Like a marriage license, a ship’s passenger list is also fairly obvious: It is a record of people going from one place to another. But it also contains occupational, geographic, and political information. The ship American Eagle made regular trips between New York and England in the 1850s. Its primary business was transporting passengers traveling to and from New York and London. Most of these passengers were northern Europeans, primarily from England and Germany, emigrating to the United States.
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Questions
This passenger list states that Louisa Cousselle is a citizen of the United States. Is this supported by other documents in this module?
What are potential problems of working with a passenger list as a source? Do you think it is as reliable as a government document? Why or why not?