German Emigration in the 19th Century: The Emigrant Experience (SGGS Meetings and Events)
This presentation traces the journey of German emigrants from their home villages to the great port cities of Hamburg and Bremen and across the Atlantic. It explores how emigrants prepared for departure, navigated ports, endured life in steerage, and arrived in the New World - far removed from later luxury ship myths. Along the way, it highlights the many documents created at each stage and shows how understanding the emigrant experience helps genealogists trace routes, uncover hidden records, and reconstruct an ancestor’s actual journey.
