This week in the course the topic was emigration experiences of Scottish emigrants going to Canada, the USA, and to Australia and New Zealand. Leaving home was not for the weak of heart. The experience began with sadly saying goodbye to family and friends, and watching the land disappear on the horizon. In the early 1800s, the passage was made on sailing ships which provided cramped quarters, no privacy, poor food, disease, and illness. There was the ever-present risk of storm and disaster. Passage across the Atlantic could last up to 7 weeks, a relatively short time, although it was not without peril. Passage to Australia was an undertaking not to be taken lightly. Passengers going to Australia could expect a trip to last from 70-100 days under sail. During such a long passage, there was the risk of being onboard with the poorest of humanity, who left Scotland, England, and Ireland as a last resort. Seasickness and depression were common ailments. Later in the early 1900s, the passage was about 40 days, with improved conditions the risk of emigrating to Australia was minimized.
Surviving the passage was an accomplishment, but not the end of the emigration experience. Upon reaching the port of entry, each emigrant was given a health examination and interviewed. If you were ill, you were quarantined. If you were deemed undesirable, you may be put back on a ship and deported. If the emigrant did not have housing or employment arranged, the emigrant might go weeks living on the streets on handouts. If you happen to be Irish, the likelihood of employment or hospitality was particularly hard to secure.
As the Foundation is researching Leslie history, we are piecing together stories of Leslie emigration which is part of the Scottish Diaspora. In the Irish Times newspaper, we find the announcement of the death of a Leslie of Leslie Hill, Ballymoney, Antrim, Ireland who passed away on 22 February in Costa Rica at age 51. In 1811, William Leslie Esq. who was a very successful Norwegian proprietor and merchant passed away in returned to Scotland to his Banff estate. Patrick Leslie, of the Wardhill Leslies, along with his brothers Walter and George left Aberdeenshire and traveled to New South Wales in 1839 to manage a 2,000 acre grant and became wealthy in the sheep industry. Another member of the Wardhill Leslies, Matthew went to Calcutta, India in the early 1830s with some of his sons going to Europe. The earliest Leslie emigration currently identified is Walter Leslie who went to Denmark as a merchant in the late 1500s. There are no less than two dozen Leslies who went to Scandinavia from 1600 to 1800. There are an uncounted number of Leslies who came to the American Colonies, the Caribbean Islands, and to the Antipodes.
All of these Leslies, named and unnamed, have emigration stories which are worthy of recording. Their stories and history are the foundation of the legacy we enjoy today as descendants of these courageous and prosperous Leslies who traveled the world. The Foundation has as a part of its mission to collect, preserve, and share these Leslie stories. The stories of emigration are of particular interest. Please consider sharing your family’s story, by subscribing to the LeslieGDF.org website (subscription is free and get the code to add your story. https://lesliegdf.org/subscribe/
Photo credit: Photo by Ilse Orsel on Unsplash
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