→Joseph Blincoe (abt 1813 England ) Farmer → Arrival 24 Apr 1833 New York, New York onboard Samuel Robertson accompanied by Elizabeth Blincoe (nee Baldwin) (abt 1814 England)
Gawcott, Buckinghamshire
The son of William Blencowe 1788 a Mason and Hannah Smith 1790 was not a member of the Gawcott Blencowe family that emigrated to New York starting with John Blenkow in 1832 . However a brother Thomas Blencow 1810 did marry John Blenkows sister Frances Dayrell in Gawcott 3 years before he emigrated. So the knowledge of John Blenkow and his emigration was known well. Later nephews through this marriage also emigrated to the USA. The great Blencowe migration had begun from Gawcott.
Joseph was like most of the Blencowes in Gawcott a Mason, Elizabeth Baldwin who he met was most likely not a local villager but had drifted there from nearby Oving village where there was a Elizabeth Baldwin baptised in 1815 and had a mother named Phoebe Baldwin.
Marriage 1832
On the 5 March 1832 the couple wed at Gawcott with members of the parish as witnesses. It would seem that John Blenkow’s success in getting land in New York State had filtered back and so while there was a trade backing up Joseph’s emigration ambition, he states he is a farmer on arriving indicating a wish that remained to be seen if it could be realised.
The Voyage 1833
The Samuel Robertson departed from Liverpool, England.
- The Route: In the 1830s, Liverpool was the primary port for English emigrants heading to North America. The journey across the Atlantic at this time typically took between 30 to 45 days, depending on the winds.
- The Context: Joseph and Elizabeth were part of the early wave of English agricultural laborers and farmers seeking land in the United States during the Jacksonian era.
They arrived at the Port of New York on April 24, 1833.
- The Landing Point: In 1833, there was no Ellis Island (opened 1892) or Castle Garden (opened 1855). Passengers disembarked directly onto the piers of Lower Manhattan, likely near the East River or the foot of Manhattan.
- The Process: Upon arrival, the ship’s master (Captain S.S. Wood) was required to submit the “Manifest of All Passengers” to the Collector of Customs. Joseph and Elizabeth would have stepped off the ship directly into the bustling streets of New York City to find lodgings or immediate transport inland.
The Samuel Robertson was a classic merchant ship (often referred to as a “Packet” ship if it sailed on a regular schedule).
- Type: It was a square-rigged sailing vessel.
- Size: These ships typically averaged between 400 and 600 tons during the early 1830s.
- Conditions: As “Farmers,” Joseph and Elizabeth likely traveled in Steerage (the lower deck). Conditions were cramped, with passengers providing their own bedding and often their own supplemental food for the month-long voyage.
- Manifest Details: Joseph is listed as a “Farmer” and Elizabeth as “Spinster” or simply “wife/female” depending on the specific column of the manifest.
They walked off the boat into Manhattan and set about finding lodgings and work. New York was boomingand work would not have been a problem for Joseph, but perhaps his aspiration own farm land was out of reach.
The Long Flushing , Queens.
We don’t know when Joseph and Elizabeth moved to this area they were there in 1860 so 27 years after arriving in New York. A lot had changed in New York in that time, but the couple had no children so were still relatively free of debt etc. but surprising not prospering.
Long Flushing in 1833: The “Garden of New York”
When Joseph and Elizabeth arrived in New York in 1833, Flushing was essentially a collection of small farms and world-famous nurseries (like the Linnaean Botanic Garden).
Architecture: The buildings were predominantly timber-frame colonial homes or early Federal-style estates. Brick was expensive and used primarily for chimneys or the foundations of the very wealthy..
The Landscape: It was defined by its proximity to the water—creeks, mill ponds, and the Flushing River. Transport was almost entirely by water; people took steamboats from Manhattan to the Flushing docks.
In those 27 years, Flushing underwent a “building boom” that created a massive demand for a skilled bricklayer like Joseph.
- The Railroad (1854): The arrival of the Flushing Railroad in 1854 turned the village into a “commuter suburb.” This led to the rapid construction of permanent, high-density housing and commercial blocks.
1860 Census Long Flushing, Queens
Both Joseph and Elizabeth shown as 47 years . Elizabeth cannot read or write. Joseph is a Bricklayer, so I think we can safely say that Joseph was fully employed during those 27 years. Its surprising then that they are renting a wooden worker house in Flushing. This might have been a frustration for him, spending his working days no doubt building Banks etc of stone and brick but living in a regular wooden 2 storey home.
Joseph and Elizabeth disappear after this 1860 Census they didn’t return to Gawcott I believe, but somehow as they had done in the 27 years between landing and this census just become invisible in the records. No death records or memorials are common enough in childless families.
Sources
- Daphne Austins Blencowe Database
- Ancestry and Familysearch