Family Find: Much More Than a Passenger List

When we hear the words "passenger list," what comes to mind is a piece of paper with just a long list of names.  But, passenger lists are so much more.  They can be a great way to discover how our ancestors came to this country and from which country they emigrated, but there can also be a vast amount of other information provided.  While it's great to find names and dates, it's the weaving together of all the facts that recreate our ancestors' stories.

To continue my genealogy education, I've been listening to the Tracing Immigrant Origins Study Group videos in DearMyrtle's Genealogy Community (note:  these videos are archived so you can still view them).  In the first session, a general overview was provided and an introduction to Passenger Lists was discussed.  For the second session, passenger lists will be discussed in more detail so our homework in preparation for that discussion was to locate a passenger list for one of our ancestors and do a blog post about our findings.  DearMyrtle does a great job of bringing everyone into the discussion so we can all learn from each other.

So, without further delay, here is the passenger list for my grandmother, Mattia Lentine:

Source:  "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 22 Oct 2015), passenger list, S.S. Calabria,  Arrival Date: 3 Nov 1913; Arrival: New York, New York, ancestry filmstrip page 452; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 2214; Line: 25; Page Number: 32, Mattia Lentine, age 4 (provided in association with National Archives and Records Administration(NARA)).

At the age of 4 years old, Mattia left her home in Marsala, Trapani, Sicily, Italy with her mother Rosalie LoGrasso - a 28 year old housewife who could neither read nor write - and traveled 55 miles to Palermo.  The nearest relative remaining in Sicily was Rosalie's father, Antonino LoGrasso.  On 17 October 1913, they boarded the S.S. Calabria in Palermo and began their long trek to the United States...17 days at sea in total.   Three days into their trip, Mattia turned 5 years old and I wonder how they would have celebrated her birthday on the ship.

But then, as I reviewed this document more closely, I noticed a stamp next to my great-grandmother's name and I got chills.  She had been hospitalized during the voyage.  My heart sank as I thought about what this might have been like.  It would have been terrifying for both of them.  I don't know if they would have been separated or who would have taken care of Mattia while her mother was ill.  Thankfully, Rosalie was discharged and they both arrived safely in the U.S.

Trying to move on to happier thoughts, I turned to page 2 to see more about their arrival.  On 3 November 1913, they arrived into the Port of New York in good health and stepped foot on U.S. soil for the first time.  The relative they would join here was Mattia's father, Pietro Lentine at 1520 Low (likely Lowe) Ave. in Chicago Heights, Illinois.  They already had self-paid tickets to Chicago and $25 cash.  The immigration officer listed Rosalie as being 5' 4" tall with fair complexion and brown eyes and hair.  Mattia's height was not listed, but she also was listed with fair skin and brown eyes and hair.

Source:  "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 22 Oct 2015), passenger list, S.S. Calabria,  Arrival Date: 3 Nov 1913; Arrival: New York, New York, ancestry filmstrip page 453; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 2214; Line: 25; Page Number: 32, Mattia Lentine, age 4 (provided in association with National Archives and Records Administration(NARA)).

Now, moving forward I must search for records in Chicago as I haven't yet found any there.  And, I can try to trace back in Sicily to get back to prior generations.  Although page one of the passenger list did not note the full address for Mattia's grandfather, I may have some other potential clues in this record.  I can see that several people on this voyage were from the same town, Marsala.  Looking at the arrival information on the second page, I see quite a few that were also destined for Chicago.  Using the FAN club (or, Friends, Associates and Neighbors), I may be able to find a connection between some of these people and my family and if so, that may help me find more information in Sicily.

So, I've got a lot more work to do, but it's great to have this passenger list to help tell the story of my grandmother and great-grandmother's journey to the United States. It is so much more than just a list of names.  I hope you find this post interesting, but also I hope it helps you to remember to absorb all of the information in these documents.  It is so easy to search and grab the names and dates that we need for our database and forget about the rest, but within those tidbits of information is where the richness of the story resides.

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