DEUTSCHLAND (1848)

Hamburg-Amerika Linie (Hamburg-American Line) was founded in May 1847. At that time, owing to the political disturbances throughout Germany, there was an enormous exodus of emigrants to the new world; of this the founders took advantage, and they started a regular service of sailing ships between Hamburg and New York. The first ship they owned was the Deutschland, of 700 tons, built on the Elbe.

NORDAMERIKA (1848)
The NORDAMERIKA was owned by the Hamburg America Line. This was a three masted barque rigged vessel of 419 gross tons built in 1848. Wooden construction, cargo 200 tons and passenger accommodation for 20-1st class and 200 steerage and a crew of 17. Laid down in 1848 as the AMERIKA but renamed to avoid confusion with another German ship of that name, she was used on the Hamburg - New York service until 1858 when she was sold to Norwegian owners. Broken up in 1868. [Merchant Fleets in Profile by Duncan Haws, vol.4, Hamburg America Line]

ALLEMANIA / OXENHOLME 1865
The ALLEMANIA was a 2,695 gross ton ship built in 1865 by C.A.Day & Co, Southampton for the Hamburg America Line. Her details were - length 315ft x beam 41ft, one funnel, two masts (rigged for sail), iron construction, single screw and a speed of 12 knots. There was accommodation for 60-1st, 100-2nd and 600-3rd class passengers. Launched on 11/5/1865, she sailed from Hamburg on her maiden voyage to Southampton and New York on 17/9/1865. In 1872 she was fitted with compound engines and commenced her last voyage to New York on 5/10/1872. She was then transferred to the Hamburg - West Indies service until 11/4/1880, when she resumed the Hamburg - New York run. On 5/9/1880 she commenced her last voyage (3 round voyages) and was then sold to the British company, Hunter & Co.who renamed her OXENHOLME. In 1894 she was sold to A.Chapman and on 6/6/1894 was abandoned with no loss of life after striking rocks near Santa Catharina, Brazil.

NOTICE BELOW THAT BOTH BROTHERS, CONRAD KOHRS AND HENRY KOHRS, TRAVEL ON THE NORDAMERICA

Conrad Kohrs-Return Trip from New York to Hamburg, Germany

"My cousin was acquainted with Captain Peterson of the Hamburg bark named the North America, and made arrangements with him to give me passage in return for helping the cook. We had a fine voyage, made the trip in eighteen days, one of the fastest trips that had ever been made" Page 4 of Conrad Kohrs : an autobiography. by Conrad Kohrs. Publisher C.K. Warren, ©1977.

Conrad Kohrs-Return Trip from Hamburg, Germany to New York and on to Davenport

Being anxious to return to America and finding that the bark North America, a packet that had spent the time fixing and repairing, was about to sail, I was glad of the chance to get back as cook's mate. We were out forty-five days from Hamburg to New York.Page 5 of Conrad Kohrs : an autobiography. by Conrad Kohrs. Publisher C.K. Warren, ©1977.

Castle Garden

Castle Garden, today known as Castle Clinton National Monument, is the major landmark within The Battery, the twenty-three acre waterfront park at the tip of Manhattan. From 1855 to 1890, the Castle was America's first official immigration center, a pioneering collaboration of New York State and New York City. CastleGarden.org offers free access to an extraordinary database of information on 10 million immigrants from 1830 through 1892, the year Ellis Island opened. Over 73 million Americans can trace their ancestors to this early immigration period.1

Below are search results from querying the Castle Garden database source to determine when Bielenberg-Kohrs ancestors arrived in the United States by passenger ship (castlegarden.org).

Passenger Records for Bielenberg-Kohrs

First name Last name Occupation Age Sex Arrived Origin Ship
Heinr. Kohrs Butcher 22 M 13 Jun 1853 Germany Nord America
C. Bielenberg Farmer 35 M 12 Jun 1853 Germany Deutschland
Carl Bielenberg Child 8 M 12 Jun 1853 Germany Deutschland
Gesche Bielenberg Wife 50 F 12 Jun 1853 Germany Deutschland
Johannes Bielenberg Child 8 M 12 Jun 1853 Germany Deutschland
Nicolaus Bielenberg Child 7 M 12 Jun 1853 Germany Deutschland

New York Daily Tribune, Monday, May 14, 1866 (page 7): Henry Kohrs & Claus Bielenberg sail for Hamburg, Germany


Passenger Records for Kruse-Kohrs?
Might the passenger records below identify Henry Kohrs escorting several Kruse descendents to the United States (i.e. who might these two Kruse’s be traveling on the Allemannia with Henry Kohrs from Germany to the United States)?

First name Last name Occupation Age Sex Arrived Origin Ship
Claus Bielenberg Butcher 48 M 3 Sep 1866 USA Allemannia
Henry Kohrs Butcher 35 M 3 Sep 1866 USA Allemannia
Alwine Kruse Single 21 F 3 Sep 1866 Germany Allemannia
Ange. Kruse Single 18 F 3 Sep 1866 Germany Allemannia


Passanger Records for William H. Gehrmann

First name Last name Occupation Age Sex Arrived Origin Ship
Heinrich Gehrmann Clerk 17 M 14 Apr 1875 Germany Schiller


Conrad and Augusta Kohrs Trip to Germany, 1971

In October 1971, my wife and I started for Germany....... As it was necessary for me to be back early on account of my business, we left Hamburg the 3rd of March, 1872...... My wife's sister and my cousin, John Trisberger, had accompanied us. Page 56-57 of Conrad Kohrs : an autobiography. by Conrad Kohrs. Publisher C.K. Warren, ©1977.

Surname First Name Age Depart Date Vessel Destination
Kruse Johann 26 13 Mar 1872 Hammonia NY
Kruse Christina 25 13 Mar 1872 Hammonia NY
Kohrs Amma 3 13 Mar 1872 Hammonia NY
Kohrs Auguste 23 13 Mar 1872 Hammonia NY
Kohrs Catharine -- 13 Mar 1872 Hammonia NY
Kohrs Conrad 36 13 Mar 1872 Hammonia NY


Reference
1. Castle Garden. Retrieved March 15th, 2008 from
(http://www.castlegarden.org/index.html)

TRAVEL TO MONTANA

Timeline & Routes of Travel

1. Conrad Kohrs: 1862: Place of departure for Montana was Davenport, Iowa. Route-across the plains. 1

Quoting from Conrad Kohrs : an autobiography. by Conrad Kohrs. Publisher C.K. Warren, ©1977.:

"On April 8th, 1882, we started from Davenport. Through Iowa found the road almost impassable as the result of the copious rains. The river was crossed at Omaha, where we loaded up with grain for the horses. provision for ourselves, and a large quantity of alcohol, which Mr. Sickles sold to traders along the road. For about 160 miles the roads were very muddy. However. after leaving Grand Island we commenced to get into a good grass country and better roads. Our horses began gaining and traveling was much less of a hardship than it had been. We went up the north side of the Platte and up the Sweetwater. Did not see an Indian nor a buffalo the entire trip and had no trouble whatever until we reached the Big Sandy. Owing to the winter of 1881 and 1862 having been a very hard one and a great deal of snow having fallen in the mountains, the mountain streams were very high."

"There were probably one hundred teams waiting to cross this river, many of them ox teams freighting from there to Salt Lake. After several days delay. we managed to get a rope and by means of it and a raft made out of dried logs with the wagon box beds on top, constructed a kind of ferry. The horses swam across and wagons were put over on this improvised ferry".....1

2. John Bielenberg: 1864: Place of departure for Montana was Davenport, Iowa; route traveled via Grinnell, Iowa; end of railroad, Omaha, Nebraska, overland trail, North Platte, Bridger, Laramie, Soda Springs, Sweetwater route, Bear River and Snake River; arrived in Virginia City, July 7, 1864. 2

3. Charles Bielenberg: 1865 Place of departure for Montana was Davenport, Iowa; In the spring of 1865 be came to Fort Benton, Montana and walked to Helena, having no money to pay expenses. Charles arrives Fort Benton the later part of June 1865. 3

4. Nicholas Bielenberg: 1865: Place of departure for Montana was Davenport, Iowa. From Davenport the young Bielenberg took a river boat to St. Louis, where he stopped for a few days, after which he took passage on "The Bertrant" up the Missouri river en route to Fort Benton, Montana. About thirty miles above Omaha the boat sank, and although no lives were lost all had to submit to the inconvenience of camping twenty days on the bank of the river while waiting for another boat of the same line. Continuing the voyage neither boat nor passengers met with difficulties until interrupted by a herd of buffalo crossing the stream. This necessitated their waiting for eighteen hours. Their next mishap was occasioned when, having reached a point below the Dry Fork of the Missouri, they struck a sand bar, and in the process of extricating the vessel a spar was broken. The delay thus occasioned was fraught with the most serious circumstance of the entire trip. The party was attacked by Indians, who, in the encounter killed one man, wounded another and carried away two, of whose lives they disposed in the most horrible manner. In sight of the stranded passengers of the Bertrant watching from the deck in desperate helplessness, the Indian squaws carried dry wood, with which they surrounded the captives, held in durance by the male savages. With the victims securely bound in the center, the wood was set aflame and the other voyagers saw them thus pitilessly destroyed. It is hardly to be wondered at that Mr. Bielenberg has ever since had an insuperable aversion for the Indian race. The Bertrant was presently started on her way once more and on June 18, 1865, arrived at Fort Benton, having taken a number of deer and elk on the route and having heard of the close of the war when passing one of the river forts. 4

5. Augusta Kohrs: 1868: She was united in marriage with Conrad Kohrs at Davenport, February 23, 1868. As a bride of 19, Mrs. Kohrs came up the Missouri river by steamboat from Omaha to Fort Benton in the same year. The trip took 48 days. The bridal couple was met at Fort Benton by a Kohrs conveyance which took them to the 30, 000 acre home ranch at Deer Lodge, where they lived until coming to Helena in 1899. 5

References

1. Conrad Kohrs : an autobiography. by Conrad Kohrs. Publisher C.K. Warren, ©1977.

2. Anonymous Society of Montana Pioneers : constitution, members and officers, with portraits and maps
Montana: The Society, 1899, 296 pgs.

3.

4. A History of Montana. Volume 2. Helen Fitzgerald Sanders Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co., 1913.

5. Helena Independent Record, Helena, Montana 01 November 1945

TRAVEL TO MONTANA

Nicholas Bielenberg & the Steamboat "Bertrand"



The above photograph of N. J. Bielenberg was retrieved from the book titled: A History of Montana. Volume 2. Helen Fitzgerald Sanders, Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co., 1913.



"The Bertrand" was the streamboat Nicholas Bielenberg was traveling up the Missouri river on April 1, 1865 en route to Fort Benton, Montana, 1865.
From Iowa Pathways:

The Tricky Missouri

Iowa is the only state with four border rivers and the ability to navigate these rivers was of great importance in the settlement of Iowa before railroads. Steam boats and flatboats brought thousands of early settlers to the new land of Iowa. Steamboats brought supplies to the new Iowans and transported their produce to market. The lure of big profits lead steamboats to travel in unsafe river conditions and at unsafe conditions. This lead to many accidents and groundings.

The Bertrand

On April Fool’s Day in 1865 the Missouri River played a trick on a steamboat named the Bertrand. The boat had left St. Louis two weeks earlier. It was headed toward the Montana Territory, where gold had been discovered. About 25 miles north of Council Bluffs and Omaha there was a big V-shaped bend in the river. The bend was thick with snags of dead trees. Somewhere along that bend the Bertrand hit a snag. Within five minutes the boat sank. All the passengers were saved, but thousands of dollars worth of cargo was lost. Over the years the shifting sands and the mud in the river buried the Bertrand. The course of the Missouri River changed too. No one could be quite sure where the steamboat had sunk. A hundred years had passed. Then around 1968 two men in Omaha decided they would search for the Bertrand. They read old newspaper stories about the accident. They looked at old maps and tried to find where the river had flowed a hundred years earlier. Then they found evidence of a wooden boat buried under 25 feet of dirt, clay and logs. Could it be the Bertrand?

Digging down to the boat was an enormous job. As they dug the huge pit, groundwater filled the hole. Scuba divers tried to reach the boat, but the water was too muddy to see much. The water and mud had to be pumped out. Finally they reached the boat's storage compartments. They lifted out a crate labeled "Bertrand." Then they found a chalkboard with the name "Fannie" carved around the outside. Fannie Campbell had been a little girl on the Bertrand. The size of the boat matched the size of the Bertrand. Everyone was sure that this was the steamboat that sank on April Fool's Day. The next summer archaeologists set to work digging up the cargo. Most of it was covered with hard blue clay. The archaeologists had to wash or chip off the clay without damaging the items. But the clay had also preserved the cargo for a century. If the cargo had been exposed to air, much of it would have rotted away.

What did the archaeologists find? Just about everything! There were barrels of flour and nuts, jars of honey, catsup, mustard, and cans of pineapples and powdered lemonade. Bottles of alcohol and patent medicines still had paper labels on them. Rolls of silk cloth, shirts, coats and 3,000 shoes and boots were dug up. There were clocks and combs, lamps and mirrors, candy dishes and waffle irons. Crates held axes and hammers, doorknobs and washboards, plows and sleighbells. There were pick axes and blasting powder for gold miners. The artifacts were clues to what miners and settlers used in 1865. The exact number of accidents in Iowa waters is not known. The Bertrand was just one of the many steamboats to sink. Visitors today can see over 200,000 artifacts taken from the Bertrand on display at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri Valley, Iowa.

References

1. Iowa Pathways:The Tricky Missouri. Retrieved on May 26th, 2009 from http://www.iptv.org/iowapathways/mypath.cfm?ounid=ob_000219


See also--Wikipedia: Steamboat Bertrand: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Bertrand