It is not known when Gustav and Maria Jürgensen decided to leave their homeland in the Duchy of Schleswig and emigrate to America, but since they moved several times within their homeland, it appears that they were quite willing to do whatever it took to seek a better life for their family.
Their decision may also have been affected by the relationship of their oldest daughter Friederica to her future husband, Carl Vosgerau. He had left his home in Sprenge (near where the Jürgensens lived) and by April of 1852 he was living in New York City. Perhaps by this time, Carl and Friederika were engaged, and the Jürgensens intended to meet up with him either in New York or elsewhere.
It may be too that the oldest Jürgensen child, their son Nikolaus, came to America before the rest of the family. He may be the "Claus Jürgensen" who arrived in New York on 21 May 1853 on the ship Johanna Elise. This person, who was apparently traveling alone, was about the correct age and was from Schleswig.
What is known for sure is that the Jürgensen family—the parents and their five youngest children—left their home in Stohl some time in 1854 and made their way to Bremen, nearly 140 miles away. How they traveled is not known. At Bremen, they would have made arrangements to emigrate, after which they would have traveled by barge down the Weser River to Bremerhaven, where they would board the sailing ship that would take them to America.
Lithograph, 1850
Historisches Museum Bremerhaven
Historisches Museum Bremerhaven
The ship Adonis (referred to in some records as a bark) was built at Vegesack/Grohn
by Johann Lange for the Bremen firm of F. Reck & Company and three
co-owners, and was launched on 5 May 1853. Her length was about 122 feet, with
a beam [width] of about 30 feet. The Adonis was commanded for her entire career
by Diedrich Bosse.
The painting of the Adonis is in the
Focke-Museum in Bremen.
Brem Ship Adonis, ————, from Bremen, 7th April, to
master — 4th district.
The column also noted that the Adonis had been brought up the river by the towboat J. P. Whitney.
The entire page from the Bee can be found here.
The "Marine News" in the New Orleans Bee of the next day reported that the Adonis had arrived from Bremen with "212 steerage passengers."
The record showed the group as being from "Nienhof," presumably referring to Dänish-Nienhof, Gustav Jürgensen's place of birth. Alvina was listed as "Alwine," an alternate spelling of Alvina.
Copies of full pages from the Adonis passenger list can be found here: page 1, page 3.
