I came across a nice surprise this evening – a passenger list for the arrival of the S.S. European at the port of Quebec on May 23, 1869. Included on the list is my great-great-grandfather, Jöns Mårtensson along with his brother Lars.
Particularly gratifying is that it lines up exactly with the Aspengren diary:
We landed in Liverpool on Tuesday, May 4th, where we stayed until May 8th. Leaving there, we had calm and beautiful weather. During the trip, the emigrant numbers decreased from disease and increased by the birth of others.
We landed at Quebec on Sunday, May 23, 1869 at 1:oo p.m.
Sure enough! The S. S. European landed in Quebec on May 23 from a “port of embarkation” of Liverpool. We find Jöns and Lars (always together!) listed on the manifest:
The numbers to the left of their names are probably contract or ticket numbers. The number to the right of their names is supposed to be their age – Lars was indeed 25 but Jöns was actually 35. If I spent some time, I could no doubt find the Aspengrens, Olsons, Nilssons, and other members of the party who traveled from Önnestad together (too late for that much digging tonight).
The ship was originally known as the William Penn and was built by Malcolmson Bros. in Ireland in 1865. She was purchased by the Allan Line (aka the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company) in 1869 and renamed as the S. S. European. Allan Line ships had distinctive red and black funnels as shown on the poster.
The Martinson brothers were probably on the first voyage of the ship under its new name.
I believe that although it was a steamship, it also had masts and sails, perhaps like the Allan Line’s “Scandinavian”, shown at right. It had capacity for 700 passengers in steerage.
With my findmypast.co.uk subscription, I was able to find a newspaper advertisement from the Liverpool Daily Post in its May 3, 1869 edition (page 6).
Again in agreement with the Aspengren diary, the ad shows that the European was in port on Tuesday, May 4th. Also according to the advertisement, Steerage passengers received “a plentiful supply of cooked provisions, prepared and served up by the Company’s Stewards.” Wine and liquor was not included, but could be purchased on board.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.
The Ships List, The Allan Line/Montreal Ocean Steamship Company
Findmypast.co.uk, Page 6 of Liverpool Daily Post, 03 May 1869
Great Karen!! Thank you!
Lee Martinson