Philipp Geeck to America

To America

Philipp Geeck's parents would likely have made their decision to emigrate from their home in Rheinzabern some time in 1854. By that fall, they would have made their way to the French port of Le Havre. They could have traveled overland, or, it was also possible to take a boat down the Rhein River to Rotterdam and from there take passage on another boat to Le Havre. They would have received approval and purchased tickets before leaving, since the French government required that Germans present a valid ticket before entering France.

At Le Havre, the Geeck family boarded the ship Suffolk for the passage across the Atlantic Ocean to New Orleans. The Suffolk set sail on Sunday, 29 October 1854.

According to the 1861 edition of "American Lloyd's Registry of American and Foreign Shipping," the Suffolk was built in Boston in 1841. (No image of the Suffolk has yet been located.)

Scene of Le Havre harbor
Joseph Morlent, 1841

Before the ship Suffolk sailed from Le Havre, a list of its 328 passengers was prepared. The Geeck family—the parents and their six children—were included.

The family name was listed as "Geck." Presumably the list-maker was French, so the names were written in a French form, making some of the names hard to recognize. For example, Johann is listed as "Jean" and Stephan as "Etiene" [Etienne]. The ages and sex of each passenger were given. Their names carried over from the first to the second page.

Geck    Jean
            Catherin
            Philipp
            Frz. Pr.
            Hélène

Geck    Etiene
            Elise
            Eva

49
44
18
16
14

9
9
5

m
f
m
m
f

m
f
f

Copies of the full pages from the passenger list can be found here: page 1, page 2.

After two months at sea (a relatively long crossing), the Suffolk, under the command of Richard Edwards, arrived in New Orleans. The "Marine News" in the New Orleans Bee of Friday, 29 December 1854, reported that it docked in the 1st District, that part of the riverfront between Canal Street and the upper line of the city. The section "Arrived Yesterday" included:
Ship Suffolk, Edwards, from Havre 29th Oct, to Geo. W. [?]
___[?]___ & co — 1st district.

The column also noted that the Suffolk had been brought up the river by the towboat Mary Kingsland.

The entire page from the Bee can be found here.

Once in New Orleans, a Boarding Officer for the Collector of the Customs verified the list of 328 passengers and noted that there was "no sickness on board."

The last page of the Passenger Manifest indicating that can be found here.

The Geeck family had arrived in New Orleans and now prepared to make a new life for themselves.

Go to next section: Life in New Orleans

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