Magyar News, 2001. szeptember-2002. augusztus (12. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2001-09-01 / 1. szám
How Our Ancestors Came to America The Ellis Island web site providing information on immigrants to the United States (www.ellisislandrecords.org) has seen millions of hits since it first went on-line on April 16th, Once the connection to the site is made (it seems, simply EVERYONE is looking up ancestors!) all you have to do is type in the name of the person, and PRESTO!, up pops a ship manifest with the name of the person among the list of passengers, and providing age. marital status, occupation, nationality, etc. You can even print out a picture of the ship and separately a history of the vessel. The records include information on the 22 million immigrants processed between 1892 and 1924. In this context, it was most interesting to find an almanac for the year 1902 published in Budapest, which contains an ad for the Red Star Line. It touts its fleet of 10 steamships with regularly scheduled trips between Antwerp (Belgium) and New York or Philadelphia. "They were built specifically for these voyages, according to the specifications of the highest maritime authority." The rest of the ad provides a glimpse of traveling conditions a hundred years ago (there's no mention of first or second class at all!): "Third class is divided into sections for men, families and single women. The sleeping halls, furnished with 10-16 beds, are located on the side: the central part has been left open for tables and benches, and serves as a dining room: the double-screw steamers have a certain number of chambers with 2, 4 or 6 beds, for families. The food is plentiful and nourishing, and changes daily; waiters serve it to the passengers, who thus are not required to pick it up from the kitchen. There are maids in the women's section. On board ship, passengers receive free straw mattresses, pillows, blankets and eating utensils." The names of the Red Star Line's ships were: the Southwark, Kensington, Friesland, Pennland, Nederland, Switzerland, and four 12,000 ton "new fast steamers": the Vaderland, Zeeland, Kroonland and Finland. Another ad in the same almanac is for a "Guidebook for those looking for work and emigrants from Austria and Hungary to North America via the Holland-America Line, over Rotterdam (Holland) to New York." This free booklet offers "information on traveling expenses, legal decisions concerning emigration from Austria-Hungary and immigration to America, prepaid tickets, travel equipment, luggage regulations, provisions to ward off and avoid the dangers of travel, the kind of preparations Holland-America passengers should make for the trip, and their provisions on the train and on the steamship." Holland- America's regular ships left every Thursday; "double.screw steamers 3-4 times a month." Some ships, such as the Oceanic of the White Star Line, could make the trip from Liverpool to New York in 8 days. But the average trip could take anywhere from 10 days to a month. Conditions were often unsanitary, toilets and washrooms inadequate. The mortality rate could go as high as 10% per voyage. All this makes us admire even more the courage and determination of those who came over on these ships, especially those who came to make some money, went back to the "old country", and then returned, perhaps several times. Hats off to these pioneers, our brave Magyar ancestors! Above: A Petőfi 1902 almanac with stampings on it. Below: Two ads from the calendar. The photo is of one of the ships bringing immigrants from Europe.
