ALL ABOARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take a minute and think about your ancestor's who actually came over to America. Old Trunks wondered just what the cost of passage might be and if there was, as there are in airplanes, a weight allowance. Old Trunks also wonders if, the rolling pin, carried on the pregnant stomach of her child, was carried there because they were over on the baggage allowance.

A first class ticket from Hamburg, Germany to St. Paul states the price as $54.00 first class. We know the immigrants often traveled substandard, thus the price may be half of that. On either account, 100 pounds of baggage was allowed for each person although extra prices for extra baggage could be arranged.

Let's say the family's destination was St. Paul. That is where my great grandparent's sold one horse for $600 because their other horse died. They used that money to ride the immigrant train north. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, the price of passage to New Solum, Polk County, (at that time), was four cents a mile per person, first class. Often our ancestors rode for half fare.

What we have to remember is there weren't always trains to ride. Perhaps they came part of the way by steam boat.

Although a first class ticket of 54.00 seems little to use now, think bout how they had to save to have passage and that meals or food had to be brought along, (part of the 100 pounds), or bought in the train or at stops, which was not cheap.

Tomorrow, let's look at women's wages after the Civil War.

e