Emigration Learning Resource 2: Sources

SOURCE A: Ithaca & Owego Railroad poster (ref.no. Cobden Mss 393)

This poster is from the extensive Cobden Archive held at West Sussex Record Office. Richard Cobden (1804-1865) was born at Heyshott, near Midhurst, and became an MP, statesman, political campaigner and ‘Friend of America’. Further information on his life and work is here. It is possible he collected this poster, dated 1833, during his first visit to America in 1835.

SOURCE B: Kansas promotional leaflet extract 1880 (ref.no. MP 135)

This source is from West Sussex Record Office’s Miscellaneous Papers (MP) collection. The collection contains thousands of records deposited by many different people. The records in the MP collection are mostly non-original and/or printed rather than unique manuscript (written) documents. The source is an extract from a folded leaflet published in 1880 to encourage British people, particularly farm workers, to emigrate to the USA.

SOURCE C: Western Virginia poster c1849 (ref.no. Par 95/38/7)

This poster is one of a group of 5 records deposited in the parish records of West Grinstead.  The others were receipts or records of money spent on transporting the Tourle family from West Grinstead to America via the London docks and a different poster with details for emigrants journeying to Canada and the west coast of America. This source is an appeal for emigrants with specific skills needed in West Virginia, undated but is probably around 1848-50.