[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Lying about age on ship's passenger list

[Gary Warner]

To all,

My great grandmother landed in Portland, Maine in 1911 at age 
66.    She was in the company of
her daughter, and some of her grandchildren.     On the ship's record 
she is not listed in the same
group as her daughter, and is shown as only 57 years of age.   I do 
not know the reason for this, but have always assumed that someone 
told her that the officials would not let her in the country if she 
was too old. I am not sure why she was separated from her daughter, 
however, since even with her adjusted age she would still have been 
old enough to be the mother of her daughter.

Gary Warner


>-----Original Message-----
>From: ger-poland-volhynia-bounces at eclipse.sggee.org
>[mailto:ger-poland-volhynia-bounces at eclipse.sggee.org] On Behalf Of Carolyn
>Schott
>Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 11:21 PM
>To: ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org
>Subject: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Lying about age on ship's passenger list
>
>Was there any advantage for an adult to lie about their age on a ship's
>passenger list?  For a child, I can see wanting to get a lower fare.  But
>what point would there be for someone who's 31 to say they're 25?  Or for
>someone 58 to say they're 47?
>
>I think I finally found my great-grandmother - I think she traveled to
>America with her 2 married sisters and used one of the in-law's names on the
>passenger list.  The names all match...the date they arrived in the U.S.
>matches when they said they came.  But every single one of the ages is off -
>often drastically!  (i.e. not a date rounding thing.)
>
>Has anyone else seen this?
>
>Carolyn Schott
>
>
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