52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 28

Week 28:

The theme for Week 28 is “Travel.” Travel takes many forms: immigration to a new country, migration from one region to another, road trips, and traveling for work, just to name a few. Who is someone in your family tree who traveled?


Christian Wineker (Vinegar)

My 6th great-grandfather (maternal)

Born: 1730 Zurich, Canton, Switzerland

Died: 30 Nov 1800 East Donegal, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA


The distance from Zurich, Switzerland to Lancaster, Pennsylvania is:

4,065 miles / 6,543 km flying

My 6th great-grandfather didn't have the luxury of a twelve-plus hour, 4,065-mile flight. To emigrate to this country he had to travel to a port city in Europe and then sail to America. 

The furthest I've traveled is from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Chicago, Illinois. As someone afraid of heights, I did not enjoy the quick and easy two-hour flight. I'd still take that over the journey that Christian had to make.

The total driving distance from Harrisburg, PA, to Chicago, IL, is 657 miles or 1,057 kilometers.

The total straight line flight distance from Harrisburg, PA, to Chicago, IL, is 571 miles.

This is equivalent to 920 kilometers or 497 nautical miles.

Christian must have enjoyed his trip across the sea because it didn't take long for him to start up a ferry business once he was in America. He arrived on American soil and started his business in the same year, 1750. 

Here you see an advertisement for Winnegar's Ferry, March 27, 1811, signed by John Lutz. The advertisement informs the public that the ferry is in complete working order and offers safe passage across the river. Lutz also mentions his hopes for good luck in shad fishing and promises good treatment and shad to visitors. 

Christian Vinegar rented the Ferry from Richard Keyes in 1777, while Keyes took over the operation of the Anderson's Ferry while James Anderson was serving in the Revolutionary War.

Ferries were crucial for transportation before bridges and trestles became widespread. Shad fishing was a significant industry in Pennsylvania during this period, particularly along the Susquehanna River. 



A History of Lancaster County by H.M.J. Klein, Ph.D., published in 1926


June Lloyd, a big name on the local history seen wrote a blog post about Christian and his ferry. His last name Wineker, would have been pronounced Vinegar by the Pennsylvania Dutch (German) population of Lancaster.

https://yorkblog.com/universal/was-there-vinegar-at-vinegar-ferry/


https://yorkblog.com/universal/how-did-they-get-across-the-wide-susquehanna-when-there-were-no-bridges/


There is a historical marker at East Donegal Township in Maytown in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania marking "Vinegar's Ferry". 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=216744

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