Advertisements like this one stated the costs for ship travel to New York and Green Bay:
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| Source: "Our Marchant Relatives" by Jeanne and Les Rentmeester |
Jean Baptiste Le Capitaine and his children made their journey to Wisconsin in 1856.
They departed Antwerp on 26 Mar 1856, aboard the ship "Lacedemon."
They arrived in Quebec on 12 May 1856.
In June 1856, they arrived at the Port of Green Bay.
Attempting to take this trip was a big risk, and our ancestors were fortunate to have survived the journey. In the spring of 1856, another passenger ship sailing from Belgium to the USA was wrecked at sea and all several hundred passengers were lost. Many passengers on another ship died from dysentery.
"The average time for a sailing ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean from east-to-west, against the prevailing wind, was forty-four days. Most of the early Walloon emigrants came across in sailing-ships at a cost of about 35 dollars for an adult; steam-ships were just being introduced on the passenger routes in the late 1850s. They cost about 60 dollars per adult and the trip took an average of 13 days."
From Rentmeester, Jeanne and Les, 1995. "Our Marchant Relatives." Published by the Howard-Suamico Historical Society, Inc.
"Often during a heavy storm, the masts would snap and the sails would blow away." "This happened several times to the ship 'LACEDEMON.' Constant Delvaux has an interesting story of his voyage on that ship, which left Antwerp in March 1856 and had three masts snapped off when only ten miles out. After repairs, they finally left on April 23rd and had a beautiful voyage to Quebec, arriving 12 May 1856. They passed down the St. Lawrence River to Montreal, then to Toronto on Lake Ontario. By railroad, they were transported across the Ontario isthmus to Collingwood. There was a scheduled ship out of Collingwood to ports on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron several times a week, which allowed the Delvaux family to arrive in Green Bay around the middle of May 1856."
From Rentmeester, Jeanne and Les, 1995. "Our Marchant Relatives." Published by the Howard-Suamico Historical Society, Inc.
Our Le Capitaine ancestors likely took a similar or identical journey after they left the ship Lacedemon, and arrived in Green Bay in June 1856.
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| Image of the book "Our Marchant Relatives." A sailing ship, similar to the one our ancestors sailed on, is pictured on the right. |
"Their ship, the "Lacedemon," headed out into the deep blue Atlantic ocean with nothing before their eyes except 3,000 miles of water. When about 10 miles out, they encountered a savage storm which snapped off the greater part of the main mast. It was necessary for them to return home for repairs which took 23 days, after which they started out again.
This time they had smooth sailing and arrived in the port of Quebec in Canada on May 12 after a 19-day voyage. There they transferred to a smaller boat on the St Lawrence river which took them to Montreal. Again transferring to still another boat that took them to Toronto, they boarded railroad cars which took them as far as Lake Mighigan.
From there they sailed to Green Bay where they heard the French language which made them feel like home. French and Belgian residents in Green Bay eagerly sought news from their native land."
From Tlachac, Math S., 1974. "The History of the Belgian Settlements in Door, Kewaunee and Brown Counties. ... A Legacy in 10 Parts." Published by Belgian-American Club, Brussels, Wisconsin.
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| Copy of the "Lacedemon" ship manifest, as appears in Defnet, Mary A.; Ducat, Jean; Eggerickx, Thierry; Poulain, Michel "From Grez-Doiceau to Wisconsin : contribution à l'étude de l'émigration wallonne vers les États-Unis d'Amérique au XIXème siècle" 1986 |
Highly recommended resource for additional information and stories: "Our Marchant Relatives" by Jeanne and Les Rentmeester, 1995. Available online in its entirety, and searchable:
https://archive.org/details/OurMarchantRelatives/
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