My ancestor, Caspar Byerley arrived in Charleston South Carolina in October of 1752 aboard the ship Caledonia. From the research of L. W. Folmar, I found that the Caledonia was ” a three masted ship about 85 feet in length, square rigged on all three masts”. It had the following dimensions – overall length of 80 to 85 feet, breadth of about 23 feet, length of keel about 70 feet, depth of hold about 10 1/2 feet with possible draught of 6 feet forward and 12 feet aft.
A record found in London lists the departure date of the ship from Charleston back to London on the 30th day of December in 1752, where it would stop on its way back to Rotterdam.
- Time of sailing: December 30
- Vessel’s Name: Caledonia
- Master’s Name: Alex Harvey
- Kind Built, Pink Ship (refers to hull shape)
- Tons: 200
- Men: 12
- Where and when built: Britan 1736
- Where and when registered: Aberdeen on 9 May
- Owner’s Name: Alex Livingston of Aberdeen
- Cargo: None
- Where bound: Rotterdam
Other news taken from the South Carolina Gazette:
- Arrived in Savannah from a local news article dated 9th October 1752
- Arrived in Charleston shortly after a hurricane hit the area.
- Entered in from Rotterdam and Portsmoth, Customs House Notice dated 23rd October 1752
- Departed to London, General Advertisment on three dates, December 11, 18 and 25 of 1752
- Caledonia, cleared for departure to Rotterdam, Customs House Notice dated 1 Jan 1753
- Departed to Rotterdam, local news on 15th Jan 1753
While I have not found where my ancestor immigrated from, perhaps the passengers aboard the Caledonia hold a clue. The following are the passengers that are known to have arrived on the Caledonia. Note that this is not meant to be an exclusive list. Others could have been aboard, and some may have been lost at sea.
| Passenger | Arrival Details |
|---|---|
| Everad Volmer | His wife and four children arrived with him. His children were Catherine 20, John 18, Mary 6, and Jacob 9. |
| John Keiselhat | His wife and three children arrived with him. His children were Maria Anne, 14, Mary Barbara 7 and Mary 2. |
| John Studinmyer | His wife and child arrived with him. His daughter was Mestafia (Anastasia) age 10. |
| John Shely | His wife and six children arrived with him. His children were Barbara 14, Elizabeth 12, Ursula 9, John 7, Margaret 6 and Mary Ann 3. |
| Barnard Mantz | His wife and two children arrived with him. His children were Michael 7 and George 12. |
| Benjamin Epele | He arrived alone. |
| Johannes Dononick | His wife and son, Michael 3, arrived with him. |
| Catherine Thyre | Her husband died on the voyage. Her two children, Andreas 15 and Ursula 20, arrived with her. |
| George Joisesel | He arrived alone. |
| Andreas Pitts | He arrived alone. |
| John Herman | His wife arrived with him. |
| George Wideman | His wife and two children arrived with him. His daughters were Maria 12, and Anna Maria 7. |
| Magdalane Stoudenmeyer | She arrived alone and was a native of county of Wittenberg. |
| Hans Martin Jetter | He arrived alone. |
| John Casper Beyrle | He arrived alone. |
| Andreas Meyer | His wife and six children arrived with him. His children were Ursula age 17, Worley age 16, Johanna age 14, Jacob age 12, Barbara age 6, and Andreas age 4. |
| Mary Eliz. Hoos (?) | She arrived alone. |
| Margaret Michen | She arrived with her child, Christian Harry, 6 weeks old. |
| Andreas (Andrew) Domeny | He arrived with his wife Barbara. |
| Christiana Jeserel | She arrived alone. |
| John Keyger | He arrived with his wife. |
| John Smitzer | He arrived with his wife. |
| Hans Jacob Nonemaker | He arrived with his wife. |
| Michael Pilebag | He arrived with his wife. |
| Gaspar Mantz | He arrived with his wife and child, Ursula age 3 years. |
| Michael Hynes | He arrived with his wife. |
| Elizabeth Mantz | She arrived with one child, Anna Maria age 4 years. |
| Anna Maria Mantz | She arrived with one child, Catherine age 13 years. |
| Sebastian Huber | He arrived with his wife and two children, Margaret age 28 and Anna Maria age 6. |
| Jacob Long | He arrived with his wife. |
| John George Neysheller | He arrived with his wife. |
| Michael Meyer | He arrived with his wife. |
| Anna Sheymeysin | She arrived alone. |
| Conrade Meyer | He arrived with his wife. |
| John Reynard | He arrived with his wife and two children, Elizabeth age 9 years and Mathias age 4. |
| Hans George Shihaaw | He arrived with his wife and two children, Philip Jacob age 21 and Catherina age 20. |
| Philip Minsiney | He arrived with his wife. |
| Jacob Kuhn | He arrived with his wife and one child, Mary Ann age 15. |
| John Shwechtenburg | He arrived with his wife and child. |
| David Zegler | He arrived alone. |
| Maria Agnes Kuhsin | She arrived alone. |
| Johannes Roof | He arrived alone. |
