Between the Lines

An important aspect of genealogical research is perusing old documents. Handwritten records were common before the use of machines such as automated typewriters, so I am always hopeful that the recorder had legible penmanship.

However, the legibility of a document has not always been the only obstacle I have encountered.   Although the handwriting can be a hurdle in uncovering information in a document, sometimes what I overlook or misunderstand can hamper a finding.  I have examined the passenger list that includes my grandmother and her parents and siblings several times.  Some things just did not add up, but I assumed that what I was reading was transcription errors so I never pursued looking further, until now.

  

My great-grandparents were in all likelihood filled with mixed emotions as they began their voyage. Certainly, there was the steadfast optimism in what America had to offer, but also mixed with the anguish of leaving behind their home and extended family. 

The Saxonia typically left Liverpool with passengers from all over Europe who were bound for America.

My father’s maternal grandparents, Francisco and Quiteria Pimentel arrived at the Port of Boston on May 13, 1909 as steerage passengers aboard the S.S. Saxonia.  Traveling with them was seven of their children, six girls and one boy ranging in ages from sixteen to an infant.  The Port of Boston at the time was becoming a preferred port of entry for immigrants from Europe.  Word spread across the Atlantic that recent immigrants perceived the port as more desirable than New York because it was less expensive, the travel time was shorter, and the station for examination of new immigrants was less crowded than Ellis Island. 

The Third Class Lounge

This photograph was taken aboard the Saxonia, and shows a room the steerage passengers could occupy during their waking hours.

Recently, after receiving some new information from a family member, I decided to re-examine the ships manifest.  I had never paid much attention to the names of the children since I knew there were some mistakes in transcription. For instance, my grandmother, who was ten at the time, was listed as Josepha, but her name was Josephine.  Josephine’s sister Frances was also listed incorrectly as a boy named Francisco.  I had counted the number of children on the manifest, which is the same number as shown in a family portrait among my grandmother’s collection of photographs.

The unusual family portrait, taken in about 1913, is one that I have always found intriguing.   In the midst of the family members who were actually present for the portrait sitting, are two inserted pictures. I recall asking my grandmother about these siblings inserted into the portrait and her answer was that they were her sisters, one who was left behind in the Azores and one who had died. For some reason I misinterpreted what she meant and thought that the child left behind died in the Azores, and that is what I believed until recently.  I was wrong.

Take a close look at the portrait.  The little girl standing with her hand on her mother’s lap in the front row and the third girl from the left in the back row are the inserts.

Pimentel Family Portrait, c. 1913

Back row from left to right  Josephine, my grandmother, Maria Saccorro, Maria Jesus, Jeronima 

 Front row from left to right: Jesuina (Josie), Quiteria, Frances (Fanny), Peter, Quiteria (Kitty), Francisco (Frank)

A short time ago I learned that the little girl added to the portrait was still living in the Azores when the portrait was taken in about 1913.  In 1909 when the family left for the United States, she was left behind crying at the dock, unable to board the ship because she was sick.  Jesuina, or Josie as she was called, stayed in the Azores with her godparents and did not reunite with her family in America until she immigrated in 1916 at eleven years old.  Aunt Josie, who I fondly remember, went on to marry, have children, and live a long and happy life always living just a stone’s throw away from her sisters and brother and their families.

Maria de Jesus, the girl inserted into the back row of the portrait is listed on the 1909 ship’s manifest.  Unfortunately, all I know about her is her name, age, and occupation, listed as servant, which was gathered from information provided on the passenger list.

Maria de Jesus Pimentel was 16 when she arrived in Boston.  My mother has told me that she died aboard the ship, possibly from diphtheria, but Maria is clearly listed on the manifest when the Saxonia arrived at the Port of Boston on May 13, 1909.  If you look closely at the portrait, her sister to her right, Maria Soccorro, the second oldest child, seems to be wearing her deceased sister’s locket.

My search continues for Maria de Jesus.

In addition to information on my family, further research unearthed some interesting yet unsettling findings about the conditions that the steerage passengers endured.  Passengers traveling steerage were often looked upon as mere freight to be transported. The women and girls were frequently subject to aggressive advances by unseemly male crew and stewards. Their journey across the Atlantic was most likely a stressful and distressing event.  I cannot say that my family endured a horrible experience, but it is highly probable that they encountered at least dirty, smelly, and overcrowded conditions aboard the ship. 

Citations

Ancestry.com. Boston Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1943 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006.

"Boston's hold on immigrant traffic." n.pag. Web. 19 Apr 2012. <http://www.gjenvick.com>.
Read more: Boston Harbor - Historical Brochures, Maps and Documents Archives http://www.gjenvick.com/PortsAndHarbors/Boston/index.html#ixzz1sUn0VxV0

"Women in Steerage - Conditions called Appalling - 1909 Article Read more: Women in Steerage - Conditions called Appalling - 1909 Article http://www.gjenvick.com/Steerage/1909-WomenInSteerage-ConditionsCalledAppalling.html

""The Cunard Line’s Saxonia." N.p., n. d. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. . ." Maghera Roots Journey to the Past. Bob McNamara, n. d. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. http://www.nestorsbridge.com/maghera/saxonia-1.html