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| Davit migration to Canada | + |
In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Davit family came to North America quite early:
Davit Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Miss. Mary Davit, aged 7 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Lady Milton" departing 5th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 26th June 1847 but she died on board 1
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- Great Potato Famine
- Grosse Isle, located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec, Canada, a quarantine station active from 1832 to 1937
| Sources | + |
- Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 72)
