1847 Grosse Le

This book is a day-to-day account of the sad events that took place in 1847, a year in which nearly 100,000 emigrants, mostly Irish, disembarked at Grosse Ile or the Port of Quebec. Written as a diary, the book gives a detailed description of the administrative measures taken by the authorities to deal with the influx of such a large number of emigrants in deplorable conditions of disease and misery. It records the arrivals and departures of ships and gives a weekly account of the sick and the dead. The reader will also get an idea of the reactions expressed by the newspapers at the time and read first hand accounts by the emigrants themselves, priests, doctors, sailors and other contemporaries.

The voyage of the 'coffin ship' Ajax, from Dublin to Grosse Île, the Canadian quarantine station as described in the contemporary diary of one of the passengers, Robert Whyte. Whyte was a Protestant gentleman of education and position, as well as being a professional writer who intended to publish his diary. The diary appeared in 1848. It is signed in the author's own handwriting and features vivid descriptions of the spectacular scenery along the way and the striking delineations of the passengers, the crew and the suffering travellers.

A truly amazing story of courage born of desperation, starvation, poverty and the will to survive.

"This register lists the names of emigrants, employees and sailors who died and were buried on Grosse Île in 1847, as well as emigrants who died at sea during the crossing or aboard ships while in quarantine off Grosse Île. The names of 8,308 victims were gathered from various archival sources"--Cover. Many of the dead were Irish immigrants.

The history of the St. Lawrence River Quarantine Station from 1832 to 1937.