Irish Emigrants Financial Instruments

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Emigration has been a feature of life in Ireland for many centuries. It reached a peak in the 19th century due to famine and dire economic circumstances. This posting records the financial instruments used by emigrants from Ireland to finance their passage abroad and return money to Ireland once they established themselves in their newly adopted countries.

P.J. Symes provides a fascinating account of the ‘Emigration Post Bills’ of James Corscaden & Co., a merchant who had four sailing ships offering passage from Ireland to the USA. This company offered a safe means of transferring money through the use of post bills. The example attached was issued in Londonderry in 1846 and is payable to Jane Barnard for $27, one day after sight, by their US Agent Abraham Bell & Sons.

http://www.pjsymes.com.au/articles/JamesCorscaden.htm