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This page was last updated on Wednesday, November 03, 2004
If you know of other people or families that boarded the schooner Leo in 1846, please write and let me know about them. I would like to include information about them on this page. Renee Smelley
Passenger Transcription and Transcriber's Notes
Passengers |
Age | Sex | Occupation | Country to which they belong | Destination | Transcriber Notes |
G. Henrichs | 44 | Male | Farmer | Germany | Texas US | I think that this surname could also be Heinrich. Later the family Americanized the spelling to Henry. Correspondence with John Peck. |
Alice Henrich | 45 | Female | Farmer | Germany | Texas US | I have looked over this first name many times. On first glance the name looks like Merie. If you look closely the first letter looks like a capital letter A with a long tail before it. The second letter a lower case L with a tail before it, thus making the name Alice or Alene. I also believe that there is a dotting of a letter. This would lead me to believe the name is Alice. If you accept that the first letter is a capital M then the name could be Merie or Marie. It should be noted that one of G. Henrich's (Henry) daughters was named Alice Henry. |
Five Children | Henrich children | |||||
S. T. Saathoff | 27 | Male | Farmer | Germany | Texas US | |
E. Saathoff & 2 children | 28 | Female | 2 Saathoff children. Ditto marks have been used in place of the surname. | |||
G. F. Schmidt | 37 | Male | Farmer | Germany | Texas US | |
A. O. Schmidt | 25 | Female | Ditto marks have been used in place of the surname. | |||
Three Children | Schmidt children. | |||||
T. Schellos | 29 | Male | Farmer | Germany | Texas US | Could be Schellors, Schellos, Schelloes, Schellds, or Schillds. None of the names I have come up make much sense. If you have a possibility let me know? |
Peter Eihhorn | 33 | Male | Farmer | Germany | Texas US | The surname is actually spelled Eichhorn. |
Four Children | Eihhorn children. | |||||
Ernst. Planker | 29 | Male | Farmer | Germany | Texas US |
The pages that I have are quite dark and hard to read. I have only copied that section containing the list of passengers, so you can see how the names and writing appear on the list. I also wanted to keep the image as large as possible, but at the same time keep the load time reasonable. If you would like to see more images of the ship's manifest please check the additional links of interest section.
Recapitulation Males over 21 years 22 Males under 21 years 3 Females over 18 years 12 Females under 18 years " (ditto marks) Children 33 Total passengers 70 **
** It appears that the first page or pages of the passengers list is missing. This page is the only remaining page of the Schooner Leo's passenger list, and there is no complete list of passengers known to exist. There are ditto marks in the Females under 18 years column. If the ditto marks indicate that there were 12 female passengers under 18 then the total number of passengers would actually be 82. Many ditto marks have been used in the columns marking numbers of passengers, so there must have been a miscalculation of 70 in the total number of passengers. In the story, Cumbersome Journey from East Frisia to Texas by Mimke Saathoff, the first lines say that the Leo set sail on the 15th of April with 85 passengers. With that reference I tend to believe that there were more than 70 passengers aboard.
The Schooner Leo
Voyage and Inland Journey to Henri Castro's Colony
The Schooner Leo was built in 1839 on a ship yard in Dreisielen at Weser-River, a small village near the town of Berne, Grand-Duchy of Oldenburg, northwest of Bremen. It was a small ship with about only 160 RT. The home port was the town of Brake at the Weser-River. The registered flag-number of the ship was "70."
Below is a map of Germany that shows the towns of Bremen and Oldenburgh marked with small red dots in the North west corner of the country. The Leo passengers boarded in Bremen to set sail for the US.
Map of Germany
Below is part of a 1840 Texas county formation map showing south Texas and the locations the Saathoff family traveled to after arriving in Galveston. I have chosen to use the 1840 map because Medina County was not formed until 1848, so Castro's Colony, also known as Castroville, would have been located in Bexar county in 1846. To see other Texas county formation maps and where the boundaries of Medina County are located at in 1850 check the TXGenWeb Project's Texas County Formation Maps.
Map of Texas
In the story, Cumbersome Journey from East Frisia to Texas by Mimke Saathoff, he says that the passengers boarded on the 15th of April 1846 and included passengers whose destination was to Henri Castro's Colony. Thus the story begins for those passengers whose destination was to Henri Castro's Colony.
"All further information about the voyage and inland journey are from the story that Mimke Saathoff wrote. I suspect that the writer was Mimke Mimken Saathoff, Jr. that was born on February 12, 1839 in Aurich, Ost Friesland, Hanover, Germany and died on November 23, 1906 in Medina County, Texas. His father doesn't appear to show up on census after 1860. I do known that he story was published in the German-language newspaper "Ostfriesi message" on October 20, 1901 in Breda, Iowa. The exact date that it was written I do not know."
The voyage was favored by the most beautiful weather and the passengers fantasized about what it would be like in the new world where the deer run in herds and the welschen cocks are without number, wild antelope and buffalo roam free grazing in the open pastures, nuts fall from the trees for picking and plenty of wool to make a work dress. During the voyage a baby boy was born to Diedrich and Trientje Hickmann and rightfully named Leo.
When the island of Cuba became visible the passengers enthusiasm and rejoicing was indescribable, but it was also summer time and the heat was almost intolerable and for several days there had been no wind. The Gulf of Mexico produced a wind that carried the Leo swiftly to Galveston. The Leo docked at Galveston, Texas on June 25, 1846 after a 9 week voyage. They stayed there two days before a ship carried them to Port Lavaca. Unfortunately, just prior to arriving at Port Lavaca the ship hit a sandbar opposite of Indianola and became lodged. Smaller vessels then came out to meet the ship and carry its passengers and cargo to Port Lavaca. They were there on the beaches of Port Lavaca in the open air waiting three weeks for transport that would carry them to Castro's Colony.
Mexicans finally arrived with carts pulled by oxen to transport the people to the Colony. These carts appeared to be crudely made and Mr. Saathoff notes that he didn't believe the carts would be reliable transportation. In the first couple of hours after leaving the transport had to be stopped so Engel Saathoff could deliver her baby. The next day they resumed their way on the inland route.
The first town they arrived at was at the town of Victoria and from then on they suffered with the heat and rain. On day 3 or 4 they met up with Indians, fortunate for them they were friendly, but because of the rain they could not go any further. After 20 days of traveling they finally arrived in San Antonio at the Alamo Plaza where they waited again for further transport. While in San Antonio Engel Saathoff, who had deliverd a baby boy three weeks prior, died.
In September they finally arrived in Castro's Colony. The Saathoff family, and perhaps others, again had to wait, as Henry Castro was in Europe at the time and they didn't know the destination to Quihi. Quihi is located approximately 10 miles west of Castroville. It was here in Castroville that Trientje Hickmann died along with her baby, Leo, that was born on the ocean. The baby boy of Folke and Engel Saathoff that was born on the first day of the inland journey also died..
On the 25th of December the Saathoff family finally arrived in Quihi to begin their life in the new world. For the Saathoff family it took 8 months and 10 days to reach Quihi, Texas from Bremen, Germany.
Additional Links of Interest
"Cumbersome Journey from East Frisia to Texas" by Mimke Saathoff is a must read if you are interested in additional information about the voyage and inland journey as well as what life was like after arriving in Quihi, Texas. Many more names of early settlers in Quihi are also mentioned.
Schooner Leo Passenger List and Interpretation by John Peck is another in-depth study of the ships passenger's list. Includes other images of the Leo's ship's manifest. His Henrich family was on the Leo and later Americanized the name to Henry.
Schooner Leo - Transcription and Notations by Judie Cale Nelson Judy so kindly shared copies of the ships manifest with me back in 1999.
Imigrant Ships Transcribers Guild - Schooner Leo Transcription The ISTG has transcribed hundreds of ship passengers lists.
Alsation Roots & More Margaret Simpson has done excellent research on immigrant families at her Alsation Roots & More web pages. It was here that I found additional information to help me with this page. As of October 2004 her pages indicate the following families were aboard the schooner Leo. Check her pages for several hundreds more immigrant families that lived in the Medina Co., TX area.
EICHHORN, Peter | HEICHMANN, Diedrich | SAATHOFF, Folke J
SAATHOFF, Martin Jansen | SAATHOFF, Mimke Minken | SCHMIDT, Gerhard Foken
Castro's Colony from the Handbook of Texas Online.
Henri Castro (1786 - 1865) from the Handbook of Texas Online.
Castroville, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online. Known as the "Little Alsace" in Texas and was the 12th largest city in Texas in the mid-1860s.
Castroville On-Line from the Castroville Chamber of Commerce. Very interesting site with photos and history.
Medina County TXGenWeb Project for more information about Medina County Genealogy and History
Peter Eichhorn Family
Renee Pierce Smelley
10/31/2004
My ancestor, Peter Eichhorn, went to Henri Castro's Colony with four children on the Leo in 1846. On the 1850 Medina Co. census the family was listed as being born in Saxony. Peter was born in 1810 and died June 18, 1881, buried in City Cemetery #1, E. Commerce St., San Antonio, Bexar Co., TX. Peter received 640 acres of land in Medina Co., Texas for having immigrated to Texas. Peter also owned a lot in the town of Castroville on Gentilz Street between Algiers Street and Athens Street that backed up to the Medina River. Peter's home was valued at $100.00. It is my understanding that Mr. Gentilz was Henri Castro's Secretary.
Peter Eichhorn's four children born in Saxony are:
1. Caroline "Lina" Eichhorn, born circa 1836, married on May 11, 1854 in Bexar
Co., TX to Earnest Louis Rummel.
2. William M. Eichhorn, born circa 1840 (AKA William M. Hubbard), married
on July 07, 1888 in Duval Co., TX to Mary Wood.
He died on July 30, 1900 in Del Rio, TX, buried in Duval
Co., TX.
3. Charles Eichhorn, born circa 1842 and married on December 09, 1867
in Castroville, Medina Co., TX to Mary Josephine
Lamon. (I am a descendant of Charles and Mary)
4. Frederick Eichhorn, born circa 1845. To date nothing further is known
about Frederick. He has only been found on the 1850 Medina census with his
father, Peter.
Peter Eichhorn married 2nd Ernestine Unknown. One of Louis Eichhorn's descendants thinks her maiden name was Carle. Ernestine was not listed with Peter's family on the 1850 census. In looking at Medina County Census I do find a Carle family, but no people old enough to be her parents. I have also looked at the 1850 & 1860 Bexar County census. No marriage record has been found to date for Peter and Ernestine. Ernestine was born circa 1810 in Germany. She is listed on the 1850 Medina Co. mortality schedule having died of birth complications in September 1849.
Peter
and Ernestine Eichhorn had the following child:
1. Louis Eichhorn, born September 22, 1849 in Medina Co., TX.
He married on November 26, 1878 in Travis Co., TX to Adna
Smith. Louis' family later lived in the San Antonio, TX
area. It should also be noted that one of their sons was named
William Hubbard Eichhorn, named after his uncle William
Eichhorn, who by 1880 was going by the name William Hubbard.
Notes for Louis Eichhorn: In 1860 Louis Eichhorn was age 11 living with Dr. John Hoffman and his wife Petronella in Castroville, TX. It is my understanding from the Castroville Historian, Connie B., that John and Petronella never had any children of their own. Louis' descendants have old written letters between Louis, the Hoffman's and Peter Eichhorn dating as early as 1852. We believe that Peter let John and Petronella Hoffman raise Louis. It is not clear if they had him from infancy or not, but since his mother died during childbirth and the letters date back to 1852 it is likely that they had raised Louis since infancy. It seems that in one letter that John Hoffman requests that Peter not fill young Louis' head with ideas. I believe that Louis had questioned when he would be able to live with his father and perhaps Peter may have led Louis to believe that it may happen one day. I believe that Louis was not formally adopted by the Hoffmans, but the arrangement was clear that they would raise him until he was grown.
Louis Eichhorn's letter to his father, Peter, on August 15, 1860.
Created October 31, 2004 by Renee Pierce Smelley
This page is part of Renee's Family Genealogy