22 December 2012

Relationships in an 1857 Manifest

Manifest entry Ulfert Albers and apparent family, on Steamer Hansa, arriving in New York, manifest dated 2 May 1857, obtained on Ancestry.com citing NARA microfilm publication M237; Microfilm Roll: 173; lines 105-108. Ancestry.com refers to this steamer as the "Hausa."
Relationships on a 19th century manifest?

It is highly unusual, but apparently it did happen--at least in this 1857 list.

There can be a great deal of variation in United States passenger lists. This one from 1857 is atypical in that it gives relationships among various members of the Albers family. It indicates that 44 year old Ontje is "his wife," 22 year old William is "their son," and 20 year old Lubbe is also "their son." Their previous residence of Wrisse is also indicated on the manifest.

One never knows what one will find in a record until one looks. Most manifests from this time period do not provide this level of detail.

How accurate the relationships are is another matter entirely.

[Ontje--actually Antje--is the sister of my 3rd great-grandfather Johann Luken Jurgens Ehmen Goldenstein (1814-1891).]