France to U.S. Immigration Resources

[mmrivas]

France: 19th Century Immigration

Can anyone recommend a resource which would explain why my ancestors would have immigrated from France to the U.S. in the mid-19th century?
Thanks

[Erato]

Who were they?  When did they emigrate?  Where did they come from?  Where did they go?  Did they have family or friends who preceded them?  What was their religion?  What was their profession?

[mmrivas]

Oh, I know that sounded ridiculously vague. I meant that I was looking for some sort of social history resource, a general accounting of why people immigrated from France mid-nineteenth century, not specifically whay my family immigrated.

However, these are my mid-century French immigrants:
Louis Aloncle  b. 1822  Married 1850 in France  in U.S. 1860 (per census) occupation optician
Enlisted as Civil War soldier Sgt. Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1861 mustered out same year
Spouse: Rose Jeanne Marthe Vila b. abt 1828  with Louis on the 1860 census; listed as wid. on 1870 census NYC. I do not find her on the 1880 census.

I know that two of their children were born in France:
Marthe Aloncle abt 1853
George Aloncle abt 1854
The next child, Louise Josephine, is born in the U.S. in 1857


I am assuming that the family immigrated between 1854 and 1857. 
I am wondering why they would have immigrated in terms of the political and social climate of France at the time.

Thanks for responding.

[jorose]

Many times emigrants were just economic migrants. Often something useful is to just look at the history of France or of the specific area your family were (e.g. just via wikipedia).  Does help if you know particular areas - e.g. there was a good reason why someone might have been leaving Alsace circa 1871 (see: Franco-Prussian war), and a good reason why someone might have been wanting to get out of Paris at the same time (see: Paris Commune).

http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Du-Ha/French-Americans.html

The history of French immigration to the United States involves a number of patterns. In only a few cases did groups of French citizens make a collective decision to leave France for the United States. Instead, typical French immigrants came as individuals or families seeking change or economic opportunity.

http://www.stevemorse.org/vital/nydeath.html
 - a Rose J. Aloncle died in NY in 1883

She might be indexed as Rose Allenerd in 1880 - she has son George b. France and daughter Therese b. PA with her.

Here:
http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2014/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Express/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Express%201855/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Express%201855%20-%200388.pdf
 top left corner, a man mentioned as stealing, among other things, opera glasses from Mr L. Aloncle, optician, which puts him in the US in 1855.

http://castlegarden.org
 has them arriving in 1854.
L. Victor Aloncle, 33
Rose Marthe, 26
Marthe-Eugene, 2
"Gge Alphonse", 1m

A "Louis V Alonclid", aged 45, b. France, is living in NY in 1870.  The place is "Lunatic Asylum, Blackwells Island".  This may be him - it wouldn't be that unusual for Rose to list herself as a widow under the circumstances.

[m.leddy-searle]

Dear Jorose,
Thank you so much for the information. I have been trying to find a death date for Rose J. Aloncle, and I have been unable to do so. The Castle Garden informtion is also so very helpful. It now occurs to me that opticians would have made all sorts of things, ie opera glasses in the 19th century. I so appreciate your efforts.
The family left Paris to come to the U.S.
George Aloncle went on to become an accomplished NYC police detective, and I've found articles about him. It's funny how two people can search one database and come up with different results. I searched Fulton History many time using just the last name, and did not see the 1855 piece.
Thanks again.