Kids and Ships -- 1880's
Jul. 8th, 2009 10:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
la_samtyrThis is actually more of a family history post but it was inspired by a post one of my sibs wrote about what kind of mischief very young kids can get into while on board a ship.
Back in the 1880's, most of my family came here from Europe. (Most, not all. There are many gaps in my knowledge.) One of those who did come was my great-great-grandmother, Frederike, who was 4 or 5 at the time. The entire family came, along with several cousins and close neighbors -- very common. Once on board, nearly every adult got seasick -- and unsurprisingly, hardly any of the kids did. My g-g-grandmother was one who did not, and thus starts our tale.
The few adults who weren't seasick were busy taking care of the ones who were, and the babies. This left the kids to their own devices, which is never a good thing. I imagine they were told to not bother the crew, and to "play quietly" while getting "lots of fresh air and sunshine." And so they did. I imagine they had a wonderful time exploring the ship; indeed, I am quite sure they knew it nearly as well as the crew did. In any case, the crew never complained and as the adults gradually got over their sea-sickness, they began to wonder just what the kids were doing. Playing, of course. All the usual games except for one -- the big swing. Now most ships of that era did not come equipped with playgrounds for the kiddies, they were much more utilitarian in that regard. So the idea of 'a big swing' seemed odd, until finally one of the parents became curious and decided it was time to check up on this 'swing'.
My g-g-g-grandfather went to look for his little daughter, and sure enough, she was 'swinging'. On a large rope which dangled just within reach so that she and the others could climb on and swing over the side of the boat and dangle briefly over the Atlantic Ocean before the momentum swung her back to the deck.
Yes, you read that right. The kids were swinging on a rope -- not on deck, oh no that would have been too sedate -- but instead, swinging *over* the side of the ship and *dangling* over the Atlantic! ::facepalm:: Needless to say, their wonderful game ended rather abruptly and I am told that was my g-g-grandmother's favorite memory of their 'coming over' voyage.
I guess that is where I get my reckless streak, eh? ;)
Back in the 1880's, most of my family came here from Europe. (Most, not all. There are many gaps in my knowledge.) One of those who did come was my great-great-grandmother, Frederike, who was 4 or 5 at the time. The entire family came, along with several cousins and close neighbors -- very common. Once on board, nearly every adult got seasick -- and unsurprisingly, hardly any of the kids did. My g-g-grandmother was one who did not, and thus starts our tale.
The few adults who weren't seasick were busy taking care of the ones who were, and the babies. This left the kids to their own devices, which is never a good thing. I imagine they were told to not bother the crew, and to "play quietly" while getting "lots of fresh air and sunshine." And so they did. I imagine they had a wonderful time exploring the ship; indeed, I am quite sure they knew it nearly as well as the crew did. In any case, the crew never complained and as the adults gradually got over their sea-sickness, they began to wonder just what the kids were doing. Playing, of course. All the usual games except for one -- the big swing. Now most ships of that era did not come equipped with playgrounds for the kiddies, they were much more utilitarian in that regard. So the idea of 'a big swing' seemed odd, until finally one of the parents became curious and decided it was time to check up on this 'swing'.
My g-g-g-grandfather went to look for his little daughter, and sure enough, she was 'swinging'. On a large rope which dangled just within reach so that she and the others could climb on and swing over the side of the boat and dangle briefly over the Atlantic Ocean before the momentum swung her back to the deck.
Yes, you read that right. The kids were swinging on a rope -- not on deck, oh no that would have been too sedate -- but instead, swinging *over* the side of the ship and *dangling* over the Atlantic! ::facepalm:: Needless to say, their wonderful game ended rather abruptly and I am told that was my g-g-grandmother's favorite memory of their 'coming over' voyage.
I guess that is where I get my reckless streak, eh? ;)
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