"One of the finest ships on the Pease & Allen line,' they said of this Phoenix. Just two years old in 1847, it was one of the new, faster and more reliable 'propellers' and was expected to give a long life of service for its owners. These lake steamers carried vast numbers of immigrants and tons of freight westward on the Great Lakes.
The Phoenix steamed out of Buffalo on the morning of November 11, 1847, with approximately 175 Dutch immigrants, a crew of 23, an unknown number of other passengers, and a heavy load of coffee, sugar, molasses, and hardware, destined for ports on Lake Michigan. After a few hours stop on November 20, on the lake's western shore at Manitowoc due to rough seas, the ship was again on its way.
The Hollanders aboard, who had left their homes at Winterswijk, Varseveld, Holten, and other towns in the eastern parts of the provinces of Gelderland and Overjissel, two months before, had retired for the night knowing that the very next day they would be free of the crowded confines of the ship, free of the constant movement of the swells, and at last be able to set foot upon their 'promised land.' Children were tucked into their sleeping places for one last time - dreams of 'Amerika' dancing in their tiny heads. Husbands and wives may have stayed awake for hours excitedly making plans which they hoped would begin when they disembarked at sheboygan in just a few short hours.
At last all was peaceful, but the Phoenix labored hard under her enormous load of passengers and freight, and her boilers grew red hot. About 3:00 a.m. some awoke and noticed a smell of burning wood. The odor of burning wood was nothing strange, arrogant crew members told them, lake vessels burned wood. At 4:00 a.m. smoke poured ot of the engine room, and the alarm of fire rang out. Bucket brigades proved fruitless and it soon became apparent that the Phoenix was doomed. Two small lifeboats carried the forty-three survivors five miles to shore. Of these, twenty-five were Dutch immigrants, and estimates are that from 200 to 300 persons lost their lives...
Be thankful for those who came in tragedy, for those who left neat little Dutch homes in the lowlands of Holland, for those who came and survived and were part of the beginnings of many of the churches, farms and businesses in southern Sheboygan County, for those who instilled in the minds of the generations to come their continuing love and faith in an all-knowing and faithful God. Because those twenty-five Hollanders chose to remain after this tragic beginning and face the harsh pioneer life in this new world, those of us who came after them will remember and be thankful for their perserverence and the undoubting faith they had in their Creator. We remember the tragedy with sadness and remember their courage with admiration, the courage to triumph with their God in this new environment."
*Taken from the booklet Out of the Phoenix...A Tragic Beginning by Lorraine Boldt, a granddaughter of Derk A. Voskuil and Hendrika Landeweerd, survivors of the Phoenix. I would encourage you all to read the full story of the Phoenix - the booklet can be purchased from the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center at http//www.schrc.org.
-- Hermina was on the Phoenix, bound for Sheboygan, with her mother, father, 3 brothers, and 2 sisters. She would have been 15 years of age during this voyage. Hermina's mother and brothers drowned during this disaster.
--- In emigration and family records I found Hermina's name also spelled Harmina, Hermine, and Harmiena.
By Carrie Vergin