These are all questions I have asked myself. I am guessing that people coming over, especially those traveling in groups, must have been in touch with friends or relatives who were already there on the ground. That's likely why they chose to go where they did in America. It would also explain how they were able to do things in advance, like purchase land. Moving a family of 13 must have been a giant undertaking which required lots of help on both sides of the Atlantic. We went to BW this past spring on an Elderhostel tour called Discovering Your German Roots. One of the things we discussed was the cost of the trip over the ocean and what supplies were required to survive a crossing of 6 weeks or more. Many of the emigrants needed financing to make it. A lot wound up signing contracts to work for a number of years after they arrived. There must be diaries or other books that have recounted these journeys. I just haven't seen any of them. I am off this week end to a reunion of the family I described in my earlier email. The 67th such event, but the first one I have ever attended. I'll let you know if there are any stories telling how this was all done. Eric Schaal -----Original Message----- From: baden-wurttemberg-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:baden-wurttemberg-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Kathleen March Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2008 9:23 PM To: baden-wurttemberg@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [BW] Heidelburg baden-wurttemberg@rootsweb.com writes: >My great great grandparents came to America in 1864 with 11 children >including a child less than 1, starting out in Baden near Heidelberg and >sailing from Antwerp to New York. After spending the winter in Baltimore, >the whole crew walked to Toledo, Ohio to take up residence on a farm they >had bought. I Maybe these questions have been asked and answered before, but a couple of things come to mind: How did such a large family pay for the passage? (I am amazed as well at the picking up and starting over in a foreign country with so many mouths to feed!!) How did they find land so far away and manage to purchase it if they also had to walk there? Which brings up another question: I know in 1854 that my gggparents started out with 3 boys, one under 1 year. In the 1855 census the youngest is gone. I've despaired of tracking this baby down and one might wonder why bother? It is simply curiosity as to what was done with the ones who either did not survive the trip across the ocean or died shortly afterward. Any ideas as to whether they can even be traced? Poor little Wilhelm... I don't even know if he was recorded as Mörz/Moerz or as March. If my family purchased a farm (and I'm not sure they did), perhaps they used a corner of the land for interment? Kathleen ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BADEN-WURTTEMBERG-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message