S.S. ST. LAURENT 1866

I recently discovered records of some of the German and Swiss passengers who sailed to the US in the nineteenth century. I found Grandpa Aeschliman as well as his half brother Christian and Grandma’s older brother Edward Rubin. I also found a picture of the ship, the St Laurent, that Grandpa and his family sailed on.

Grandpa came to the US a year earlier than what I had found in the family records.

Following is from the passenger list (with my notes):

1. Fred Aeschliman, age 25, Rosa, 23, Sophia 17 (grandpa’s youngest sister who later married Chris Schlunegar in Iowa) and infant (Arnold, 1 yr old), sailed from Havre, France to NY on the French liner St Laurent, arriving 28 May 1884, destination, Iowa.

There were approximately 330 passengers, most of them from Switzerland and Germany.

The St Laurent was built in the age of transition between sail and steam-powered ships. The sails were used as a supplement to the steam power or in case the power plant failed. Also note that all the passengers lived below the main deck and there does not appear to be any portholes.

2. Edward Rubin, age 31, Lina, 19, Louis, 9, Emma, infant, sailed from Havre, France to NY on the French liner La Bourgogne, arriving 20 Jan 1887.

Edward was the older brother of Willy Rubin and Grandma Aeschliman. They moved to Onecho, with their four daughters, in 1899 after living in Coney Island, NY and Canton, Ohio.

3. Christian Aeschliman, age 36, Marie, 39, Antoinette, 11, Louis 7, Julia, 2, sailed from Havre, France to NY on the French liner La Normandie, arriving 6 June 1887.

Christian was Grandpa’s half brother. He was the son of Christian Peter and his first wife Elisabeth Guerber. He settled in Chicago and worked as a butcher. They eventually returned to Switzerland after the death of Antoinette.

Wayne Aeschliman 26 Feb. 2007.