Journey of Martinus De Jong
Martinus and Grietje De Jong, along with their oldest son, Peter J De Jong left Hoogblokland on March 24, 1865. They were joined by Martinus’ older brother, Gysbert De Jong, and Grietje’s older brother Willem Van Rooden. Martinus and Grietje’s youngest son, Arie, was left behind, presumably in the care of his grandparents, for fear he was too young to travel. He was six months old at the time
Prior to the journey, trunks were built and lined with tin so that possessions would not break or get wet. Letters from America told them to bring leather for shoes, worsted material and courderoy for clothes, and sewing materials. Tools such as shovels and sickles were also packed, as were dishes, pots, pans, blankets, and clothes. Garden and flower seeds were collected and placed in small cloth sacks. Each sack was carefully labeled. These seeds would be used to plant the garden at their new home in America.
This group traveled to Liverpool, England where they set sail for America on the S S Edinburgh. The S S Edinburgh was a steamship, which was also rigged for sails. The S S Edinburgh was 2197 tons and 91.58m long x 12.13m wide (300.5ft x 39.8ft) with a clipper bow. It had one funnel, three masts of iron construction, a single propeller, and two-geared beam engines giving a speed of 10 knots. Its passenger berths were designed to accommodate 100 first class, 300 second class, and 700 third class passengers. It was built by Tod & McGregor of Glasgow, Scotland and launched on Nov 10, 1855.
The S S Edinburgh with 1491 aboard, including the Martinus De Jong party, made one stop in Queenstown, Ireland. The De Jongs traveled in third class, also known as steerage class. Their ship’s “cabin” consisted of a small room containing a shelf for their things and planks where they could place their sleeping mats.
After a few days at sea the wind began to blow and the ship began to rock. They began to feel seasick. Gradually family members found relief from the sickness. After many days at sea, they began to see large fish. Soon they also saw birds. The captain informed the passengers they were nearing land. It wasn’t long before they landed at the immigration processing center, Castlegarden, in New York City.
As far as I can tell, the trip was uneventful, as there were no casualties reported on the ship’s manifest. The ship arrived in New York harbor on April 14, 1865. This was a Friday. However, it was not just any Friday, but rather Good Friday, though it was never remembered as such. Friday, April 14, 1865 will forever be remembered as the day President Lincoln was shot.
In those days, immigrants to the port of New York were processed through Castle Garden. Castle Garden was located at the southwest tip of Manhattan and was operated by the State of New York. Castle Garden officials assisted immigrants with lodging and provided advice as to the best means to travel to their particular destination, obtain employment, correspond with family and friends, and exchange money.
After undergoing inspection, they were allowed to leave. They went into New York City. People, horses, wagons, and mud were everywhere. It was all very confusing.
Martinus De Jong and his group likely stayed in one of the plentiful Dutch rooming house in New York City, and caught the train for Chicago as quickly as possible. Rural Dutch immigrants left the city as soon as they could.
The train traveled from New York City to Dunkirk, New York. After a day’s wait, another train could take them to Cleveland, then to Toledo, and finally to Chicago. From Chicago they could travel to Eddyville, Iowa. The trip from Eddyville to Pella, a distance of 30 miles, was made by wagon. It was an all day journey. This would have been an interesting time to travel, unless of course you were an immigrant, who spoke no English. The Civil War had just ended, soldiers were making their way home, and Lincoln was dead. The Martinus De Jong party probably arrived in Pella in late April of 1865. The duration of the trip was approximately five weeks.
Journey of Pieter De Jong, Sr.
The remainder of the Pieter De Jong Sr. family left Arkel on Friday, March 23, 1866. This group included Pieter De Jong Sr. and his wife Gijsbertje, their children Elbert, Dirk, Neldus, Egje, Maria, Pieter Jr., and Gijsbertje. Also included were their daughter-in-law Kornelia, Dirk’s wife and sister of Grietje De Jong, their grandson Arie, son of Martinus and Grietje De Jong, and Antonie Van Rooden, brother of Kornelia and Grietje. Unlike the emigration experience of the Martinus De Jong group the year before, which was uneventful, this group was headed straight into a disaster. Cholera was prevalent on the European continent in the Spring of 1866.
The group likely sailed from the port of Hellevoetsluis, near Rotterdam, on the English steamship Seagull, on March 26, 1866. The Seagull had 100 Dutch and 76 Germans on board. It was bound for Hull, England. From Hull, the De Jong party traveled by train to the docks of Liverpool.
The Pieter De Jong Sr. group chose to sail to America on the steamer S S England. The price of a steerage class ticket was $30 per person.
In an interview given by Pieter De Jong Jr. to a friend in 1934, he indicated that on the journey to America in 1866 there was a cholera outbreak on board ship at sea. His brothers, Elbert, Dirk, and Neldus, Dirk’s wife, and Martinus’ youngest child, Arie, were all taken ill and died at sea. The ship diverted to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where all were buried.
A review of published accounts taken from other passengers, described the journey as follows. The S S England left Liverpool at six o’clock on the evening of Wednesday, March 28. The ship arrived in Queenstown, Ireland at five PM the evening of March 29, more passengers were picked up. Over 1300, including the crew, were on board. This was well over the limit allowed by the emigration regulations of Great Britain. The ship left port that same evening. On Good Friday, Saturday, and Easter Sunday, the ship encountered a fierce storm. All passengers were confined below deck. It was very cold and the food was very poor. The meat and potatoes were less than half cooked most of the time.
On April 3, the fourth day at sea, an eight year old “German” boy was found dead in his berth. That night, a 35 year old irishman died after a few hours of stomach and leg cramps. The diagnosis was asiatic cholera. In addition to many passengers, several of the crew became sick, including the engineers and the medical officers. One Dutch passenger, Aris Jan Eelman, later wrote, “I was present when 50 people died in one day and were thrown overboard like cats or dogs”. The ship’s captain, R W. Grace, made a decision to divert the ship to Halifax, since it was the closest port where assistance could be obtained. The ship arrived in the port of Halifax on the evening of April 8. All night long the silence was broken by the sounds of making coffins. It was at this point that the cholera epidemic raged the fiercest. The ship anchored off of Mauger’s Beach and a yellow distress flag was raised. Volunteers came and took away four boatloads of coffins. Passengers remained aboard ship for two more days. The ship was then allowed to put passengers ashore on McNabs Island in Halifax Harbor on April 11. The sick were transferred to a hospital ship. The meat was thrown overboard and a fresh supply was obtained in the city.
The following is an excerpt from a pamphlet written by Brian Kinsman of the Nova Scotia Department of Resources detailing the experience of the S S England in Halifax Harbor.
In April of 1866, the S S England, a steamship from Liverpool, England bound for New York with 1202 passengers, suffered an outbreak of cholera. With many of its crew stricken, the S S England found it necessary to seek refuge at Halifax.
Port authorities in Halifax, well aware of the potential devastation, which could occur if the disease reached the city, ordered the S S England to anchor in the shelter of McNabs Cove. Over 400 stricken passengers were transferred to the S S Pyramus, a surplus naval ship, which had been anchored off Findleys Wharf. Those passengers from the S S England who appeared healthy were then removed to McNabs Island where they were initially housed in buildings used by workers who were constructing Fort Ives. When all passengers and crew had been moved, the National Line, owner of the S S England, began to clean and fumigate the ship.
Little Thrum Cap, at the extreme south of McNabs Island was designated an appropriate burial site for those who had succumbed to the dread disease. Additional burial pits were also dug in the vicinity of Hugonins Point by “volunteers” from the city prison.
Those not stricken by cholera were subjected to extreme hardship due to lack of proper shelter, adequate food and clothing on the island. On April 14, 1866, Dr John Slaytor, the port health officer, wrote to Dr. Charles Tupper, city health office and provincial secretary, from McNabs Island:
The arrangements here are very bad from want of help….more of the people on shore are dying of starvation. When food is sent the strong seize it and the sick and the old who have no friends suffer, having no food. Last night was very bad….Frank Garvie ( a Halifax physician) and myself were ashore most of the night, getting women and children in from the woods, they having been refused admittance into the tents on account of their not having friends.
Earlier that day soldiers had been sent to the island to try to preserve order. They established their headquarters in the house recently vacated by Captain Hugonin.
All of the passengers were subsequently removed to the south end of the island, near the Lyttleton home and close to present-day Fort McNab. Sentries were posted on the narrow strip of land near Wamboldt’s cottage because of a fear that some passengers would escape to Halifax or Dartmouth where the cholera might spread like wildfire.
Dr. Slaytor himself contracted cholera on April 16, and succumbed to its effects the following day. He was the last new case of cholera to die on McNabs Island. On April 18, the S S England sailed for New York with its healthy passengers and crew. Fifty-five from the ship remained on the island for several more days. Although reliable statistics were not kept, an estimated 200 cholera victims are believed to have been buried on McNabs Island. The graves at Little Thrum Cap have since washed into the sea while the remaining burial site on Hugonin Point lies hidden beneath the underbrush.
The people put ashore on McNabs Island were housed in tents. The weather was snowy and rainy. All of the passengers’ belongings were burned. They were given new clothing and blankets. Fires raged night and day in an effort to stay warm.
On April 18, after the ship had been cleaned and fumigated, passengers were allowed to board and the ship sailed for New York City. It arrived on April 21 and anchored in Lower Bay in New York harbor. A quarantine was imposed and passengers were not allowed to leave the ship. The quarantine was lifted on May 11 and passengers were allowed to disembark.
The S S England was an iron vessel built by Palmer Bros. & Co. at Jarrow-on-Tyne in 1865 for the National Line of Liverpool. Her dimensions were 3308 gross tons, length 375.5 ft x beam 42.5 ft. clipper bow, one funnel, three masts fitted for sail, hull made of iron, single propeller, and two inverted engines giving a speed of ten knots. She had accommodations for 80 first class and 800 third class passengers. She was launched on Jun 24, 1865 and sailed on her maiden voyage from Liverpool – Queenstown – New York on Feb 7, 1866. She was effectively a brand new ship at the time of the Halifax cholera disaster.
S S England