Original Sources, Derivative Sources, Exact Images, and Original Records

A few days ago, I wrote about using A Preponderance of Evidence to come to a conclusion in genealogical studies, and in that article I provided the definition of Original Source as published in The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual:

“original source:  the person or record whose information did not come from data already spoken or written .  The original is the most authoritative source .  Often, however, it no longer survives or its preservation dictates that it be examined only as an image copy (microfilm, digitized image, and so on).”

The Board for Certification of Genealogists, The BCC Genealogical Standards Manual (Orem, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, 2000), 8-9.

According to The BCC Genealogical Standards Manual, the definition of Derivative Source is:

derivative source:  a person or record that supplies information that is repeated, reproduced, transcribed, abstracted, or summarized from something already spoken or written .  Because every repetition or recopying of data is an opportunity for error, the closer the derivative is to the original the more reliable the data are likely to be.”

The Board for Certification of Genealogists, The BCC Genealogical Standards Manual (Orem, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, 2000), 9.

In 1999, a workshop on Evidence Analysis was held at the NGS Conference in the States where Helen F. M. Leary, CG, CGL, FASG, FNGS, the President of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, elaborated on these definitions .  She defined Original Source as:

“ORIGINAL SOURCE:  one that contributes written, oral, or visual information not derived from a prior written record or oral communication .  “Original” in this sense refers to the form in which the information is found or was created – not to its quality, reliability, or other characteristics.”

Helen F. M. Leary, “Part 1: Definitions” Evidence Analysis, A Workshop, 1999 NGS Conference in the States, National Genealogical Society (Arlington, Virginia: NGS, 1999).

She also defined Derivative Source as:

“DERIVATIVE SOURCE:  one that contributes information copied, transcribed, abstracted, summarized, or repeated from information in a previously existing source .  Derivatives may be created (a) contemporaneously with the source (e.g., index entries made when the deed were transcribed into the official record book) or years or centuries later (e.g., a person’s “record set: in a genealogical data base); (b) by officials in the course of performing their duties or by private parties pursuing their own interests (e.g., describing the results of a genealogical investigation); and (c) in handwritten, typed, electronically recorded, computer-generated, or exact-image form.”

Helen F. M. Leary, “Part 1: Definitions” Evidence Analysis, A Workshop, 1999 NGS Conference in the States, National Genealogical Society (Arlington, Virginia: NGS, 1999).

One other useful definition that Ms. Leary provided was for Exact Image:

“EXACT IMAGE:  the form of any record that captures its appearance and all the information it carries – as by microfilm, photograph, photocopy, or computer-scanned image .  An exact image is a DERIVATIVE SOURCE whose value depends on its technological quality (e.g., a clear, complete, unaltered reproduction of the ORIGINAL RECORD, in photocopy or microform, carries the same information) .  With the same appearance, the image can stand in place of the original.”

Helen F. M. Leary, “Part 1: Definitions” Evidence Analysis, A Workshop, 1999 NGS Conference in the States, National Genealogical Society (Arlington, Virginia: NGS, 1999).

From these definitions, Original Sources are rare, indeed .  In fact, I don’t think I have any source documents that can be considered Original Sources if Exact Images are Derivative Sources.

George Morgan and Drew Smith discussed Original Sources and Derivative Sources on the June 1, 2006 edition of the Genealogy Guys Podcast .  In that podcast, the Genealogy Guys indicated that a reproduction of an Original Source could also be considered an Original Source.

Today, in an online chat with Brenda Dougal Merriman, CG, CGL of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, I asked the Brenda whether exact images were Original Sources or Derivative Sources .  Brenda answered that exact images could be considered Original Sources, especially these days when so many Original Sources are available as digitized images.

At this point, one more definition may be useful - Original Record:

“ORIGINAL RECORD:  the first paper writing created in response to a specific event or situation .  An ORIGINAL SOURCE can be an ORIGINAL RECORD if written or electronically recorded .  An original record is unique – the can be only one “first” – and therefore irreplaceable .  The original record should not be confused with a DUPLICATE ORIGINAL or an OFFICIAL COPY .  Although “original” is sometimes used to refer to any record of which a copy has been made or from which information has been taken, a more-appropriate term in those case in simply SOURCE”

Helen F. M. Leary, “Part 1: Definitions” Evidence Analysis, A Workshop, 1999 NGS Conference in the States, National Genealogical Society (Arlington, Virginia: NGS, 1999).

There are some conflicting views here .  Is an Exact Image an Original Source or a Derivative Source?

Tomorrow:  New Definitions of Original Source and Derivative Source (A Proposal)

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Complete, Accurate Citations

The Genealogical Proof Standard requires a complete, accurate citation of sources .  While finding the sources in the first place may be a more difficult task than citing the sources, even the most skilled genealogists get stumped from time-to-time on how to format source citations.

Why should this task be so difficult?  Many publishers and professional organizations have style guides for publication that include proper citation of sources .  Different organizations have adopted different conventions and formats for citing sources and, in general, one format is not necessarily better than another format.

Genealogical sources suffer from the complication that, rather than simply being references to books and journals, these sources are incredibly varied and usually not cited as sources in fields other than genealogy .  Just as researchers in other fields have citation style guides for their particular professions, so do genealogists:

Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian.  Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Mills, Elizabeth Shown . Quicksheet: Citing Online Historical Resources. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2005.

In Evidence!, Elizabeth Shown Mills mentions that the citation examples provided therein are based on The Chicago Manual of Style (The Chicago Manual of Style. 14th edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993) .  Even with these resources, the best way to cite a genealogical source is not always straightforward.

To start with, Elizabeth Shown Mills provides examples for three different formats:  Primary Citation (Endnotes or Footnotes), Subsequent Citations (Endnotes or Footnotes) and Bibliographic Entry .  Which of these formats should be used depends on the context and intent.

Whenever I make a copy of a document, I include source information directly on the copy .  But which format (Endnotes/Footnotes or Bibliography) is more suitable for this purpose, since the source citation is not for either of those purposes?

The citation formats for endnotes or footnotes generally include page numbers while the format for a bibliography does not .  For that reason alone, I would generally format the citation according to the Endnotes/Footnotes format.

Let’s look at some actual examples of source citations for the documents I used to evaluate Great Aunt Mary’s birthdate:

Birth and Baptismal Record

Book of Births and Baptisms, 1884: entry 5, Church of the Immaculate Heart of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Dubiecko, Poland

Hamburg Emigration Record

Marjanna Danko entry; SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, June 16, 1909, line 830; in Hamburg Emigration Lists 1850-1934, Volumes 209-211, Direct Lists, microfilm 473,001, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

Passenger Arrival List

Marianna Danko entry; SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria Passenger Manifest, June 26, 1909, page 36, line 4; Micropublication T715 (Washington: National Archives), roll 1293, frames 513-514.

The 1910 Census

Samuel Carsenberg household, 1910 U.S. census, Worcester county, Massachusetts, population schedule, city of Worcester, enumeration district 1880, supervisor’s district 119, sheet 6B, dwelling 39, family 98; National Archives micropublication T624, roll 632.

The 1920 Census

Paul Golinski household, 1920 U.S. census, Worcester county, Massachusetts, population schedule, city of Worcester, enumeration district 193, supervisor’s district 3, sheet 22A, dwelling 194, family 470; National Archives micropublication T625, roll 749.

The 1930 Census

Paul Golinski household, 1930 U.S. census, Worcester county, Massachusetts, population schedule, city of Worcester, enumeration district 14-23, supervisor’s district 8, sheet 1A, dwelling 3, family 3; National Archives micropublication T626, roll 968.

Marriage Record for Paul Golinski and Mary Danko – 1915

Copy of Record of Marriage, October 4, 1915, Barre, Massachusetts, register no. 23, vol. 633, page 358, Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, Dorchester, Massachusetts.

The citations above are based on the examples in Elizabeth Shown Mills’ Evidence!, but the citations for the passenger lists and the census records don’t indicate that I actually found these documents online, not on microfilm .  Also, there are two confusing citations listed here:  the 1910 Census recordis cited as “Samuel Carsenberg household” not as “Mary Danko”, and the citation for the record of marriage doesn’t list the names of the bride and groom.

Perhaps these issues will be better resolved in Elizabeth Shown Mills’ Quicksheet or in the next edition of Evidence!

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Genealogical Proof Standard

When evaluating the quality of genealogical information and the sources in which that information appears, genealogists are often confronted with conflicting data .  Thus, the concept of a preponderance of the evidence has been adopted from the legal profession and applied to genealogical analysis, whereby the accuracy of information and the reliability of the sources must be evaluated in order to come to a conclusion.

For genealogists, the evidence must be carefully evaluated and documented before coming to a conclusion about a genealogical fact or event .  The Board for Certification of Genealogists has established the Genealogical Proof Standard as a guideline for evaluating the credibility of genealogical data.

The Genealogical Proof Standard states that:

“(a)  We conduct a reasonably exhaustive search in reliable sources for all information that is or may be pertinent to the identity, relationship, event, or situation in question;

(b)  We collect and include in our compilation a complete, accurate citation to the source or sources of each item of information we use;

(c)  We analyze and correlate the collected information to assess its quality as evidence;

(d)  We resolve any conflicts caused by items of evidence that contradict each other or are contrary to a proposed (hypothetical) solution to the question; and

(e)  We arrive at a soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion.”

The Board for Certification of Genealogists, The BCC Genealogical Standards Manual (Orem, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, 2000), 1-2.

So, what does all this mean?

In short, the Genealogical Proof Standard is a guideline for evaluating the preponderance of the evidence .  The five tenets of the Genealogical Proof Standard require that the genealogist find all relevant information, document the sources of that information, analyze the information and evaluate the quality of the information, resolve any conflicts between different sources of information, and come to a conclusion.

That’s quite a job!  Obtaining from reliable sources all information relevant to the genealogical question at hand is no small task .  Even assuming that one has obtained all relevant information, the next step is equally daunting:  properly citing the sources.

Tomorrow:  Citing the Sources of Information on Great Aunt Mary’s Birthdate

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A Preponderance of Evidence

In attempting to determine my Great Aunt Mary’s birthdate, I had to acquire a large number of documents and evaluate the birth information contained therein .  In U.S. civil courts, the idea of “preponderance of the evidence” is often used to decide cases, while in criminal courts, the concept of “beyond a reasonable doubt” is required to convict.

In genealogy, we are often unable to come to a conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt and must rely on a preponderance of the evidence .  This preponderance does not simply refer to the amount of evidence, but rather to the likely truth and accuracy of the evidence.

With the evidence that I uncovered to determine Great Aunt Mary’s birthdate, it became clear that the evidence supported two different birthdates: January 12, 1884 and March 12, 1887 .  By far, the date March 12, 1887 is supported by the greater number of documents, but none of the documents supporting this date provides primary information about Great Aunt Mary’s birthdate .  Primary information is:

“data contributed by a knowledgeable eyewitness to or participant in the event that is the subject of the record or by an official whose duties included making a full, accurate record of it.”

The Board for Certification of Genealogists, The BCC Genealogical Standards Manual (Orem, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, 2000), 9

In addition to the requirement that the record be made by an eyewitness, participant, or official, the record should have been made close to the same time and place as the event and should have been recorded accurately and without bias.

Furthermore, many of the sources for Great Aunt Mary’s birthdate are not original sources .  An original source is:

“the person or record whose information did not come from data already spoken or written .  The original is the most authoritative source .  Often, however, it no longer survives or its preservation dictates that it be examined only as an image copy (microfilm, digitized image, and so on).”

The Board for Certification of Genealogists, The BCC Genealogical Standards Manual (Orem, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, 2000), 8-9

Let’s examine the sources for Great Aunt Mary’s birthdate:

  1. Marianna’s Birth and Baptismal Record, a Church Record from Poland
  2. Marjanna’s Hamburg Passenger Record
  3. Marianna’s Passenger Arrival List
  4. The 1910 Census
  5. The 1920 Census
  6. The 1930 Census
  7. The Copy of Record of Marriage
  8. The Return of a Birth for Mary’s son John
  9. Mary’s Petition for Naturalization
  10. Mary’s SS-5 Application for Social Security Account and Tax Number
  11. The Social Security Death Index
  12. Information from Mary’s daughter Fran
  13. Mary’s Cemetery Burial Record
  14. Mary’s Gravestone Epitaph

The only document that contains primary information on Mary’s birthdate is the Birth and Baptismal Record, a Church Record from Poland .  All other documents provide secondary information because they were not recorded by an eyewitness, participant, or official whose duty it was to record the event .  Sure, Mary was a participant in the event, but she is not likely to have remembered the actual event when she provided her birthdate for later documents .  Furthermore, only Mary’s Birth and Baptismal Record was prepared at the time and place the event occurred.

None of these sources are original sources .  By definition, an original source contains information not derived from some other source .  Only one original can exist.

Several of these sources are exact images (microfilm copies, photocopies, photographs), but they are also derivative sources . Â Derivative sources are copies of the originals, but exact images can be the excellent sources if the quality of the image is high and the image is unaltered .  Mary’s Birth and Baptismal Record is an exact image of an original source (a church register in Dubiecko, Poland) .  Mary’s Petition for Naturalization is also an exact image of an original source.

The rest of the sources are derivative sources generated by transcription, information passed on verbally or information passed on in writing.

The birth information provided in the exact image of the original source of Mary’s Birth and Baptismal Record is by far the highest quality source for Mary’s birthdate, since this record contains primary information .  While Mary’s Petition for Naturalization is also an exact image of an original source, the Petition does not contain primary information about Mary’s birth.

Tomorrow:  The Genealogical Proof Standard

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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Mary Golinski’s Petition for Naturalization

Great Aunt Mary’s birthdate is either January 12, 1884 or March 12, 1887, depending on whether one consults the documents generated prior to her immigration or the documents generated after her arrival in the United States.

One nagging question, however, is:  are the birth/baptismal certificate, the Hamburg Emigration List, and the Ellis Island Passenger Arrival List for the same Mary Danko who married Paul Golinski in 1915?  If not, I have obtained the records for two different people.

While in Boston in July, I obtained Mary Danko’s Certificate of Arrival and Mary Golinski’s Petition for Naturalization .  If these two documents are for the same person, all the documents I have are for the same Mary (Danko) Golinski.

Mary Golinski Petition Front

Petition for Naturalization for Mary Golinski – Front

Mary Golinski Petition Back

Petition for Naturalization for Mary Golinski – Back

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Petition for Naturalization for Mary Golinski – 1941 .  The Petition was filed under Section 310(b) of the Nationality Act of 1940 which states that a woman could petition for naturalization without filing a Declaration of Intention if she was married to a citizen and lived continuously in the United States since her marriage .  Mary Golinski’s Petition for Naturalization states that:

  • Mary Golinski’s Petition for Naturalization No. 33772 was filed in the Superior Court of Massachusetts at Worcester
  • She lived at 11 Prescott Pl. Worcester, mass. and was a housewife
  • She was 54 years old, and was born on march 12, 1887 in Galigo [Galicia], Poland
  • She was a white female, with medium complexion, brown eyes and brown hair
  • She was 4 feet 10 inches tall, 100 pounds, with no visible distinctive marks, whose nationality was Polish
  • She was married to Paul Golinski on October 4, 1915 in Barre, Mass.
  • Her husband was born in Sliwnica, Austria on Dec. 18, 1888, entered the United States at New York, N. Y. on May 20, 1913, and resided at Worcester, Mass.
  • Mary’s husband was naturalized on Oct. 2, 1939 at Worcester, Mass. and his Certificate of Naturalization was No. 4735161
  • Mary had five children:  Victoria Mary (f) born July 19, 1916 at Barre, Mass.; Frances Wanda (f) Aug. 25, 1918; John (m) Jan. 2, 1922; Josephine (f) Sept. 24, 1925; Joseph (m) Jan. 26, 1928; the last four were born at Worcester, Mass . and all five children were living at Worcester, Massachusetts
  • Mary’s last place of foreign residence was Niedowa [Nienadowa], Poland
  • She emigrated to the United States from Hamburg, Germany and lawfully entered the United States at New York, N. Y. under the name of Marianna Danko on June 26, 1909 on the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria
  • Since her lawful entry, she had not been absent from the United States for a period of 6 months or longer
  • She had resided continuously in the Untied States for at least 3 years immediately preceding the date of her petition, namely since June 26, 1909
  • She had not previously made Petition for Naturalization and filed the current petition under Section 310 b
  • She did not ask for a change of name
  • Sophie Zamoita, a housewife residing at 12 Prescott Place, Worcester, Massachusetts, and Frances E. Swenson, a laundress residing at 128 Prescott Street, Worcester, Massachusetts signed affidavits as witnesses of her character, having known her since 1935
  • The Petition for Naturalization was signed at Worcester, Mass. on June 25, 1941 and was accompanied by Certificate of Arrival No. 1-292585 by the petitioner, the witnesses and by Philip S. Smith, Deputy Clerk, with the typed name of William C. Bowen, Clerk
  • Mary Golinski singed the Oath of Allegiance on September 30, 1941, as witnessed by William C. Bowen, Clerk, and Carl [Grunslit]
  • Mary’s Petition for Naturalization was granted on Line No . 41 of List No. 4-5 and Certificate No. 5374214

The information on Mary Golinski’s Petition for Naturalization ties her convincingly to the Hamburg Emigration List and the Ellis Island Passenger Arrival List for Marianna Danko, born in 1883-1884 .  The emigration and immigration documents also agree with the birth and baptismal record for Marianna Danko, born on January 12, 1884 in Nienadowa, Galicia.

The evidence indicates that Great Aunt Mary was born on January 12, 1884 .  After she arrived in the United States, Great Aunt Mary apparently changed her date of birth to March 12, 1887 .  Perhaps she just didn’t want her future husband to know she was nearly five years older than he was!

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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Great Aunt Mary’s Certificate of Arrival

I have been trying to learn when my Great Aunt Mary was born .  I have examined a number of sources and have learned the following:

  • Marianna’s Birth and Baptismal Record, a Church Record from Poland, shows that her birth date was January 12, 1884
  • Marjanna’s Hamburg Passenger Record, shows that she was 25 years old in 1909, indicating that she was born in 1883-1884
  • Marianna’s Passenger Arrival List, shows that she was 25 years old when she arrived at Ellis Island on June 26, 1909 and indicating that she was born in 1883-1884
  • The 1910 Census indicated that Mary was 22 years old, suggesting that she was born in 1887-1888
  • The 1920 Census indicated that Mary was 32 years old, suggesting that she was born in 1887-1888
  • The 1930 Census indicated that Mary was 42 years old, suggesting that she was born in 1887-1888
  • The Copy of Record of Marriage shows that she was 28 years old on October 4, 1915, indicating that she was born in 1886-1887
  • The Copy of Record of Birth for Mary’s daughter Victoria does not show Mary’s age or date of birth
  • The Return of a Birth for Mary’s son John shows that Mary was 33 years old on January 2, 1922, indicating that she was born in 1888-1889
  • Mary’s SS-5 Application for Social Security Account and Tax Number shows that she was born on March 12, 1887
  • The Social Security Death Index shows that Mary was born on March 12, 1887
  • Information from Mary’s daughter Fran, indicated that Mary was born on March 12, 1887
  • The Massachusetts Death Index does not show Mary’s birth date
  • Mary’s Cemetery Burial Record shows that Mary was born in about 1886-1887
  • Mary’s Gravestone Epitaph shows that Mary was born in 1887

All of the records generated before Mary arrived in the United States are consistent with the date of birth on her baptismal record:  January 12, 1884.

In general, the records generated after Mary arrived in the United States are consistent with the date of birth provided to me by her daughter, Fran:  March 12, 1887.

So, I began to question whether the earlier records were for my Great Aunt Mary, or for another Mary Danko .  While in Boston in July, I found two more records that may help to resolve this issue.

The first of these documents is the Certificate of Arrival for Marianna Danko .  The Certificate of Arrival was a document generated during the Naturalization process to prove that the immigrant had legally entered the United States and had been a resident for the required number of years .  The Certificate of Arrival was filed with Marianna’s Naturalization Papers.

The Certificate of Arrival for Marianna Danko

The Certificate of Arrival for Marianna Danko

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Certificate of Arrival for Marianna Danko .  The Certificate shows that Marianna Danko entered the United States at the port of New York, N.Y. on June 26, 1909 on the SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria .  This document is clearly the Certificate of Arrival for the Marianna Danko whose birthdate is January 12, 1884 .  The question remains, however, can I connect this Certificate of Arrival with my Great Aunt Mary (Danko) Golinski?

Tomorrow:  Tying it all together

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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More Photos from Verdun

A few days ago I posted some photographs that Lewis Michaels shot while in Verdun, the site of one of the costliest battles of World War I .  Today, I’m posting some of my own photos from Verdun .  A map of the area shows the locations of Douaumont and Fleury.

 Verdun Memorial

The Verdun Memorial

The Verdun Memorial is a museum that depicts the devastation that was wrought on the area during the battle at Verdun .  The museum includes artifacts from World War I, dioramas depicting the battle, and audio-video presentations about the War.

Verdun Bunkers

Observation Posts and the French Flag

Lewis and I both took several photos of the observation posts at Verdun .  This area moved from French control to German control and back again several times during the battle .  Today, the French flag provides a stirring reminder of how much this battle cost the French defenders.

National Cemetery

The French National Cemetery

In front of the Douaumont Ossuary is the French National Cemetery .  Some 15,000 French soldiers are buried here in graves marked by a white cross with a nameplate and a rose planted in front of the cross .  Muslim soldiers are buried under a gravestone facing towards Mecca.

Fleury

The Village of Fleury-devant-Douaumont

The village of Fleury is one of nine villages that were never rebuilt after the war .  The ground is still full of ammunition and metal and the landscape remains cratered to this day from the intensive bombardment of the area .  A small chapel has been built on the site and the location of streets, homes, and shops are marked with signs as a memorial to this once thriving village.

The battle of Verdun was a war of attrition:  German General Erich von Falkenhayn intended to “bleed France white” in order to weaken their resistance .  In the end, both the French and German armies were decimated.

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko

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John Jwanauski’s Passenger Manifest

I had previously searched for John Jwanauski’s passenger manifest at the Ellis Island Records site and at Stephen Morse’s site without success .  I also couldn’t find his name by scrolling through all the pages of the manifest one-by-one .  Finally, I searched the Record of Aliens Held for Special Inquiry and the Record of Detained Aliens which followed the passenger manifests .  There, in the Record of Detained Aliens, I found a Jonas Iwanauskis .  Why couldn’t I find the record when I searched every page of the manifest?

The Record of Detained Aliens states that Jonas Iwanauskis was on the manifest as a member of group 3, Number 24 .  This means that Jonas Iwanauskis is on list 3, line 24 of the manifests for alien passengers .  I started at the beginning of the manifest and scrolled past the lists of US Citizens and the lists of Second-Cabin Aliens to reach the lists of Alien Passengers in Steerage .  There, on list 3, line 24, was Jonas .  Apparently, the reason I didn’t recognize the name the first time is that I was looking for John Jwanauski .  The name on the manifest appears to be Jonas Franauskis, since the “Jw” at the start of the name looks a lot like “Fr” .  But, that’s OK, I’ve found the manifest now.

Jwanauskis manifest page 1

Page 1 of the Passenger Manifest for Jonas Jwanauskis – 1912

  Jwanauskis Page 2

Page 2 of the Passenger Manifest for Jonas Jwanauskis – 1912

Click on the link for a PDF copies of the Passenger Manifest for Jonas Jwanauskis 1912 .  The manifest states that:

  • Jonas Jwanauskis departed from Bremen on December 3, 1912 on the S.S. Grosser Kurfurst and arrived in New York on December 15, 1912
  • Jonas is listed on List 3 of the alien passengers in steerage, line 24
  • Jonas was a single male, 17 years old
  • His occupation was farm lab [farm laborer]
  • Jonas could read and write
  • He was a Lithuanian of Russian nationality and his last permanent residence was Poporcie, Russia
  • The nearest relative in the country he left was his mother [?] Jwanauskis in Poporcie, Kovno
  • His destination was Scitico, Conn.
  • It’s not clear whether or not he held a ticket to his final destination
  • His passage was paid by his brother-in-law and he had no cash
  • He had not previously been in the United States
  • He was planning to join his brother-in-law, Paul [Dovoicis], Box 16, Scitico, Conn.
  • His health was good and he was not a cripple
  • He was 5 feet, 1 inch tall, with fair complexion, blond hair, and blue eyes
  • He had no marks of identification
  • He was born in Poporcie

My best guess at Jonas’ place of birth and residence is Poporcie, Russia, now known as Paparciai, Kauno, Lithuania .  This village is not far from Kovno, Russia, now known as Kaunas, Kauno, Lithuania.

Jonas stated that he was traveling to Scitico, Connecticut, which is not far from Springfield, Massachusetts .  Springfield was his destination when he was discharged from the U.S. Army at the end of World War I .  The Record of Detained Aliens, however, stated that Jonas’ brother-in-law lived in Harrisville, Connecticut, not Scitico.

The fact that Jonas had no cash with him explains why he was detained .  He had to wait at Ellis Island until his brother-in-law sent money so he could finish his journey.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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John Jwanauski Detained at Ellis Island

In John Jwanauski’s Declaration of Intention to become a citizen of the United States, he stated that, when he was 20 years old, he left his birthplace of Kovno, Russia, set sail from Bremen, Germany on the Grosser Kurfurst and, on December 15, 1912, arrived at the port of New York.This information should be more than enough to find John’s name on the Ellis Island passenger manifest .  A search of the Ellis Island Records generated no results for John Jwanauski or different variants of his surname (Ewanauski, Jwanauskis, etc.).

The S.S. Grosser Kurfurst

The S.S. Grosser Kurfurst

A search of Stephen Morse’s website also resulted in no matches for the surname or surname variants .  Finally, I decided to take a brute force approach to finding John Jwanauski in the Ellis Island passenger manifest for the S.S. Grosser Kurfurst arriving on December 15, 1912.

Stephen Morse’s website allows for a Ship Lists search when some information about the ship, or the date of arrival is known .  Since John Jwanauski provided the name of the ship, the date of arrival, and the port of entry, it was a simple matter to find the correct passenger manifest.

I searched Stephen Morse’s Ship Lists for:

  • Arrived between December 1, 1912 and December 31, 1912
  • Ship name starts with or is Grosser Kurfurst

One result appeared: Â Series T715, Roll 1991, Volume 4479, Year 1912, Month December, Day 15, Frame 316, Ship Grosser Kurfurst (Grosser Kurfuerst), Port Bremen, FHL Roll 1400675 .  Everything seems to match .  So far, so good.

Clicking on the ship’s name brought me to the first frame of the microfilm for the Grosser Kurfurst .  I searched the entire manifest for a name that looked like Jwanauski .  The search totaled 2 pages of United States Citizens, 4 pages of Second-Cabin Aliens, and 54 pages of Aliens in Steerage, a total of 212 frames of microfilm .  I did not find John Jwanauski in the manifest.

On frame 548, the Record of Aliens Held for Special Inquiry began, and on frame 551, the Record of Detained Aliens began .  Rather than being hand-written, as were the passenger manifests, most of these pages were type-written .  Detained passenger #35 was Jonas Iwanauskis – I found him!

John Jwanauski Detained

Record of Detained Aliens – Jonas Iwanauskis

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Record of Detained Aliens for Jonas Iwanauskis – 1912 .  The record states that:

  • Jonas Iwanauskis was listed as detained passenger #35 on list 121 for the S.S. Grosser Kurfurst (frame #552 on the microfilm)
  • Jonas was in Manifest Group 3, No. 24 and there was traveling alone
  • Jonas was detained “To tel $”, which meant that he did not have enough money and had to phone someone for money to complete his journey
  • Jonas phoned his brother-in-law, Paul [Downi ?] in Harrisville, Ct
  • Jonas was discharged at 12 noon on December 17, after being served 2 breakfasts, 2 dinners, and 2 suppers on Ellis Island

The reason Jonas was detained – to telephone for money – was fairly common .  When an alien would arrive in New York, he or she would simply telephone his or her contact in America and the contact would wire money to New York .  In other cases, aliens were detained until someone physically came to assist them in New York.

For more information on the Record of Aliens Held for Special Inquiry and the Record of Detained Aliens, see the previous entries on A New Look at Immigrant Passenger Manifests and Detained Passengers and the Board of Special Inquiry.

Tomorrow: Â Why couldn’t I find Jonas Iwanauskis (John Jwanauski) in the Passenger Manifest?

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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A Visit to Verdun, France

John Jwanauski served in the U.S. Army in World War I .  He was stationed in the Gérardmer Sector, Vosges, France and was deployed in the Meuse Argonne Offensive, the battle that led to Germany’s signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918 .  Today, November 11 is celebrated in the United States as Veteran’s Day and in Canada as Remembrance Day.

Several years ago I traveled to France and visited Verdun, site of one of the worst battles of World War I .  Verdun is located not far from the location of the Meuse Argonne Offensive that ended the war with Germany .  The treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, and the final peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire (today known as the Republic of Turkey) was signed at Lausanne on July 24, 1923.

Bunkers

World War I Bunkers at Verdun
Photograph copyright 2001 by Lewis Michaels, used with permission

The trip was an adventure, not only because it was my first trip to France, but because I flew there shortly after the terrorist attacks on America .  My flight to Paris was cancelled and I had to book a flight on another airline .  While in Europe, SwissAir went bankrupt, and again my flight was cancelled .  Then, the day before I was to return home, the United States invaded Afghanistan.

Bunkers with Barbed Wire

Bunkers and Barbed Wire at Verdun
Photograph copyright 2001 by Lewis Michaels, used with permission

I toured France with Lewis Michaels, a colleague from work .  Lewis served as my tour guide and interpreter in France and arranged for us to visit Verdun .  I was completely unprepared for what I saw there .  The Battle of Verdun lasted from February 21, 1916 to December 1916 .  During that time 26,000,000 bombs were dropped on the area, and at the end of the battle, 300,000 French and German soldiers were missing.

Graves at Douaumont

Steve in the Douaumont Cemetery
Photograph copyright 2001 by Lewis Michaels, used with permission

Much of the area is maintained as a memorial to the battle .  Craters where the bombs fell are still in evidence .  Unexploded shells are still found in the woods surrounding the area .  The Douaumont Ossuary and Cemetery was constructed as the final resting place of those French and German soldiers killed in the battle, with the remains of those who could not be identified interred in the Ossuary.

The Douaumont Ossuary

The Douaumont Ossuary
Photograph copyright 2001 by Lewis Michaels, used with permission

Tomorrow:  Searching for John Jwanauski in the Ellis Island Records

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