[WED]Wedmore to Iowa. Do you know the ship and date ?

[Mary Jackes]

Elaine, 

It seems likely that it was not just one ship, but several, over a number
of years.

A while ago I posted the names of the Somerset people who early on swore
oaths in Dubuque County Iowa of their intention to be naturalized.  Some of
the men (no women, of course) swore their oaths after it bacame mandatory
to state the date of arrival.  The following are people I know for certain
came from Somerset.  The Talbot's home parish is uncertain (certainly near
Wedmore), but the others are either from Wedmore or the adjoining Weare
parish.	

Robert Whitting 	29th May 1848	
Daniel Day		1st May 1849
John Counsell 	1st May 1849
Samuel Pitman 	27th May 1849
Henry Talbot 		July 1849
Richard Baker 	4th May 1850
Arthur Day		17th May 1850
William Pittman 	2nd June 1851
William Talbot	16th May 1852
Abraham Keen 		23rd May 1853

Roger Roper posted a message at

http://lists.tutton.org/pipermail/wedmore/2002-February/000423.html

with some of the ships' passengers (with Wedmore to Banwell area surnames)
listed for the following dates:-

July 10 1848
Aug 28 1848
September 11 1848
May 2 1849 (two ships)
June 27 1849

It seems that the main big group of the first Somerset Iowa settlers landed
in New York on May 1 or 2, 1849 but that others had preceded them the year
before to get things set up.  Quite impressive organization!
protected by Norton AntiVirus

Mary Jackes
Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 0N8, Canada.