Week 8:
The theme for Week 8 is “Migration.” Almost everyone has ancestors who came from somewhere else. Who is someone in your family tree who moved away from where they were born? How did they get there? How far did they move?

I have been considering writing a story about the journey our ancestors took in the 1700s to immigrate to the United States from Europe. While researching, I came across a diary from the 1750s written by Gottlieb Mittelberger, a schoolmaster and organist. Mittelberger documented his experiences to inform potential emigrants about the hardships they would face.

His journey began in May 1750, when he departed from Enzweihingen, Germany. He traveled down the Neckar and Rhine Rivers to Holland, then sailed across the North Sea to England. After spending nine days in England, he boarded another ship to Philadelphia, arriving on October 10th.

The trip to from Enzweihingen to Holland took nearly seven weeks due to 36 stoppages for customs-house inspections. The voyage from Holland to Philadelphia lasted 15 weeks. Mittelberger describes a delay of five to six weeks in Holland while waiting for a ship, as the demand for passage to England was so high that each passenger was allotted only a cramped 2x6-foot space. Depending on the winds, the voyage from Holland to England could take anywhere from 8 days to 4 weeks, while the journey from England to Pennsylvania ranged from 7 to 15 weeks.

Mittelberger spares no details in describing the horrors onboard:

"But during the voyage, there is on board these ships terrible misery—stench, fumes, horror, vomiting, many kinds of sea-sickness, fever, dysentery, headache, heat, constipation, boils, scurvy, cancer, mouth-rot, and the like—all of which come from old and sharply salted food and meat, also from very bad and foul water, so that many die miserably."

He also notes the lack of provisions and the overwhelming presence of lice. With no ordained minister on board, Mittelberger took on the role himself, leading prayer meetings on deck when weather permitted and even baptizing five children in distress.

As conditions worsened, tempers flared among the passengers, leading to violence. Many perished and were thrown overboard. He recounts a particularly tragic story of a woman who was about to give birth during a storm. Unable to survive the harsh conditions, she was pushed through a porthole and cast into the sea. Mittelberger personally witnessed at least 32 children die, mostly from measles and smallpox.

Those fortunate enough to remain healthy received a warm meal three times a week, though the food was barely edible. The water served with meals was often described as “black, thick, and full of worms.” The ship's biscuits were infested with red worms and even contained spiders’ nests.

Upon arrival in Philadelphia, only passengers who could pay their fare were allowed to leave the ship. The rest remained onboard until they were "purchased." Some, particularly the sick, were held for weeks, often perishing at the dock.

Mittelberger details the costs and conditions of the journey. Fares were only paid upon arrival, meaning those who couldn’t afford the trip were forced into indentured servitude. If a spouse died at sea after the halfway point of the journey, the surviving spouse was required to pay their fare. Orphaned children were indentured until the age of 21.

One particularly heartbreaking story is that of Mr. Daser, who traveled with his wife and eight children. During the voyage, he was robbed of all his money and forced to sell his possessions at public auction. A dishonest creditor lent him money only to call in the loan two days later. Fortunately, a kind man named Captain Von Diemer stepped in to help, preventing Daser from being sent to debtors’ prison.

Mittelberger notes that an average of 20 to 24 ships arrived in Philadelphia each fall during his four years in the country, bringing around 25,000 immigrants. He claims many were deceived into emigrating and sheds light on the rampant human trafficking of the time.

The journal goes on to describe life in Philadelphia, the landscape, the community and the economy of this haven of freedom. While he says early on in his work that many Germans regret their choice to emigrate he complains that the English gentlemen have already bought up all the land and are reselling for massive profit and the poor Germans can not afford to live there.

This journal can be read in it’s entirety on the Library of Congress website.

 

Week 7:
The theme for Week 7 is “Letters & Diaries.” Not much beats finding a letter or diary written by an ancestor. Do you have any in your family? Who wrote them? If you don’t have any letters or diaries, which ancestor do you wish had left some?

I’m always so jealous of the people who have family diaries and letters passed down through generations. If only… well my people didn’t seem to keep the information in writing so I have been left with unsubstantiated rumors that I am trying to find any documentation of. If I could have any letters passed down from only one of my Archibald ancestors I would choose John Archibald 1693-1751. I would ask him to journal his voyage across the Atlantic from Northern Ireland in to New Hampshire. My ideal journal of his would include why he decided to leave home to establish a new life an ocean away and did he stay in touch with kinfolk back in Ireland. I’d also want to read about the voyage; how long did it take, how big and crowded was the ship, did they lose any other travelers during the voyage. But mainly I want to know if he was happy.

 

“write a narrative of the life of _____ using the following facts:” prompt. ChatGPT, ChatGPT4.0 version, Open AI, February 2024, https://chat.openai.com/

 

Week 12 (17 Mar 2025-23 Mar 2025):
The theme for Week 12 is "Historic Event." Historic events aren’t always world or national events. Technically, any event that happened in the past is a historic event. How was an ancestor affected by an event, either large or local? (One that pops into my mind is my grandmother, her parents, and siblings barely escaping their house during the Great Flood of 1913.)

The date was September 5, 1881. Michigan's Thumb region had been in drought conditions since April, and by mid-August, multiple forest fires had been reported throughout the area. The extreme dryness, rising temperatures, and lingering ecological damage from the devastating Port Huron Fire of 1871 created the perfect conditions for disaster.

On September 5, the Times Herald reported:
"The drouth still continues severe throughout a large part of the country. In western New York and adjoining sections of Pennsylvania, there has been great destruction of property by forest fires, and at some points, railroad trains have been obliged to plunge through floods of flames."

By September 6, the Lapeer Clarion detailed the impact of the fires:
"Wednesday, the forest fires burned the dwelling of John Storum in Deerfield, nine miles north of this city. Mr. Storum loaded his furniture onto a wagon when he realized he could not save his house and drove with his family to safety. The neighborhood has been almost panic-stricken, fearing the destructive flames that have already caused significant damage. Miles of fences have burned, and many roads through the woods are now impassable. Settlers have been battling the fire night and day."

The same edition of the Times Herald warned that a northerly wind was approaching, potentially bringing cooler weather but also worsening the smoke from burning forests in Sanilac and Huron counties.

While St. Clair County was not initially listed among the hardest-hit areas, reports confirmed that fires had caused devastation across Michigan, particularly north and west of Port Huron. Communication with affected regions was severed due to downed telegraph lines. Train travel was halted, with routes blocked at Deckerville and Croswell. Port Hope was nearly consumed by flames, forcing evacuations, and thick smoke reduced visibility to near darkness. Fires continued to spread across St. Clair County, destroying property, leaving many homeless, and putting towns like Reese, Vassar, and Millington in imminent danger. In East Saginaw, flames destroyed Porter Station and threatened Wheeler and Hemlock. Near Saginaw City, barns burned, and fires rapidly approached the river. The situation was dire for farmers, with immense losses of crops and livestock.

By September 7, newspapers began publishing urgent calls for disaster relief. The mayor of Port Huron called a public meeting to organize immediate aid efforts. In Port Sanilac, residents fought desperately to save their town, hauling water to its outskirts and keeping constant watch. Smoke choked the air, and burning cinders rained down on the village, quickly extinguished before they could ignite further destruction. One family’s oral history recounts how their great-grandmother survived the firestorm by jumping into a well and remaining there until the danger had passed.

At the same time, in Dansville, New York, the first chapter of the American Red Cross was being formed. Clara Barton had met with Michigan Senator Omar D. Conger, a Port Huron native, in May of 1881, and soon after, committees drafted a constitution for the American Association of the Red Cross. The Articles of Incorporation were officially filed on October 7, 1881, outlining the organization's mission:
"To organize a system of national relief and apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by war, pestilence, famine, and other calamities."

The newly established American Red Cross was immediately mobilized for its first-ever disaster relief effort: responding to the Great Thumb Fire of 1881. The organization coordinated donations of clothing, food, household goods, and cash, distributing aid throughout Sanilac, Huron, and Tuscola counties—bringing relief to those who had lost everything in the fire.