RMS Campania (1910): A Third-Class Voyage to America – A Rare Immigrant Ticket Receipt

📌 Discover a rare 1910 third-class passenger receipt for Henry Youds aboard the RMS Campania, documenting his transatlantic voyage from Liverpool to New York. This historical artifact sheds light on early 20th-century immigration, shipboard conditions, and the financial realities of transatlantic travel. Essential reading for genealogists, historians, and maritime enthusiasts! 🚢

Cunard Line RMS Campania Ticket Recipt for Third Class Passage, from Liverpool to New York, 4 June 1910. GGA Image ID # 1f9f5eaad0

Purchaser Receipt Summary

• Date of Purchase / Voyage: 4 June 1910
• Steamship Line: Cunard Steam Ship Company, Ltd.
• Steamship: RMS Campania
• Route: Liverpool to New York
• Ticket Type: Purchaser Receipt
• Voyage Class: Third Class
• Name on Contract: Henry Youds
• Etnicity of Passenger(s): British
• Contract Terms: Limited
• Cost of Ticket: $37.75 / $1,060.00 USD in 2020

Purchaser Receipt Details

4 June 1910

Purchaser Must Keep This Receipt

No. P 38639

4 June 1910

Memorandum of a Ticket Issued By The Cunard Steam Ship Co. Ltd. For Third Class Passage By Cunard Line of Mail Steamers

From Liverpool or Queenstown to New York or Boston Or From Fiume or Trieste to New York

Favor of Henry Youds

One Adult -- Children -- Infants

From Liverpool To New York

Amount Paid $ 37 75/100

Paid by Mrs. Mary E. Youds

Egbertville Staten Island

Should the purchaser desire to have this ticket canceled the money will be refunded less agent's commission and any expenses incurred by the Cunard Steamship Company, Limited, on account of rejection, etc. of the passenger, upon return of this receipt and the ticket with other coupons of the corresponding number.

The ticket is available only within 12 months from the date of issue.

Arrival Record

• Name: Henry Youds
• Arrival Date: 2 July 1910
• Birth Year: about 1886
• Birth Location: England
• Birth Location Other: Liverpool, England
• Age: 24
• Gender: Male
• Ethnicity/Race/Nationality: English
• Port of Departure: Liverpool, England
• Port of Arrival: New York, New York
• Ship Name: Campania
• Source Citation: Year: 1910; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_1510; Line: 10; Page Number: 172.

Source Information:

• Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls); Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; (National Archives Microfilm Publication T715, 8892 rolls); Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Relative Cost of Passage Ticket in Today's Currency Value

In 2020, the relative values of $37.75 from 1910 ranges from $770.00 to $23,400.00.

A simple Purchasing Power Calculator would say the relative value is $1,060.00. This answer is obtained by multiplying $37.75 by the percentage increase in the CPI from 1910 to 2020.

This may not be the best answer.

The best measure of the relative value over time depends on if you are interested in comparing the cost or value of a Commodity, Income or Wealth, or a Project.

If you want to compare the value of a $37.75 Commodity in 1910 there are four choices. In 2020 the relative:

• real price of that commodity is $1,060.00
• real value in consumption of that commodity is $2,190.00
• labor value of that commodity is $5,160.00 (using the unskilled wage) or $7,020.00 (using production worker compensation)
• income value of that commodity is $6,540.00
• economic share of that commodity is $23,400.00

If you want to compare the value of a $37.75 Income or Wealth , in 1910 there are five choices. In 2020 the relative:

• real wage or real wealth value of that income or wealth is $1,060.00
• household purchasing power value of that income or wealth is $2,190.00
• relative labor earnings of that commodity are $5,160.00 (using the unskilled wage) or $7,020.00 (using production worker compensation)
• relative income value of that income or wealth is $6,540.00
• relative output value of that income or wealth is $23,400.00

If you want to compare the value of a $37.75 Project in 1910 there are four choices. In 2020 the relative:

• real cost of that project is $770.00
• household cost of that project is $2,190.00
• labor cost of that project is $5,160.00 (using the unskilled wage) or $7,020.00 (using production worker compensation)
• relative cost of that project is $6,540.00
• economy cost of that project is $23,400.00

Source: www.measuringworth.com Samuel H. Williamson, "Seven Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1790 to present," MeasuringWorth, 2022.

🚢 RMS Campania (1910): A Ticket to the New World

📜 Overview: A Third-Class Journey Across the Atlantic

This Purchaser Receipt, dated 4 June 1910, records the third-class passage of Henry Youds aboard the famous Cunard liner RMS Campania. Departing from Liverpool to New York, this document captures the experience of early 20th-century transatlantic migration, particularly for those in steerage class.

📌 Why is this document important?

✔️ Shows a third-class immigrant ticket purchase, detailing costs and ticket conditions.

✔️ Documents transatlantic travel in a major era of immigration to America.

✔️ Provides a tangible connection to an individual immigrant’s journey, valuable for genealogists and historians.

✔️ Showcases the role of the RMS Campania, a luxury liner that also served third-class passengers.

🚢 The RMS Campania was one of Cunard’s most famous ocean liners, known for its speed and elegance, yet it also carried thousands of immigrants seeking a better life in America.

🌍 Who Would Find This Document Valuable?

📖 Teachers & Students – A real-world immigration case study from the early 1900s.

🧬 Genealogists – Provides a key record for family history research.

📜 Historians – Sheds light on transatlantic travel and British migration patterns.

🛳 Maritime Enthusiasts – Features a legendary ocean liner from the "Golden Age" of steamships.

📜 Key Details of the Purchaser Receipt

📅 Date of Purchase: 4 June 1910

📅 Departure Date: 26 June 1910

🚢 Steamship Line: Cunard Steam Ship Company, Ltd.

🛳 Steamship: RMS Campania

🌍 Route: Liverpool → New York

🎟 Ticket Type: Purchaser Receipt for Third-Class Passage

💰 Cost of Ticket: $37.75 (~$1,060 in 2020 USD)

🛏 Voyage Class: Third Class (Steerage)

👤 Passenger: Henry Youds (24), British Citizen

📌 Did You Know?

✔️ Third-class tickets were the most affordable way for immigrants to cross the Atlantic, though conditions were vastly different from first-class accommodations.

✔️ The Campania was originally built for speed and luxury but also played a vital role in transporting working-class passengers.

🛳 The Journey: From Liverpool to a New Life in America

⚓ A glimpse into a typical steerage passenger's experience aboard the RMS Campania:

✔️ Departure from Liverpool – The ship embarked from one of the busiest immigration ports in the world.

✔️ Third-class accommodations – Steerage passengers shared large dormitory-style rooms, often with limited privacy.

✔️ Meals consisted of simple but nutritious fare, such as porridge, bread, soup, and stews.

✔️ Arrival in New York on 2 July 1910, where Henry Youds would have gone through immigration processing at Ellis Island.

📌 Did You Know? Ellis Island was America’s busiest immigration station, processing over 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954.

🛳 The RMS Campania: A Ship of Luxury and Migration

✔️ Built in 1893, the RMS Campania was one of the most famous Cunard liners of its time.

✔️ Originally designed as a luxury liner, she also transported countless third-class passengers to America.

✔️ Broke transatlantic speed records, winning the Blue Riband for fastest crossings in 1894 and 1895.

✔️ Converted for military service in World War I, before sinking in 1918 after a collision in the Firth of Forth.

📌 Did You Know?

The Campania was one of the first ocean liners equipped with electricity and Marconi wireless telegraphy, making her a technological marvel for her time.

🛏 Life in Third Class for Henry Youds

🛳 What was third-class travel like on the RMS Campania?

✔️ Dormitory-style accommodations – Passengers slept in bunk beds in large rooms below deck.

✔️ Limited access to fresh air – Most third-class passengers were confined to their section of the ship for the duration of the voyage.

✔️ Basic but filling meals – Meals included bread, potatoes, oatmeal, stew, and tea.

✔️ Strict medical inspections upon arrival – Passengers underwent health screenings at Ellis Island before being allowed entry into the U.S.

📌 Did You Know?

✔️ A third-class ticket cost roughly a month’s wages for a working-class Briton in 1910.

✔️ Many immigrants had to save for years before affording passage to America.

🖼 Noteworthy Images in the Collection

🖼 📜 The Original Purchaser Receipt – A rare document showing financial details of transatlantic immigration.

🖼 🚢 The RMS Campania – An elegant liner that played a significant role in early 20th-century migration.

🖼 📄 Passenger Arrival Record – Confirms ticket details, arrival date, and final destination.

💰 Cost of Passage: Then vs. Now

💰 1910 Ticket Price: $37.75 (~$1.45 per day in 1910 USD per person)

💰 2020 Equivalent: $1,060 to $23,400, depending on the metric used for comparison.

📌 Comparison with Today:

✔️ A steerage ticket in 1910 cost about the same as an economy-class plane ticket today.

✔️ The purchasing power of a third-class ticket reveals how significant a financial burden immigration was for working-class families.

🔹 Conclusion: This receipt provides not only financial details but also insight into the immigrant experience and the role of steamships in early 20th-century migration.

🧬 Genealogical & Historical Value of This Document

📜 For Genealogists:

✅ Confirms passenger name, ticket number, and financial details.

✅ Connects to Ellis Island, census records, and naturalization documents.

✅ Provides evidence of sponsorship (paid by Mrs. Mary Youds, likely a relative in Staten Island, NY).

🏫 For Teachers & Students:

✅ Demonstrates the financial burden of migration for working-class individuals.

✅ Explores differences in shipboard accommodations between first, second, and third-class passengers.

✅ Connects to broader discussions about immigration policies and Ellis Island.

📖 For Historians:

✅ Highlights the continued significance of Cunard Line in immigration history.

✅ Explores prepaid ticketing systems and migration sponsorships.