#20-2020 Travel From France to Nova Scotia in 1752

#20-2020  Travel  From France to Nova Scotia in 1752

Travel by our ancestors was not always easy.  It is hard to imagine traveling in the 1700’s, the 1800’s and even the 1900’s.  It is amazing how mobile people were.  And why would people travel to a foreign country?  The majority of time it was due to economics, political or religious motives that encouraged or forced travel.

My 5th great grandfather, George Fredric Fainot traveled from France to Nova Scotia in 1752 aboard the "Sally".  Family information in the Shaffner Bible provided the information to research George Friedrich Fainot.  He was 24 years old, a gunsmith and originally from Montbeliard, France.  

George boarded The "Sally" which left Rotterdam (Netherlands) on 30 May 1752 with 258 passengers.  The Captain was John Robinson who died on the voyage.  It arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia between 26 August and 6 September 1752 with 218 passengers.  The passengers could not disembark until the 26th of September 1752 because of the sickness or housing for the passengers.  

As with many emigrations, a recruiter was involved.  The recruiter may have received money for each person recruited.

From the recruiter (John Dick) of Foreign Protestants for the England Board of Trade:

Emigration in 1751:

Immediately I started preparing for the next year. I had six agents recruiting in Germany, Switzerland and France. I procured passports from the King of Prussia and from the Netherlands to speed up my recruits’ transport down the Rhine. I also made improvements to the shipping arrangements. I had ventilators installed on the ships. And I made changes to the food carried on the ships to make it more suitable for people unused to eating salt meat. I made sure that extra water was carried. Still, it is expected that some people will die before reaching Halifax, as the journey is long - as much as three months - and arduous. We can only try to minimize the loss. 

(http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/edu/ViewLoitLo.do;jsessionid=427D39AC9AF41E233AB6A4507508ADE4?method=preview&lang=EN&id=12560 : viewed 16 May 2020)

I could not find a picture of "Sally", but one very similar, the "Gale".

George lived in Nova Scotia and married Francisca Menico (Menegaux) in 1753.  About 1756 they moved to New York, and five year later moving to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Can you imagine spending three and half (3 1/2) months on this ship?  Can you imagine the stormy seas and waves?  Can you imagine the food?  Can you imagine the conditions, the smell and hope of survival?  Can you imagine seeing land?

And the recruits boarded a ship knowing the conditions.  

The Women in my father's Family

Mother's Day got me to thinking of all of my female ancestors.    I decided to find the pictures, thus the delay in posting!  Quite a collection of women!  I can't imagine their lives, what they lived through, and how hard they worked.

Margaret Maria Fetter was born 19 May 1820 in Pennsylvania.  She married Gabriel Shaffner (father of John Martin Shaffner)  24 December 1845 in Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Margaret died 11 November 1903 in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  She is also buried in the East Harrisburg Cemetery.  The date on the picture written by Donnee Shaffner Stibal is about 1901.  She is holding Walter Ruskin Shaffner.  Estimating Margaret's age would make her 81 year old.  Margaret's ancestor were from France; her Great Grandfather was George Fredric Fanoit who came from Montebeliard,  France in 1842.

Elizabeth Deborah Fletcher, who was born 4 July 1858 in Covington, Tioga County, Pennsylvania.  She married John Martin Shaffner on 16 September 1880 in Whitesville, Allegheny County, New York.  There is no date on the picture.  Elizabeth died 17 November 1899 in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  I discovered that she was buried with her father-in-law at the East Harrisburg Cemetery.  There was no headstone.  Her last child, Walter Ruskin Shaffner, was born 7 September 1899.  I wonder if she was pregnant in this picture.

The Peter Paul Deewall Family.

Peter Paul came to the U.S. in 1842.  He married Catherine Troutman in Pennsylvania in 1847.

Mary Etta was the oldest girl born in 1831.  George Albert was the youngest son born in 1865

Catherine died in 1877, so this picture was taken in the 1870's.  

Mary Etta Deewall Kurtz, who was born 17 December 1849 in Pennsylvania.  Her father was Peter Paul Deewall (Duval)  who came to the U.S. in 1842 from Ludweiler, Germany.  Mary Etta married Emanuel Kurtz 23 February 1871 in Pennsylvania.  

My grandmother, Della Kurtz Shaffner.  This picture was taken in 1905 taken at her high school graduation.  She was salutatorian, although her name is at the top of the graduate list so perhaps she was valedictorian.   And I have the speech that she gave, which is labeled her salutatory speech.    She graduated from Muncy High School, in Muncy, Pennsylvania.

Della Kurtz Shaffner, my grandmother.  She married by grandfather, John Fanoit Shaffner on 12 September 1913 after their trip through Yellowstone Park.  Donnee Shaffner Stibal wrote on the picture:  Jerry and Grandma.  She rode the horse from Custer, Montana to Dillon, Montana.  After John & Della married they returned to Simms, ND where he worked as telegrapher on the railroad.  He also worked at Custer, Montana as a telegrapher.  They homesteaded near Dillon, Beaverhead County, Montana.  The story I heard was that Grandpa rode the horse to Dillon!  Since Donnee got the information from Grandpa; I will believe her story!