Let me say right at the beginning I found Liverpool fascinating. Including my family members featured in this blog, my genealogical research tells me that fourteen of my direct-line ancestors (on both sides of my family) boarded ships at the Port of Liverpool bound for America. They came from England, Ireland, and Sweden. Most were Mormon immigrants, leaving behind their extended families and native homelands to gather with the Saints in "Zion." Two were non-Mormon immigrants who initially settled in Pennsylvania and eventually made their way to Nebraska and Utah. Two were American-born Mormon missionaries assigned to preach the gospel in Sweden, the native land of their ancestors. Coincidentally, Joseph Christenson, my paternal g-grandfather, who was one of those missionaries returning from his Swedish mission, was a leader of a group of new Mormon immigrants which included my maternal 2nd g-grandfather. When they both boarded the same ship to experience the same voyage, they would have had no idea a branch of their descendants would be one in the same.
William & Ann Loftus (Non-Mormon, Irish via England)
Paternal 2nd g-grandparents
Ship: Manhattan
Sailed Liverpool
Arrived New York 8 June 1861
Settled in Pennsylvania
John Christenson (Mormon, Swedish)
Paternal 2nd g-grandfather
Ship: Monarch of the Sea
Sailed Liverpool 16 May 1861
Arrived New York 19 June 1861
Settled in Utah
Johanna Härling (Mormon, Swedish)
Paternal 2nd g-grandmother
Ship: B. S. Kimball
Sailed Liverpool 8 May 1863
Arrived New York 13 June 1863
Settled in Utah
Benjamin Brown family (Mormon, English)
Paternal 2nd g-grandparents, 3rd g-grandfather
& g-grandmother
Ship: S.S. Wyoming
Sailed Liverpool 21 May 1881
Arrived New York
Settled in Utah
Eric Hallman & Josephina Engström (Mormon, Swedish)
Maternal g-grandparents
Ship: S.S. Nevada
Sailed Liverpool 26 June 1886
Arrived New York 7 July 1886
Settled in Utah
Karl Eric Magnus Hallman (Mormon, Swedish)
Maternal 2nd g-grandfather &
Joseph Christenson (returning from Mormon mission)
Paternal g-grandfather
Ship: S.S. Wyoming
Sailed Liverpool 6 October 1888
Arrived New York 16 October 1888
Settled in (returned to) Utah
Magda Svensson (Mormon, Swedish)
Maternal grandmother
Ship: S.S. Southwark
Sailed Liverpool 18 May 1911
Arrived Montreal 30 May 1911
Settled in Utah
John Hallman (Mormon, Swedish American)
Maternal grandfather
Ship: Adriatic (II)
Sailed Liverpool 14 Oct 1914
Arrived New York 22 Oct 1914
Returned to Utah
Johanna Maria (Andersdotter) Svensson (Mormon, Swedish)
Maternal g-grandmother
Ship: United States
Sailed Christiania 11 Dec 1914
Arrived New York 26 Dec 1914
Settled in Utah
The early immigrants came on sailing ships and were subjected to six grueling weeks at sea. Steam ships which transported later immigrants cut the travel time by less than half. Various forms of water and overland travel to Liverpool from their departure cities as well as travel from their various US ports to their final destinations added additional expense and time to an already exhausting and overwhelming ordeal. Interesting details and descriptions of Mormon immigration through Liverpool can be found here and here. I'll include voyage notes and any available information concerning immigration travel for those people specifically featured in this blog in my next blog post for the benefit of anyone interested.
The church had an elaborate system in place to facilitate new converts' immigration to Utah. Large groups of Mormon immigrants were supervised and accompanied by missionaries every step of the way as they made their way to "Zion." Liverpool, during peak immigration, was described to be a filthy, disease-ridden city full of prostitutes, degenerates, and thieves. Consequently, rather than spending a week to 10 days in cheap city lodging waiting for a scheduled ship to depart as most immigrants were forced to do, the church was able to negotiate a more streamlined situation, allowing those Mormon immigrants who were early arrivals to be housed on the ship itself prior to departure so they would not have to be subjected to the evils and perils experienced all too often by other travelers.
When air travel became common and the passenger ports in Liverpool were no longer in demand, the docks fell into severe disrepair as the industry dried up. A few decades ago the port area of Liverpool was revived for tourists. Luckily, much of the original brick and cobblestone remained intact.
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| Hundreds of "love locks", symbolizing an unbreakable bond of love, surround Albert Dock. |
The Merseyside Maritime Museum housed elaborate displays dedicated to the immigration industry. A facsimile of the entrance and living quarters of a docked ship, complete with representational lighting and sounds, helped to bring the whole experience to life.
After boarding and settling into their cramped and very impersonal spaces on the ship, my immigrant ancestors would have embarked down the Mersey River toward the virtually endless sea, never to return again.
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