19th century travel to south america

[kylejustin]

does anyone know how the brits typically went to south america in the mid 19th century? did they go to new york, then down to the west indies, then onto perhaps brazil?
i have some siblings of my 2nd great grandfather who can be traced in south america: a marriage in peru in 1881, then children born and a brother's marriage in bolivia, and finally hints at being in chile. family lore states they owned a tin mine in bolivia. the family as a whole are present in the wales census in 1871. after this the mother and maternal grandmother disappear, most of the children end up in australia or south america, and the father is widowed in 1881. he remarries a jamaican bride in 1888, and they stay in england until his death. there's no evidence the family as a whole went to south america, but i am suspecting it. there are no deaths in england or wales for the wife or mother in law. i'm wondering i suppose, if i can trace pieces of them in shipping records to south america. non english records as they begin 1890ish from memory.

[PhotoFamily]

I have no knowledge of migration paths, but I have a suggestion for finding answers (maybe?).

FamilySearch's wiki has a list of geographic-oriented research groups

https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/FamilySearch_Genealogy_Research_Groups

includes Peru and Bolivia.

There are also pages on that wiki with information sources, for example, Peru:

https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Peru_Emigration_and_Immigration

Seems like a port like NY would add quite a bit of travel time/distance on a trip to South America.

[keldon]

You mentioned Wales. Several Welsh families went to Patagonia seeking a better life. Google will find you the story.
I've also come across several references to single men travelling to S.America for business. Mines and Guano in particular. Some marrying locals.

[cbcarolyn]

it does seem that people took their mining skills to other countries, and can only assume that they got better rewards.

the Uk were trading with South America in those times I think, and certainly the West Indies, so I would think it was possible that they would go more direct than via USA.

have you searched the records just been looking on FMP, if you put peru in destination country it gives Southampton and Liverpool as leaving posts, and the manifest says West Indies

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/results?datasetname=passenger+lists+leaving+uk+1890-1960&destinationcountry=peru&sid=998

[cbcarolyn]

could be worth looking in the welsh newspapers, might find some adverts of crossings

did stumble across this

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/The-History-of-Patagonia/

[bubblebelle]

I have family who went to Chile in the 1840's and returned in the 1850's. I have not been able to find any ship manifests but as Keldon stated before there are enclaves of Welsh and German communities who migrated to Patagonia and Chile in the 19th century. Being lucky enough to have visited the country, this heritage is still evident.
There was trade directly between Wales and Chile, exporting coal and importing in general, metals. As a generalisation there is evidence of both Welsh Miners and Cornish tin miners emigrating there, but there was an important sheep farming industry as well.
In one of the Ports in Chile (I cannot recall which one off the top of my head) there is a replica of the type of ship that transported these emigrants.... it was tiny in comparison to todays vessels (probably the size of a small trawler) The journey took a month, which I felt was suprisingly quick.
I was able to verify information related to my family via familysearch baptism records in Chile, although the father is said to have died in Buenos Aires on their return voyage (from a UK grave monument), unfortunately I have been unable to find any verified South American document and in my case this was prior to the opening of the British Cemetery there in the 1860's.
In my case my ancestors stayed in the Atacama region of Chile, the railways were being established in the 1840's and by the 1850's there was a link to Peru from Chile. The railway to Bolivia was established later in compensation for the land lost by Bolivia to Chile in the 1879-84 war which was fought over the coastal area of the Atacama region, which became Chilean territory.
There used to be a site associated with helping with South American research but I cannot recall it off the top of my head. I have to go out but will see if I can find it and if it's still going when I get back.

UPDATE: Sorry I cannot find the site I was looking for, but there is this one that may be of use: South American Genealogy Database www.sabrits.co.uk/A.php - however there is a warning that the site is not secure.

[kylejustin]

Thank you everyone for the help. My family wasn't welsh, nor were they miners. But there is family lore about tin mines. The father was a"'gentleman" and never recorded having any work. He had inherited money. The wife was from a yeoman background.

the eldest dau is recorded marrying in peru in 1881, to a bolivian. They had some children in bolivia and family lore states they ended up in chile. A brother was the farm manager for them and was murdered with their son in 1899 in the rebellion. Another brother is recorded marrying in bolivia in the 1890's and a grave in chile from 1917 is likely him.

one of the sons was in the army, one emmigrated to australia, three others have been sighted on ships to australia but known to have died in england. It's really just a thought the family as a whole may emmigrated and half returned. It's been bugging me for years that i can't find deaths for the mother and grandmother. And last week found the identity of the second wife. Jamaican born, disappears 1901-1926, and 1926 emmigrated to california to live with her brother, dying there at the ripe old age of 93! Little victories

[cbcarolyn]

an advert for people to go to peru
Screenshot 2022-04-22 at 09.05.00.png
gives an insight, I always think people must have been amazing to read an advert like that and just up and go.