My brother and I exchanged emails the past two days on a subject I hadn't considered until he asked about it. Maybe someone here can comment on it. Here's the subject: It is 1882 and, as a resident of Southeastern Poland, you have decided to go to America to pursue your future. Unfortunately, you live in a small village and are poor. How much would it cost you (US currency stated at then-year dollars is the preferred economy) to get from your village to a seaport (by train, I would presume) and then to book passage (assume steerage) to America? By what means would you be likely to accumulate the money (assuming no rich uncle is around!)? The question seemed almost trivial when he first asked it but, based on the current cost of making that trip, it poses a dilemma. Wouldn't the cost to a peasant have been out of reach? ...........Mike

Family members in America have sent funds back home to cover the fees. If you can't get rid of the skelton in your closet, you'd best teach it to dance. -George Bernard Shaw> From: stupnski@tiac.net> To: POLAND-ROOTS@rootsweb.com> Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 22:07:08 -0400> Subject: [POLAND] How Did They Get The Resources?> > My brother and I exchanged emails the past two days on a subject I > hadn't considered until he asked about it. Maybe someone here can > comment on it. Here's the subject:> > It is 1882 and, as a resident of Southeastern Poland, you have decided > to go to America to pursue your future. Unfortunately, you live in a > small village and are poor. How much would it cost you (US currency > stated at then-year dollars is the preferred economy) to get from your > village to a seaport (by train, I would presume) and then to book > passage (assume steerage) to America? By what means would you be > likely to accumulate the money (assuming no rich uncle is around!)?> > The question seemed almost trivial when he first asked it but, based > on the current cost of making that trip, it poses a dilemma. > Wouldn't the cost to a peasant have been out of reach?> > ...........Mike> *********************************> Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com> ----------------------------------> Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: researching our Polish roots.> ----------------------------------> Browse the list's archives here:> http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots> Search the list's archives here:> http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1> > -------------------------------> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Mike, Margaret Jenkins posted something that might give a little insight though her info is from 1904. Margaret posted this to Poland Roots in 2004. "There have been discussions on this list in the past regarding how and where our immigrant ancestors would have purchased their passage to the U. S. An article in today's edition (July 9) of the Meriden, Connecticut RECORD-JOURNAL provides some information that may be of interest. Each Friday edition of the RECORD-JOURNAL presents "This week in history" - snippets of news from 125, 100, 75, 50, 25 and 10 years ago. Today's edition includes this item from July 12, 1904: "Police Court Interpreter Abram Harris, who in conjunction with his wife, runs an employment bureau in Meriden said to-day that he had placed more Polish girls in positions as servants this year than ever before. The demand is more than equal to the supply at present but it is predicted that such will not be the case as soon as the girls from European countries who are taking advantage of the low steamship rates arrive in Meriden. At one time they were desirous of getting into the factories but now the inclination seems to be to work as servants. Mr. Harris believes that the girls fear getting injured in the shops and besides enjoy housework." The following ad was run at the same time by Squire Steamship Ticket Agency, 37 Colony St [Meriden, Connecticut]: "With Steerage Rates Cut So Low People who desire to go to Europe or have their friends come here can do so now with a great saving. We are selling lots of tickets. Don't you want some now? "MORE REDUCED RATES are now made on outward bound tickets to interest the traveler. Some prices as samples: To London, Liverpool and Glasgow....................$15.00 To Hamburg, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Bremen...$17.00 To Naples.......................................................$20.00 To Oswerczin and Krakau................................$25.00 To Gothenburg.................................................$16.00 Similar reductions are made on westbound or prepaid tickets. Buy 'em here and now." Today's article notes: "For comparison, the 1904 cost of a man's winter coat was between $7 and $10, for a pair of boy's shoes about $2, and for a pound of Swiss cheese, $0.27. Another comparison based on the Consumer Price Index (which did not exist in 1904) is that $25 then is equal to between $438 and $514 now." Margaret J," Debbie Michael Stupinski wrote: > My brother and I exchanged emails the past two days on a subject I > hadn't considered until he asked about it. Maybe someone here can > comment on it. Here's the subject: > > It is 1882 and, as a resident of Southeastern Poland, you have decided > to go to America to pursue your future. Unfortunately, you live in a > small village and are poor. How much would it cost you (US currency > stated at then-year dollars is the preferred economy) to get from your > village to a seaport (by train, I would presume) and then to book > passage (assume steerage) to America? By what means would you be > likely to accumulate the money (assuming no rich uncle is around!)? > > The question seemed almost trivial when he first asked it but, based > on the current cost of making that trip, it poses a dilemma. > Wouldn't the cost to a peasant have been out of reach? > > ...........Mike >

I know how my Grandmothers came over. One her father sent her the money. She arrived in February and he married her off in April. The second Grandmother apparently was not being treated well in her home so her Aunt took one of her cows and sold it, gave her the money and sent her off to America as a Servant girl. They found the ways Michael Stupinski <stupnski@tiac.net> wrote: My brother and I exchanged emails the past two days on a subject I hadn't considered until he asked about it. Maybe someone here can comment on it. Here's the subject: It is 1882 and, as a resident of Southeastern Poland, you have decided to go to America to pursue your future. Unfortunately, you live in a small village and are poor. How much would it cost you (US currency stated at then-year dollars is the preferred economy) to get from your village to a seaport (by train, I would presume) and then to book passage (assume steerage) to America? By what means would you be likely to accumulate the money (assuming no rich uncle is around!)? The question seemed almost trivial when he first asked it but, based on the current cost of making that trip, it poses a dilemma. Wouldn't the cost to a peasant have been out of reach? ...........Mike ********************************* Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com ---------------------------------- Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: researching our Polish roots. ---------------------------------- Browse the list's archives here: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots Search the list's archives here: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Michael, These simple background questions usually end up anything but simple, but usually very interesting. I don't know about America, but those who emigrated to Australia often travelled on assisted fares. This site might give you an idea of the numbers of people and when they were travelling. http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/research/index/immigration.asp If you are interested I can try and locate some of the paperwork surrounding our family's emigration to Australia (1883 from memory) which includes advertisements from shipping companies to send you. The Queensland government agent used to go around from village to village signing folk up to these schemes; family members who had not completed military service would often follow later. Many went to friends and family who had already emigrated. I have not quite been brave enough to investigate the (six?) different voyages which involved my direct ancestors. One family (the last to emigrate on the supposed luxury of a streamship - all the others were aboard sailing ships) travelled with a very small baby who I believe howled most of the way and was lucky not to be thrown overboard! Kind regards, Bronwyn Klimach. On 5/28/08, Michael Stupinski <stupnski@tiac.net> wrote: > > My brother and I exchanged emails the past two days on a subject I > hadn't considered until he asked about it. Maybe someone here can > comment on it. Here's the subject: > > It is 1882 and, as a resident of Southeastern Poland, you have decided > to go to America to pursue your future. Unfortunately, you live in a > small village and are poor. How much would it cost you (US currency > stated at then-year dollars is the preferred economy) to get from your > village to a seaport (by train, I would presume) and then to book > passage (assume steerage) to America? By what means would you be > likely to accumulate the money (assuming no rich uncle is around!)? > > The question seemed almost trivial when he first asked it but, based > on the current cost of making that trip, it poses a dile mma. > Wouldn't the cost to a peasant have been out of reach? > > ...........Mike > ********************************* > Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at > Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com > ---------------------------------- > Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as > long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: > researching our Polish roots. > ---------------------------------- > Browse the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots > Search the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

I can only tell you how my relatives came over in the 1880's. The men were miners in Poland. They apparently saved enough for their own fare. In four cases they were still single. When they got here they went to work in the northern PA mines, and little by little sent for wives, families and significant others. My grgrandfather had an inn in Prussian Poland. When the Prussians imposed unreasonable taxes, he sold it for fare to come to PA. He then became a coal miner. CAtherine Havemeier - researching Olszewski, Kolbert, Zielinski in Northumberland County, PA> From: stupnski@tiac.net> To: POLAND-ROOTS@rootsweb.com> Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 22:07:08 -0400> Subject: [POLAND] How Did They Get The Resources?> > My brother and I exchanged emails the past two days on a subject I > hadn't considered until he asked about it. Maybe someone here can > comment on it. Here's the subject:> > It is 1882 and, as a resident of Southeastern Poland, you have decided > to go to America to pursue your future. Unfortunately, you live in a > small village and are poor. How much would it cost you (US currency > stated at then-year dollars is the preferred economy) to get from your > village to a seaport (by train, I would presume) and then to book > passage (assume steerage) to America? By what means would you be > likely to accumulate the money (assuming no rich uncle is around!)?> > The question seemed almost trivial when he first asked it but, based > on the current cost of making that trip, it poses a dilemma. > Wouldn't the cost to a peasant have been out of reach?> > ...........Mike> *********************************> Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com> ----------------------------------> Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: researching our Polish roots.> ----------------------------------> Browse the list's archives here:> http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots> Search the list's archives here:> http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1> > -------------------------------> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message