Passage to America

Passage to America

• Jul 01, 2025
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I have identified the ship manifest documenting Mathew’s arrival in New York aboard the SS Laura on August 25, 1865. It was hard to find because the manifest lists his first name as Martin, not any variant of Matthew, such as Matte, as he was known familiarly. At first I chalked up the discrepancy to clerical error, but later I found he was sometimes listed as Martin in New York directories.

Why am I sure this is the right arrival record? For starters, it has the right birth year and arrival year (which we know from later census and naturalization records). It also has the right occupation (tailor) and the right province of origin (Baden). Finally, we know the Laura arrived on August 25, 1865, which matches the date of his arrival given on a 1905 naturalization record.

Why did Matthew pick up stakes and relocate to a new continent? As the eleventh child and fifth son of the Lorenz Rehm family in Lottstetten, he may have seen limited opportunities to prosper in his home village. He had apprenticed as a tailor, and was skilled with the new sewing machines that had transformed the trade. He joined a growing migration of Germans from all regions seeking opportunity in the United States, especially New York City.