There were three options for traveling across North America in the early 1800s. You could go by sea, in a ship around the continent to your destination. A traveler could go through the woods, taking the most direct path, but having to deal with natural barriers and other obstacles. A person could also travel by river, which may have been the easiest but was a very round about way to get to where you were going.
Before we dive into the three methods Joshua and family could have used, let’s look at their situation for this trip. First, Joshua and Ellender had seven children. The oldest was about 13 and the youngest was about 1-2 years old. Another thing to consider was that we were on the eve of the War of 1812. This was causing unrest on the seas and in the American wilderness.
Drawing a very cursory route on Google Earth from North Carolina to New Orleans indicates that travel by sea would have been about 1700 miles. This is about third the distance
from Boston to London. If the Seales would have traveled by sea, they likely would have gone to the closest major seaport which was Brunswick at the southern tip of North Carolina. Then they would have taken a 3-4 week journey in the hold of a ship to New Orleans. After that, they would have boarded another ship for the short distance to the Pearl River and on to Marion County, Mississippi. If all did not go well, the journey could have taken almost twice as long, causing a shortage of food and water.[1. Durkee, Christina. “Journey” (WebQuest, University of South Florida, 2005).]
In addition to the possibility of food and water shortages, the quality of the food and drink was often poor. Water was often stored in barrels that had been used in previous travel to hold turpentine or oil, making it rancid or giving it a very bad taste.[2. Durkee, Christina. “Journey” (WebQuest, University of South Florida, 2005).] There were also many instances of diseases, such as dysentery or scurvy, very poor ventilation in the sleeping quarters and damp and moldy conditions.[3. Guy, William A. “Health and Hygiene in the 18th Century British Navy” (Lectures on Public Health, Kings College, 1851).]
And then there were the British. Britain and France were perpetually at war, and Britain was upset with the fledgling United States for trading with France, or anyone else for that matter. So Britain used this as an excuse to stop American merchant ships and force their crews to fight for the British Navy. Between 1803 and 1812, over 1500 American ships were seized by the British Navy.[4. “American Merchant Marine and Privateers in the War of 1812”, American Merchant Marines at War, October 13, 2002, (http://www.usmm.org/warof1812.html : accessed June 2, 2017).]
As you can see, taking a young family on a 1700 mile overseas trip was anything but free from peril. I am betting that Joshua chose another way. What do you think?