Immigration Records

Johann Cornelius Jacob Jurgens is the immigrant ancestor for the Jurgens family line.

Why He Emigrated

Johann Jurgens was a successful lithographer in Germany, as recalled by one of his grandsons. Lithography is a printmaking process in which a design is drawn onto a flat stone (or prepared metal plate, usually zinc or aluminum) and affixed by means of a chemical reaction.

Johann's goal in coming to the United States was to earn more money and greater worldwide recognition. His career is explored in later blogs.

First Arrival in United States

On August 3, 1887, Johann Jurgens sailed from Hamburg to New York on the S.S. Taormina, a ship that was in service as of 1884 and sunk in 1917. The ship manifest lists Joh. Jurgens, age 30, occupation lithograph, citizenship Prussia, one piece of luggage, and was in an aft (rear) compartment 3. The ship arrived in New York City on August 18, 1887.

A very important piece of information on the ship manifest is that Johann's residence was Meiningen, Sachsen-Meiningen, Germany (west of Frankfurt). More on Meiningen in my blog Johann Jurgens's Life in Germany.

As we will see in the Family Records blog, Johann married his first wife in March 1886, but then emigrated to the U.S. one year later.

Once in the U.S., Johann filed a petition to show his intent to become a U.S. citizen. The petition was dated September 8, 1887.

Naturalization petition of intent to become a U.S. citizen.

Second Arrival in United States

Johann Jurgens didn't finalize his U.S. citizenship until 1906.  He went back to Germany at some point between 1891 and 1893, when his first child was conceived. He stayed there until 1899, when he brought his family to the U.S. (In March of 1891, there is a photo of Johann and his first wife taken in Buffalo, New York. See the Family Photographs blog post.)

The family left Hamburg, Germany, on December 3, 1899. Johann, age 43, was accompanied by his first wife, Margaretha, age 40, and son, Ernst, age 5. They sailed second class on the S.S. Patricia. His occupation was lithograph.

The 1900 census contradicts this information. Their immigration year is shown as 1893 and Ernst's birthplace as New Jersey, but his 1950 census shows his birthplace as Germany. I verified his actual birth by finding Ernst's birth record in Altona, Germany. Please refer to my Family Records of Johann Jurgens blog for that birth record.

Index to Johann's naturalization.

Naturalization petition filed in September, 1906

Naturalization Certificate, September 24, 1906

Third Arrival in United States

Johann requested a U.S. passport in March, 1910, to make a trip in April, 1910, to Hamburg. He made arrangements to bring the El Dorado Carousel to New York. See my separate blog on the carousel.

Passport application filed March 30, 1910.

Johann's passport application in 1910 gives his physical description. At 53 years of age, he was 5 feet 5 inches tall, with a high forehead, light blue eyes, straight nose, small and even mouth, round chin, light hair sprinkled with gray, light complexion, and an oval face.

Johann's passport in 1910

The El Dorado Carousel was loaded onto the S.S. Cleveland, leaving Hamburg on June 2, 1910. This ship served the ports of Hamburg, New York, Cuxhaven, Southampton, and Cherbourg.

The ship manifest lists Johann Jurgens, age 53, an American residing in New York, whose occupation was zeichner or draftsman, sailing second class.

S.S. Cleveland, a German transatlantic ocean liner, 1908-1933

Fourth Arrival in United States

In 1918, Johann prepared to move with his son, Hans, to Havana, Cuba, for a duration of not more than two years to take a lithographic position at La Compania Litografica de la Habana. He requested a new passport for the trip.

Passport renewal request page 1.

Passport renewal request page 2.
Passport renewal request page 3.

Passport renewal request page 4.

Passport renewal request page 5.

Passport extension request.

Johann must have gone back and forth between the U.S. and Cuba. There is a passenger arrival record  in October, 1919 (see below). Yet in April, 1920, Johann requested an additional one-year extension on his passport related to his travel to Cuba. This extension request was made with a Clinton, South Carolina, residence, although the documents state he will move back to New York after Cuba.

Ship arrival to New York from Cuba in October, 1919,


Passport extension request in April, 1920.

References:

Naturalization records via Ancestry.com.

Passenger records from Hamburger Passenger Records on Ancestry.com.

Passport records from Ancestry.com and personal records.

Photo of S.S. Cleveland from Wikipedia.





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