1939 Canadian Immigration Identification Card – Third Class Passenger Documentation

📌 Explore a 1939 Canadian Immigration ID Card issued to Rose McMahon aboard the Duchess of York. This rare historical document provides insights into immigration procedures, passenger tracking, and government processing. A valuable resource for historians, genealogists, and students studying immigration history.

Front Side of a Third Class Passengers' Immigration Identification Card for Canadian Immigrant Rose McMahon on Board the Duchess of York of the Canadian Pacific Line. Stamped by Immigration Office 22 September 1939. The card Provided Information Such as the Name of the Passenger, Steamship Name, Manifest Number Where the Individual Appeared, and Inspection Stamp. GGA Image ID # 1fbc64308e

1939 Canadian Immigration Identification Card – A Window into Immigration History 🇨🇦📜🚢

The Canadian Immigration Identification Card issued in 1939 to Rose McMahon, a third-class passenger aboard the Duchess of York, is an exceptional piece of historical documentation that sheds light on immigration procedures, travel regulations, and government record-keeping practices in early 20th-century Canada.

This identification card, stamped by the Quebec Immigration Office on 22 September 1939, would have been a critical document for immigrants entering Canada, proving their legal entry and ensuring compliance with Canadian immigration policies.

For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, this document offers a rare glimpse into how immigrants were processed upon arrival. It serves as a key research artifact, helping trace family migration routes, understand immigration control measures, and analyze the movement of people across borders just before World War II.

(Third Class)

Immigration Identification Card

This Card Must Be Shown To The Examining Officer At the Port Of Arrival

Name of Passenger: McMAHON, Rose

Name of Ship: Duchess of York

Her Name appears on Return, sheet 35, line 2

Medical Examination Stamp: None

Civil Examination Stamp: Dominion Government Quebec Immigration Office 22 September 1939 U.A.L.

Back Side of Canadian Immigration Identification Card from 1939. It contained the Message, "This Card Should Be Kept Carefully. It Should Be Shown to Government Officials Whenever Required." The Message Was Translated into French, Czech, Slovak, Russian, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Swedish, Polish, Italian, and Arabic. GGA Image ID # 1fbc08a256

Why This Document is Significant

For Teachers & Students 📚

🔹 Provides historical context on pre-WWII Canadian immigration policies.

🔹 Highlights the importance of immigration identification cards in processing and monitoring immigrants.

🔹 Great for discussions on how global events like WWII affected immigration patterns.

For Genealogists 🏡

🔹 Helps confirm an ancestor’s arrival in Canada, an essential detail in family history research.

🔹 Includes ship name, immigration office stamps, and official verification details, which can be used to locate passenger lists and other travel records.

🔹 Aids in understanding an ancestor’s migration journey and legal documentation.

For Historians & Immigration Scholars 🏛

🔹 Illustrates the bureaucratic procedures used by Canada to document new arrivals.

🔹 Shows the importance of medical and civil inspections in approving immigrants.

🔹 Offers insight into how travel class (third class in this case) influenced an immigrant's experience.

Noteworthy Images & Their Significance

1. Front Side of the Immigration Identification Card (1939)

📸 Caption: "Front of the 1939 Immigration ID Card issued to third-class passenger Rose McMahon aboard the Duchess of York."

💡 Why It’s Interesting:

🔹 Provides critical information on passenger identity, ship name, and immigration processing details.

🔹 Stamped by the Dominion Government Quebec Immigration Office, proving legal entry into Canada.

🔹 Demonstrates how immigrants were officially tracked through manifest numbers and return sheets.

2. Back Side of the Immigration Identification Card (1939)

📸 Caption: "The back of the Immigration ID Card contains multilingual instructions, emphasizing its importance as an official document."

💡 Why It’s Interesting:

🔹 States: "This Card Should Be Kept Carefully. It Should Be Shown to Government Officials Whenever Required."

🔹 Multilingual translations (French, Czech, Slovak, Russian, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Swedish, Polish, Italian, and Arabic) indicate that Canada welcomed immigrants from diverse backgrounds.

🔹 Highlights the strict governmental regulations requiring immigrants to carry and present their identification when requested.

Historical Context & Relevance to Immigration Studies

1. The Role of Immigration Identification Cards

🔹 These identification cards served as an official record of entry, ensuring that immigrants could legally reside and travel within Canada.

🔹 Immigrants needed to present these cards to government officials when required, especially during employment verification, residency checks, or travel inquiries.

🔹 The presence of medical and civil examination stamps indicates that immigrants had to pass inspections before being granted entry.

2. The Duchess of York and Immigration to Canada

🔹 The Duchess of York was a Canadian Pacific Line ocean liner, which played a crucial role in carrying immigrants and passengers between Europe and North America.

🔹 Ships like the Duchess of York provided affordable third-class passage, making immigration accessible to working-class migrants.

🔹 The immigrant experience aboard third-class vessels was often starkly different from first- and second-class passengers, with longer processing times, rigorous inspections, and more crowded accommodations.

3. Canadian Immigration Policies in 1939

🔹 The late 1930s were a pivotal period for Canadian immigration, as the outbreak of World War II significantly altered global migration patterns.

🔹 Strict screening measures were in place to ensure immigrants met health, security, and economic requirements before being allowed entry.

🔹 Canadian immigration offices, such as the Quebec Immigration Office, played a central role in vetting new arrivals.

🔹 The requirement to show this ID card upon request suggests the Canadian government monitored immigrants closely, especially during wartime.

Key Takeaways for Research & Essay Writing

📌 For Students & Teachers:

🔹 Useful for examining pre-WWII immigration laws and their impact on migrants.

🔹 A great example of government documentation and travel restrictions for immigrants.

🔹 Can be used to compare past and present immigration policies in Canada.

📌 For Genealogists & Family Historians:

🔹 Helps track an ancestor’s immigration path and confirm official entry records.

🔹 Provides a starting point for researching passenger lists, manifests, and citizenship applications.

🔹 A valuable resource for those tracing European or Irish ancestors who arrived in Canada in the 1930s.

📌 For Historians & Immigration Policy Researchers:

🔹 Sheds light on how Canada documented and monitored its immigrant population.

🔹 Demonstrates the bureaucratic process immigrants had to undergo before settling in Canada.

🔹 Highlights the challenges faced by third-class immigrants in securing official documentation.

Final Thoughts: A Critical Piece of Immigration History

The 1939 Canadian Immigration Identification Card is an important historical artifact that provides insight into immigration procedures, passenger documentation, and government regulations.

For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, this document is a valuable resource in understanding how Canada managed its immigration system before WWII. The multilingual instructions on the back underscore Canada’s diverse immigrant population, while the official stamps highlight the detailed bureaucratic process involved in approving new arrivals.

🔍 How did immigration policies evolve after WWII? What role did identification cards play in shaping modern migration systems? 🤔