FAMILY ROOTS
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VOYAGES TO AMERICA
SS ALLEMANIA
Description - The steamship that the Heinrich and Johanna Lüdtke family traveled aboard to America.
Manifests - Passenger lists showing the Heinrich Lüdtke family embarking from Hamburg on March 19, 1882 and arriving in New York on April 7, 1882.
SS ELBE
Description - George Just traveled from Bremen to New York aboard this Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship in 1884.
SS HAVEL
Description - Christoph and Barbara Just and their son Friedrich sailed from Bremen aboard the SS Havel and arrived in New York on April 4, 1895.
SS KAISER WILHELM DER GROSSE
Description - The steamship that brought the Peter and Christina Meidinger family from Bremen, Germany to New York in 1903.
SS OLDENBURG
Description - The Julius and Emilie Maass family traveled aboard this steamship from Bremen to Baltimore, MD
Manifest - Passenger list showing the Julius Maass family arriving May 31, 1895 at the Port of Baltimore, MD
SS RHAETIA
Description - The steamship that carried the Carl and Wilhelmine Maass family from Cuxhaven, Germany to the USA.
Manifests - Passenger lists showing the Carl Maass family embarking from Cuxhaven on November 13, 1892 and arriving in New York on November 28, 1892
SS WERRA
Description - The Ludwig and Catharina Rudolf family sailed from Bremen to New York aboard this 2-year-old steamship during October 1884.
The SS Oldenburg was built in 1890 by the Fairfield
Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. of Glasgow, Scotland for the Norddeutscher
Lloyd Co. of Germany. She was 415 feet long, 48 feet wide, and 31.3 feet in
depth, and had a registered gross weight of 5006 tons. The steamer had a speed
of 13 knots and was powered by a single screw. She had triple expansion engines
with cylinder diameters of 31, 52, and 83 inches and a 54 inch stroke that
delivered 3600 horse power. The ship had four decks, two masts and one funnel
and was equipped with electric lights. She was designed to carry 49 first-class,
38 second-class, and 1900 third-class passengers.
The Oldenburg was launched on February 11, 1891 and made her maiden voyage from Bremen to Montevideo and Buenos Aires on June 11, 1891. Her first voyage to Baltimore was on February 18, 1892. Three years later, on May 16, 1895, she left Bremen with eight very special passengers, the Julius Maass family. According to the manifest, Capt. R. Heintze was at the helm.
After making many more round trips between Bremen and New York, Baltimore, and ports in South America, she was sold to Turkey in 1911 and renamed the Ak-Deniz. In 1923 she was scrapped. Other sister ships in this class were the Darmstadt, the Gera, the Karlsruhe, the Stuttgart, and the Weimar.
Source: Smith, Eugene W. 1978. Passenger Ships of the World - Past and Present.
The SS Rhaetia was a trans-Atlantic passenger ship on
the Hamburg-American line. She was built in 1882 by Reiherstiegwerft, Hamburg,
Germany and was 350.1 feet long and 42.6 feet wide and weighed 3,467 tons. The
steamship had a speed of 12 knots and was powered by compound engines that
delivered 2000 I.H.P. to a single screw. The steel-hulled ship had three masts (the
foremast rigged for sail), and one funnel. She had accommodations for 96 first class and
1100 third class passengers and a crew of 90. She was launched on November
23, 1882 and sailed from Hamburg on her maiden voyage to Havre and New York on
April 4, 1883.
On November 13, 1892, the Rhaetia left the port of Cuxhaven, Germany for the port of New York, a transatlantic crossing that took 15 days. Among those on board were Carl and Wilhelmine Maass and their ten children who were immigrating to the United States.
The SS Rhaetia commenced her last voyage on this service on November 4, 1894 and in 1895 was taken by Harland & Wolff (shipbuilders) in part payment for the new ship PENNSYLVANIA. She was then bought by J. H. Bögel of Hamburg and in 1898 was sold to the US Navy and renamed CASSIUS. In 1900, she became a US army transport and was renamed SUMNER. On December 11, 1916 she was wrecked on Barnegat Shoals, NJ.
Sources: North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.1, p.393 (see TheShipsList®™) and Smith, Eugene W. 1978. Passenger Ships of the World - Past and Present. (see also the Palmer List of Merchant Vessels)
It was previously thought that the Heinrich Lüdtke family sailed aboard the SS Allemania that was built in 1865. According to Ted Finch (Mariners-L mailing list owner), this ship was renamed the Oxenholme in 1880, so could not have sailed as the Allemania in 1882. Apparently the Lüdtkes came aboard a new ship also called the SS Allemania. To my knowledge, no known photograph of this second ship has been located.
The second SS Allemania was built in 1881 by Dobie & Co, Glasgow (engines by J. Howden & Co, Glasgow) for the Hamburg-American Line. She had a gross weight of 1846 tons and was 375.8 ft long with a beam of 34.4 ft. The iron-hulled steamship had one funnel, two masts, a single screw and a speed of 11 knots. She had accommodations for 30 first class and 300 third class passengers. She was launched for the West Indies service on May 27, 1881 but three months later on August 21 she began her maiden voyage between Hamburg, Havre, and New York. On March 19, 1882 Heinrich and Johanna Lüdtke and their three girls boarded the Allemania in Hamburg and arrived in New York on April 7, 1882. Her fifth and last Hamburg - New York sailing commenced on October 22, 1882 after which she was transferred to the West Indies route. In 1904 she was sold to Japan and was renamed MIKADO MARU. Eventually she wrecked at Hokkashamoru, Japan on February 13, 1937.
Source: Ted Finch who cited North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.1, p.392. (see TheShipsList®™)
The SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was built by the A.G. Vulkan
yard in Stettin, Pomerania for the Norddeutscher
Lloyd Co. and was launched on May 4, 1897. At the time she was the
largest ship afloat, 648 ft in length, 66 ft in breath with a gross weight of 14,349
tons. The four-funnel, two-mast steamship was propelled by twin screws
driven by two triple-expansion engines (28,000 horsepower) that consumed 560 tons
of coal a day. At a service speed of 22.5 knots she was the fastest ship in the
world in 1898. She originally accommodated 332 in 1st class, 343 in 2nd class, 1,074 in steerage
but in 1901 the configuration was changed to 400 in 1st class, 350 in 2nd class,
and 800 in steerage. Because the ship was top-heavy, she was known to her regular passengers as "Rolling Billy".
Information about the conditions on this ship
and a photo
of emigrants boarding the ship about the year 1898 can be found on the German
Emigrant Database website.
On or about March 15, 1903, Peter and Christina Meidinger accompanied by their eight children boarded the SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse in Bremen, Germany for their voyage to New York. Eleven years later on March 18, 1914 she made her final voyage as a passenger ship between the same two ports. In August 1914, she was converted to a merchant cruiser in Bremerhaven. She sank three ships before stopping to refuel off Rio de Oro, Spanish West Africa. On August 26, 1914, she was overtaken by the British cruiser HMS Highflyer and after a 90-minute battle, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse ran out of ammunition and, although not badly damaged, she was scuttled by her crew.
Source: Extracted from the listing posted to the Emigration-Ships Mailing List by Michael Palmer - 11 June 1998 (see also the Palmer List of Merchant Vessels)
The SS Elbe was an iron-hulled steamship built by John Elder & Co, Glasgow,
for Norddeutscher Lloyd, and launched on April 2, 1881. The ship was 432 ft in
length, 45 ft in breath and had a gross weight of 4,510 tons. She had a straight bow,
two funnels, and four masts. Powered by double-expansion engines, the
single screw propelled the steamer at a service speed of 16 knots. The
Elbe was Norddeutscher Lloyd's first express steamer and could sail from England
to New York in just over 8 days. However, she proved to be
uneconomical because of her high consumption of coal and her small cargo
capacity. She had accommodations for 179 passengers in 1st class, 142 in 2nd
class, and 796 in steerage and was the line's first vessel with first class
amidships instead of aft. Information about the conditions on this ship
can be found on the German
Emigrant Database website.
Her maiden voyage was June 26, 1881 from Bremen to Southampton and New York. In 1883 she was outfitted with electric lights. The next year George Just boarded the SS Elbe in Bremen, Germany and arrived at the Port of New York on September 27, 1884. The Elbe made many more trips over the next 10 years, including three voyages to Australia, but on January 30, 1895, she collided with the British coal collier "Craithie" about 30 miles west of Ijmuiden, Netherlands. Within 20 minutes she sank to the bottom taking 332 of the 352 passengers on board with her.
Source: Extracted from the listing posted to the Emigration-Ships Mailing List by Michael Palmer - 5 July 1998
The SS Havel was built for the Norddeutscher Lloyd line by AG Vulcan, Stettin
in 1890. The 6,875 gross ton ship had a length of 463 ft, a beam of 51.9
ft. The two-funnel, three-mast ship was powered by a single screw and
sailed at a speed of 18 knots. There were accommodations for 244 first-class,
122 second-class and 460 third-class passengers. Launched on August 30, 1890,
she sailed from Bremen on her maiden voyage to Southampton and New York on
February 5, 1891. In the spring of 1895, Christoph and
Barbara Just and their son Friedrich traveled to Bremen where they boarded the
Havel for their voyage to America. They arrived at the Port of New York on
April the 4th.
After her last voyage on this route on April 19, 1898 the SS Havel was sold to Spain, where she was converted to an armed cruiser and renamed the "Meteoro". In 1899 she went to Compania Transatlantica Espanola and was renamed "Alfonso XII". Between October 30, 1916 and February 7, 1918 she made 9 round voyages from Bilbao to Coruna, Vigo, Havana, and New York. In 1926 she was scrapped in Italy.
Source: Ted Finch who cited North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.2, p.555.
The SS Werra was built by John Elder & Co, Glasgow for Norddeutscher
Lloyd and was launched on July 4,1882. The iron-hull ship was 433.1 ft in
length, 45.9 ft in breath and had a gross weight of 4,817 tons. She had
two funnels, four masts, a single screw and traveled at a speed of 16 knots. The
ship could accommodate125 first-class, 130 second-class and 1,000 third-class
passengers. Her maiden voyage from Bremen to Southampton and New York began on
October 12, 1882 . Two years later, Ludwig and Catharina
Rudolf, together with
their nine children, boarded the Werra and arrived in the Port of New York on
October 18, 1884.
After her last voyage on this route on November 9, 1891, the Werra was transferred to the Genoa - New York run. Between December1898 and the summer of 1899 she was chartered to Spain to repatriate Spanish troops from Cuba. On September 24,.1899 she began sailing from Bremen to Southampton, New York, Naples and Genoa. Following her final voyage between Genoa, Naples and New York, which began August 28,1901, she was scrapped.
Source: Ted Finch who cited North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.2, p.552.
The Julius and Emilie Maass family sailed from Bremen on May 16, 1895 aboard the SS Oldenburg and arrived in the Port of Baltimore on May 31, 1895. According to the U. S. manifest, their last residence was Braunsforth, Pommern and their destination was a brother in Minnesota Lake, MN. It lists Julius as 48 years old, Emilie 44 and that they were traveling with their six children, Bertha 20, Anna 18, Carl 16, August 8, Hedwig 7, and Frank 4. Actually, August was 9 and Frank was 5 years old at the time. The manifest shows that they were carrying $1050.00, a significant sum of money. Julius was listed as a laborer but he had been a shepherd in Braunsforth. The original German manifest prepared in Bremen no longer exists. Emigration records for the years prior to 1910 were destroyed by city archivists for lack of storage space. The U.S. manifest was obtained from the National Archives in Washington, DC.
The German manifest indicates that the SS Rhaetia departed Germany on November 13, 1892 and sailed to New York with Capt. Ludwig at the helm. Aboard were 12 members of the Carl Erdmann Maass family, Carl 56, Wilhelmine 46, Herman 22, Emilie 20, Martha 18, Minna 12, Marie 9, Franz 7, Hedwig 5, Carl 4, Reinhard 3, and Bernardine 11 months. They were leaving their home in Hohenschönau, Pommern and sailing to America. It is curious that the ages listed for several of the children were incorrect. In November 1892, Martha would have been 17, Minna 13, Franz 8, Hedwig 6, and Bernardine 2 years old. This manifest was obtained from Film No. 0472936 (Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.)
The U. S. manifest lists the port of embarkation as Cuxhaven, a port at the mouth of the Elbe river, about 100 km (60 mi) down river from Hamburg. The Rhaetia arrived at the port of New York on November 28, 1892. Carl, Wilhelmine and their family are listed as steerage-class passengers numbered 155 through 166. Unfortunately, the ink was smeared for some members of the family. The U.S. manifest shows that the family traveled amidship in section B on the maindeck and that they had two pieces of baggage. The U. S. passenger list was obtained from the National Archives, Washington, D. C.
These two passenger lists tend to refute the story related by Maass descendants that the ship that the family sailed on was never used again after arriving in the United States. Supposedly, as the story goes, the ship they were scheduled to board was delayed for repairs. Rather than waiting two weeks for it to sail, they took passage on a ship formerly used to transport cattle, a ship that had been converted to bring German and Polish emigrants to the United States. This same story was told about the ship the Julius Maass family sailed on, which wasn't correct either.
llemania manifests
The SS Allemania sailed from Hamburg, Germany on March 19, 1882 bound for New York. The U. S. and German manifests indicate that she had a total burden of 1375 tons and carried 566 passengers. The ship arrived in New York 19 days later on April 7, 1882 with Captain Merstorff at the helm. Among the passengers were Heinrich and Johanna Lüdtke with their three children, Anna, Emilie, and Ida. They are listed as passengers numbered 410-414 on the U. S. manifest. Although Ida was listed as being 7 months old, she actually arrived in New York just two days before her first birthday. Heinrich and Johanna were leaving Zampelhagen, Pommern and were heading to the United States.
The search for the passenger list for the Lüdtke family began in 1988 and finally was successful ten years later in January 1998 after an intensive 3-day search at the National Archives by Gene and Norma Maas. Over 325 passenger lists, most with 600 to 1000 passengers, were searched in those three days alone. Perhaps as many as 200 more lists were searched in 1988. We had been told that Ida was about six months old when she came with her parents, consequently we were searching passenger lists during the wrong time frame. After assuming that they wouldn't have traveled in the winter but rather in the spring, our persistence paid off. The U. S. manifest was found on microfilm no. M-237, roll 448 (ship listing #418) obtained from the National Archives in Washington, DC. Knowing the precise dates of the voyage made it easy to obtain the German manifest which was on microfilm no. 0472917 at the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
© - Gene Maas
rev. 1 May 2008
