First Families, 1822-1865, Immigrant Families

Enslaved Families
Through 1865

Immigration transformed St. Louis between its incorporation as a city in 1822 and the end of the Civil War. Its population grew from approximately 4,600 residents in 1820 to more than 160,000 in 1860. Newcomers arrived from other American states and from Ireland, the German states, England, France, Bohemia, and elsewhere in Europe.

German immigration increased during the 1830s and surged after the European revolutions of 1848. Irish immigration grew rapidly during and after the Great Famine. Immigrants formed neighborhoods, houses of worship, schools, newspapers, and mutual-aid societies that preserved familiar languages and traditions.

Some newcomers remained permanently, while others continued west. Many followed relatives or neighbors from the same European communities. These migration networks can help genealogists distinguish between people with similar names.

Life could be difficult. Crowded housing and poor sanitation contributed to epidemics, including the devastating cholera outbreak of 1849. That same year, a major fire destroyed much of the riverfront. Immigrants also faced religious prejudice, ethnic hostility, and divisions caused by the Civil War.

Passenger lists, naturalization papers, censuses, parish registers, city directories, newspapers, cemetery records, and military files are particularly useful for tracing ancestors during this time. Baptismal sponsors, marriage witnesses, and neighbors may help in identifying relatives who migrated together.