Hi Laura: My information is a bit older - 1854 and I'm not sure what influence the war would have had on the railroads. Certainly, there were no arrivals coming from New Orleans in 1862. The following is from my notes on my g-grand Mathias who came from Germany via Le Havre, France in 1854 to NYC to StL. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- "With this emigration in the 1850s, fully two-thirds of the Germans arriving in the Missouri metropolis had come by way of New Orleans. Mathias’ New York port was a distant second. Of the Germans landing in New Orleans from 1847-1860, nearly three times as many continued on to St. Louis as headed up the Ohio River. The majority of immigrants destined for both urban and rural parts of Missouri and Ohio had previously been engaged in agriculture. It is reasonable to believe that Matthias left New York by train to Philadelphia - then again by train to Harrisburg, Lewistown and on to Pittsburgh - took a river barge or steamboat down the Ohio River to Wheeling, Cincinnati, then to the Mississippi - then a riverboat upstream to St. Louis. This was a fairly established route, especially if he stopped in Cincinnati to see his maternal relatives and his brother, J. Franz (although J. Franz may have already been in St. Louis). Another route was New York to Philadelphia to Baltimore by train. The National Highway (also known as National Freeway) to Cumberland, Md. and then to the Ohio River at Wheeling where a barge or steamboat would take him to Cincinnati and onwards. This same National Highway would eventually run from Baltimore to St. Louis and later be known as U.S. Highway 40. If he wasn’t to stop in Cincinnati, it was possible that Matthias came to St. Louis by another popular route. John F. Porter, General Agent, advertised daily in the 1854 New York Times for the, “Great Western Mail Route - Sixty Miles Distance Saved to Chicago and St. Louis.” This route was made up using many different railroads (Ed. there were many individually owned railroads at this time, most with different gauges of track -- some no longer than 30 miles in length -- as no “barons” owned large lines yet. This would be changed as a result of the Civil War when logistical needs for the timely transport of goods, men & equipment made it necessary for the use of one gauge of track.) “The Great Western Mail Route” advertised several options to St. Louis. For example, rail to Albany, then to Buffalo, N.Y. on Lake Eire - a steamer to Cleveland, rail to Toledo, Ohio, connecting with the Southern Michigan and Indiana Railroad to Chicago. Then board the Rock Island Line to La Salle, Illinois, “and there connect with Illinois River line of steamboats, or express trains of the Illinois Central…making the cheapest and most direct route to St. Louis…” He would have then crossed the Mississippi by ferry.(Ed. - and we complain if there isn’t a direct flight!)" ' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- You might simply look at the NY Times editions printed at the time your ancestor arrived. This will also give you the climate he experienced when he first arrived at Castle Garden (the 1855 precursor to Ellis Island). Good hunting Gary Stoltman Mercerville, NJ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Edgar, Laura" <laura30@cox.net> To: <MO-STLOUIS-METRO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2003 5:18 PM Subject: [StL-Metro] NEW YORK TO ST LOUIS 1862 MODE OF TRANSPORTATION > Hello, > > I would like to find out what mode of transportation a family would have used in the year 1862. Family arrived in New York in November of 1862 then moved to St. Louis Mo. Whatever transportation was used, any ideas on how long it would have taken from New York to the Midwest? > > Thanks > Laura - California > > > ==== MO-STLOUIS-METRO Mailing List ==== > Climbing my family tree was fun until the nuts appeared. >