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From: "Ruth Carroll" <>
Subject: [G-P-L] Ship Down in 1880
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 14:31:33 -0500
References: <200310211701.h9LH1nTZ031625@lists2.rootsweb.com>


Hi friends!
I just got an old German letter from October 24, 1880 translated and I have
a question for you all.

The letter was written from Germany to the US after my grandfather emigrated
from Kreis Stolp in June of 1880 (family history says June; census documents
say 1880). The letter starts off by stating; "We received your letter
yesterday (October 23) where you tell us that you are all safe in America."

Another old letter says they landed in Baltimore, but I cannot find them in
GTA (not a surprise), in the Baltimore index to passenger arrivals (FHL FILM
#0417337 for Soundex R500 for surname RUHNOW), in the actual Baltimore
ship's manifests for arrivals from April 1880 to December 1880, nor in
either of the Hamburg lists (direct and indirect- although I suspect they
came through Bremen anyway.)

The letter that was just translated also says, in effect, that the relatives
in Germany "wept much", because they heard that the ship on which they
thought my grandfather was traveling had gone down. They were awaiting news
from the Mayor of the town in Stolp to confirm that the ship had sunk, so
they could notify the local church, when they received the letter (on
October 23, 1880) telling them that their emigrated relatives had made it
safely to America.

Here's my thought and subsequent question: How can I find out what emigrant
ships might have sunk traveling between Germany and the US around this same
time - April to September of 1880? My thought would be that if I can find a
ship that sank, I might be able to determine which port it left from and
then I may be able to track down other ships that might have sailed out
around the same time that might have had my grandfather and his parents on
it, so that I can focus my search on those ships.

Thanks for any help you all might provide!

Ruth
Volunteer for Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
http://www.RAOGK.org

Volunteer for Naperville, IL Family History Center

Chairman - Pommern Research Resource Group of Northern Illinois

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