At the time I was researching and writing that post, I e-mailed the Focke-Museum in Bremen, Germany which is the port from which William departed his home country for his new life in America. The Focke-Museum explores the immigrant experience and I had read that this museum had a model of the ship William sailed to America on, the George Washington. Just recently, five months later, I received an e-mail from the museum with a photo of the model attached. Looking at this photograph, you can tell that the George Washington was not a large ship, and it is amazing that this small ship carried 186 passengers plus the crew for the six week journey across the Atlantic ocean. I had thought that the Washington was surely a steamship, but it looks like it was a three-masted sailing ship. I guess that explains why it took six weeks to travel from Bremen to New York City. The museum did not send any information about the ship or its voyages. I'm still hoping to learn more about both of those topics and if I do, I'll post further updates.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
UPDATE ON "VOYAGE TO AMERICA" POST
Back in February, I wrote a post on John William Rittershaus' voyage to America. 
At the time I was researching and writing that post, I e-mailed the Focke-Museum in Bremen, Germany which is the port from which William departed his home country for his new life in America. The Focke-Museum explores the immigrant experience and I had read that this museum had a model of the ship William sailed to America on, the George Washington. Just recently, five months later, I received an e-mail from the museum with a photo of the model attached. Looking at this photograph, you can tell that the George Washington was not a large ship, and it is amazing that this small ship carried 186 passengers plus the crew for the six week journey across the Atlantic ocean. I had thought that the Washington was surely a steamship, but it looks like it was a three-masted sailing ship. I guess that explains why it took six weeks to travel from Bremen to New York City. The museum did not send any information about the ship or its voyages. I'm still hoping to learn more about both of those topics and if I do, I'll post further updates.
At the time I was researching and writing that post, I e-mailed the Focke-Museum in Bremen, Germany which is the port from which William departed his home country for his new life in America. The Focke-Museum explores the immigrant experience and I had read that this museum had a model of the ship William sailed to America on, the George Washington. Just recently, five months later, I received an e-mail from the museum with a photo of the model attached. Looking at this photograph, you can tell that the George Washington was not a large ship, and it is amazing that this small ship carried 186 passengers plus the crew for the six week journey across the Atlantic ocean. I had thought that the Washington was surely a steamship, but it looks like it was a three-masted sailing ship. I guess that explains why it took six weeks to travel from Bremen to New York City. The museum did not send any information about the ship or its voyages. I'm still hoping to learn more about both of those topics and if I do, I'll post further updates.
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Hallo!
ReplyDeleteMaybe, your ancestor's ship "George Washington" was the ex Alexander, built 1822 in Baltimore(?) as packet.
The Shipping Company Thomas P.Cope, Philadelphia used this ship mainly as Auswandererschiff from Liverpool to the USA, later 1838-1853 , maybe under new name, from from the Weser to Australia. With the exception in the years 1847/48
Referring to page 170 of the The book Downeaster's und Nova-Scotians (Convent Verlag) this ship go's as Auswandererschiff, under the name "George Washington" 1847/48 tree times from the Weser to the United States.
Greetings from old Germay
Jörg