this picture is from http://www.norwayheritage.com/
I have decided to try and find more information on William Dummer. As I have been researching, I found he came across the ocean in 1865, on the Ship Calhoun. I have found that the ship Calhoun was with the Black Star Line of Liverpool Packets. The Captain of the Ship was George P. Page. In the fall of the same year, 1865, there was a mutuny on the ship Calhoun and a trial of the crew members. I am sure that William, if he knew about it, would have been glad he was not on that later voyage. The Ship had a tonage of 1750, which from what I have seen seems to have been quite large for a sailing ship. It could carry 525 passengers and had about 470 on this voyage. By piecing together other bits and pieces I feel pretty confident that it was a sailing ship. In the records that describe the ship as it comes into port. It calls it a ship and there are other images that describe other vessels as brig, stm (steamer) bark, and sch(schooner). Each of the vessels had a name that indicated the type of vessel it was. The name "ship" describes the number of masts a ship had and the type of rigging. It was also in a port with other sailing ships and was described as very large.
What would it have been like to be on a sailing ship across the ocean? The steerage passengers would have slept in the between deck. This deck is usually accessed by a ladder and there is very little ventilation or light on this deck. There were berths that were made to sleep from 4-5 people, and the berths were usually 2 high like bunk beds. There was very little privacy and you were required to provide you own food for the voyage. It was stored in trunks and needed to keep well for 10 weeks. You shared a cooking gallery up on deck and often had to wait in line to get a chance to cook. The ship usually provided the wood for your small fire, that would be built on a bed of sand. Sanitation was another problem as there was usually 2 toilets on the deck and so there was probably a line for that also. The Captain required regular cleaning of the deck, it could be daily or a few times a week, this was necessary to help keep down the spread of disease. There could often be dancing or other forms of amusement and the Sabbath was usually always observed with some sort of service by the captain. The Dummer family was in what was called the Second Cabin, which I am not sure what that means yet....... more research to come.
William (28years) came with his wife Sarah (30years) and three Children. Elizabeth (5years) Walter (3years) and Emma ( 6 months). They were in New York for 3 years before crossing the plains. When I think of arriving in New York City, I like to think of what it would be like to see the Statue of Liberty. But, that was not something that the Dummer family saw, as the Statue had not been created yet. They came through imigration at Castle Gardens on the 13th of May 1865, this was just one month after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
Next up..... Life in New York City.
