Surnames: HOFFMANN I have often speculated that my immigrant HOFFMANN family, missing between 1848 (when they arrived from Holstein) and 1859, was on the Mississippi river during that time as the father, Charles (Carl) Hoffmann, and his oldest son, Andreas Hoffmann, were listed as fishermen when I finally found them in the 1860 census. The mother was Celie, with additional sons Christ, Charles, Henrich, and Rudolph (born in America). Earl >Status: U >Resent-Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 16:58:19 -0600 >X-Original-Sender: beckoncall3@mchsi.com Thu Jul 25 16:58:19 2002 >Reply-To: "Elaine Rathmann" <beckoncall3@mchsi.com> >From: "Elaine Rathmann" <beckoncall3@mchsi.com> >Old-To: "IA- SCOTT" <IASCOTT-L@rootsweb.com> >Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 17:58:26 -0500 >X-Priority: 3 >Subject: [IASCOTT] Shanty Boats >To: IASCOTT-L@rootsweb.com >Resent-From: IASCOTT-L@rootsweb.com >X-Mailing-List: <IASCOTT-L@rootsweb.com> archive/latest/5184 >X-Loop: IASCOTT-L@rootsweb.com >Resent-Sender: IASCOTT-L-request@rootsweb.com > >Hello, everyone, > > A few days ago I asked for help re: the 1900 census I'm >transcribing. Several Davenport 2d Ward, people were listed as >living on the "Mississippi River Front", and their house numbers >listed as "Boat House". After a little digging, I found some good >websites and had some informative discussions with folks who are >quite knowledgeable of river folk-life. > > For anyone researching in counties bordering any of the >navigable rivers of the east and Midwest, if an ancestor "goes >missing", it is possible he found himself, and maybe the whole >family, living on a shantyboat, floating up or down the river as the >seasons and employment permitted. Many of these folks were >poverty-stricken itinerants, who could not afford to rent or own >property. Some were skilled laborers who liked life on the river and >took their families from town to town to find employment. Not a few >were criminal types, but surprisingly, quite a few were educated, >adventuresome men, who simply wanted to experience the sights and >sounds offered up by the river's course. > > Apparently, numberless folks lived this way, and record-keeping >being what it was, many will never be found. > > If anyone would like to read more, >http://www.rtpnet.org/robroy/books/nhb/SB.HTM#toc, has a great >online book, "Four Months in a Sneak-Box" written in 1879 by >Nathaniel H. Bishop. It is loaded with information on shantyboats >and the people who lived on them. Another good site to peruse is >http://www.greatriver.com/links.htm. > >~~~~~~*~~~~~~ > >Elaine Rathmann > >ACC Scott Co, IA USGenWeb Project > >List Adm: *IA-CIVIL-WAR *IA-DANES > > -- Earl Hoffman 3022 Woodland Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544 505-662-7823
Hello Earl, That's very interesting. You may well be right. Keeping in mind that the middle and upper Mississippi was frozen over, usually from December until March, depending on the severity of the winter, what you'd have to do is search all the river-bordering counties south of St. Louis, to the Gulf. This, of course, makes the search difficult, but perhaps rewarding. In the southern states, to this day, folks live on shanty boats. Many of these people are in their 70s or older and, according to a museum director in Mississippi with whom I have been in touch, this appears to be the last generation to grow up in this life style. This is an area of research that has been neglected or largely unknown, I'm afraid. When someone comes up against a brick wall, we encourage them to look at the rolls of "poor farms," but have been ignorant of advising research of shanty boat residents, of which there were many thousands in all the navigable U.S. waterways. Best of luck in your research. Regards, Elaine Rathmann ACC: Scott Co, IA USGenWeb Project List Adm: *IA-CIVIL-WAR *IA-DANES ----- Original Message ----- From: "Earl Hoffman" <hoffmans@ix.netcom.com> To: <IASCOTT-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, July 26, 2002 12:15 AM Subject: Fwd: [IASCOTT] Shanty Boats | Surnames: HOFFMANN | | I have often speculated that my immigrant HOFFMANN family, missing | between 1848 (when they arrived from Holstein) and 1859, was on the | Mississippi river during that time as the father, Charles (Carl) | Hoffmann, and his oldest son, Andreas Hoffmann, were listed as | fishermen when I finally found them in the 1860 census. The mother | was Celie, with additional sons Christ, Charles, Henrich, and Rudolph | (born in America). | | Earl | | >Status: U | >Resent-Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 16:58:19 -0600 | >X-Original-Sender: beckoncall3@mchsi.com Thu Jul 25 16:58:19 2002 | >Reply-To: "Elaine Rathmann" <beckoncall3@mchsi.com> | >From: "Elaine Rathmann" <beckoncall3@mchsi.com> | >Old-To: "IA- SCOTT" <IASCOTT-L@rootsweb.com> | >Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 17:58:26 -0500 | >X-Priority: 3 | >Subject: [IASCOTT] Shanty Boats | >To: IASCOTT-L@rootsweb.com | >Resent-From: IASCOTT-L@rootsweb.com | >X-Mailing-List: <IASCOTT-L@rootsweb.com> archive/latest/5184 | >X-Loop: IASCOTT-L@rootsweb.com | >Resent-Sender: IASCOTT-L-request@rootsweb.com | > | >Hello, everyone, | > | > A few days ago I asked for help re: the 1900 census I'm | >transcribing. Several Davenport 2d Ward, people were listed as | >living on the "Mississippi River Front", and their house numbers | >listed as "Boat House". After a little digging, I found some good | >websites and had some informative discussions with folks who are | >quite knowledgeable of river folk-life. | > | > For anyone researching in counties bordering any of the | >navigable rivers of the east and Midwest, if an ancestor "goes | >missing", it is possible he found himself, and maybe the whole | >family, living on a shantyboat, floating up or down the river as the | >seasons and employment permitted. Many of these folks were | >poverty-stricken itinerants, who could not afford to rent or own | >property. Some were skilled laborers who liked life on the river and | >took their families from town to town to find employment. Not a few | >were criminal types, but surprisingly, quite a few were educated, | >adventuresome men, who simply wanted to experience the sights and | >sounds offered up by the river's course. | > | > Apparently, numberless folks lived this way, and record-keeping | >being what it was, many will never be found. | > | > If anyone would like to read more, | >http://www.rtpnet.org/robroy/books/nhb/SB.HTM#toc, has a great | >online book, "Four Months in a Sneak-Box" written in 1879 by | >Nathaniel H. Bishop. It is loaded with information on shantyboats | >and the people who lived on them. Another good site to peruse is | >http://www.greatriver.com/links.htm. | > | >~~~~~~*~~~~~~ | > | >Elaine Rathmann | > | >ACC Scott Co, IA USGenWeb Project | > | >List Adm: *IA-CIVIL-WAR *IA-DANES | > | > | | | -- | Earl Hoffman | 3022 Woodland Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544 | 505-662-7823 |