Passage Contracts & Tickets (1880s) – Rare Immigration Records & Historic Ocean Travel Documents

📌 Explore original passage contracts and prepaid tickets from the 1880s, documenting immigrant journeys aboard historic steamships like RMS Britannic, RMS Germanic, and Cunard liners. A must-have resource for genealogists, historians, and maritime enthusiasts tracing transatlantic migration, prepaid ticketing practices, and 19th-century ocean travel. 🚢📜

All Passage Contracts and Tickets For the 1880s Available at the GG Archives. These unique contracts represent primary source documents of the voyage of many immigrants. Our collection includes a variety of types and classes and provides an invaluable account of the cost of passage.

🚢 Passage Contracts and Tickets – 1880s: A Deep Dive into 19th-Century Immigration and Ocean Travel

📜 Overview: A Collection of Essential Immigration Records

The GG Archives’ collection of 1880s passage contracts and tickets provides a remarkable glimpse into the realities of transatlantic migration during the late 19th century. These primary source documents showcase the logistics, economic challenges, and personal journeys of immigrants from Europe to America and beyond.

RMS Britannic (1880) Prepaid Passage Ticket: A Window into Irish Immigration & Transatlantic Travel

The White Star Line Memorandum of Prepaid Steerage Passage on the RMS Britannic, dated 29 May 1880, is an important historical artifact that sheds light on the transatlantic journey of Irish immigrants during the late 19th century.

This document represents a prepaid ticket for Mrs. Frank (Ellen) McGuire, an Irish woman traveling in steerage from Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland, to New York, USA. The prepaid nature of the ticket is significant—it suggests that a relative or sponsor in America likely sent money to facilitate her voyage, a common practice for Irish immigrants during this period.

This ticket provides a direct connection to migration records, offering valuable insights into Irish diaspora movements. For historians and educators, it serves as a tangible example of how prepaid passage systems enabled family reunification and helped drive mass emigration to America.

RMS Germanic (1880) Prepaid Passage Ticket: British Immigration & Transatlantic Travel to America

The RMS Germanic Agent’s Record for Prepaid Steerage Passage, dated 29 May 1880, is an important historical document reflecting the migration of working-class Europeans to the United States during the late 19th century.

This particular prepaid ticket was purchased for John Price, a 43-year-old British laborer, traveling from Cardiff, Wales, to Scranton, Pennsylvania via steerage class on the RMS Germanic of the White Star Line. For genealogists, this passage record offers valuable details on an ancestor’s migration journey, including who purchased the ticket, where the journey started, and the ultimate destination. For historians and educators, it serves as a tangible example of prepaid passage systems, which helped immigrants overcome financial barriers to migration.

The prepaid ticket was a lifeline for many working-class immigrants, as it allowed families already in America to send money for loved ones to join them, facilitating family reunification and the growth of immigrant communities in the United States.

A Swedish Emigrant’s Journey: 1880 Cunard Line Steerage Passage from Gothenburg to Boston

The Cunard Line Steerage Passage Contract from June 4, 1880, documents a critical aspect of 19th-century immigration—prepaid passage for European emigrants seeking a new life in America. This particular contract, issued for Luders Engström, details his journey from Gothenburg, Sweden, to Boston, Massachusetts, via Hull and Liverpool, England. It provides a rare insight into the steerage class experience, including its costs, contractual obligations, and travel conditions.

This document is a valuable artifact—an authentic link to the millions of immigrants who crossed the Atlantic in search of opportunity. It is an especially compelling piece for those researching Swedish emigration and the Cunard Line’s role in transatlantic travel.

North German Lloyd Prepaid Steerage Ticket - 1883: A German Family's Journey to America

A Vital Document in Transatlantic Migration History

This North German Lloyd Prepaid Steerage Passage Certificate from February 17, 1883, is a fascinating artifact showcasing the prepaid ticket system used to bring families from Germany to America. The document represents a significant part of immigration history, particularly for genealogists, historians, and educators studying the mass migration of Germans to the United States in the late 19th century.

Issued for Bealle Nutchen and four family members, this passage ticket covered their journey from Bremen, Germany, to New York City, a major immigration hub during this period. Their voyage was part of a larger migration wave of German families seeking better opportunities in the New World.

This contract serves as a real-world primary source illustrating the logistics, costs, and challenges of steerage-class immigration. It provides key names, ages, and locations that can help in tracing family histories.

📌 Why is this collection so important?

✔️ A treasure trove for genealogists—connecting descendants with their ancestors’ migration journeys.

✔️ Vital records for historians and researchers—documenting immigration trends, travel conditions, and maritime operations.

✔️ A classroom resource for teachers and students—offering firsthand insight into 19th-century global migration.

✔️ Preserves the legacy of major steamship lines—including Cunard, White Star, and North German Lloyd.

✔️ Explores prepaid ticket systems—a financial lifeline that allowed families to reunite across continents.

🚢 Each document represents a story of hope, hardship, and the search for a better life.

🌍 Who Would Benefit from This Collection?

📖 Teachers & Students – Provides firsthand accounts of migration, labor history, and the role of maritime travel in global expansion.

🧬 Genealogists – Helps track ancestors’ journeys, connecting names, origins, and destinations.

📜 Historians – Offers critical insight into the socioeconomic and political factors behind immigration.

🛳 Maritime Enthusiasts – Sheds light on ocean liner operations, ticketing systems, and the conditions of steerage travel.

📜 Key Highlights from the Collection

This collection features historically significant documents, each telling a unique immigration story from the 1880s. Below are some of the most compelling records:

🚢 RMS Britannic (1880): An Irish Immigrant’s Prepaid Passage to America

🔹 Passenger: Mrs. Frank (Ellen) McGuire

🔹 Route: Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland → New York

🔹 Why It’s Important:

✔️ Illustrates the prepaid ticket system, a crucial financial mechanism for Irish immigrants.

✔️ Provides direct evidence of family reunification through transatlantic sponsorship.

✔️ Links to Ellis Island-era migration records, making it invaluable for genealogical research.

🚢 RMS Germanic (1880): A British Laborer’s Journey to Scranton, Pennsylvania

🔹 Passenger: John Price (Age 43)

🔹 Route: Cardiff, Wales → New York → Scranton, PA

🔹 Why It’s Important:

✔️ A firsthand record of working-class migration from the UK to America.

✔️ Showcases the role of White Star Line in transporting British immigrants.

✔️ Sheds light on the prepaid passage system and its impact on labor migration.

🚢 Cunard Line (1880): A Swedish Carpenter’s Voyage to Boston

🔹 Passenger: Luders Engstrom

🔹 Route: Gothenburg, Sweden → Boston, MA (via Hull & Liverpool)

🔹 Why It’s Important:

✔️ Documents the logistics of Scandinavian migration to America.

✔️ Provides insight into steerage-class travel conditions.

✔️ Illustrates the role of Cunard Line in facilitating European immigration.

🚢 North German Lloyd (1883): A German Family’s Prepaid Journey to New York

🔹 Passengers: Bealle Nutchen & Four Family Members

🔹 Route: Bremen, Germany → New York

🔹 Why It’s Important:

✔️ A rare record of a full family’s migration journey.

✔️ Highlights the prepaid ticket system that enabled mass German immigration.

✔️ Offers vital genealogical details—names, ages, and travel conditions.

💰 Ticket Prices: Then vs. Now

💰 Average 1880s Steerage Ticket Price: Between $10 and $30 USD.

💰 2020 Equivalent (Adjusted for Inflation): $300 to $1,000 USD.

📌 Did You Know?

✔️ Steerage-class conditions were often overcrowded, with basic meals and shared sleeping quarters.

✔️ Prepaid tickets were commonly sent by immigrants who had already settled in America, allowing their relatives to follow.

✔️ Steamship companies like Cunard and White Star Line capitalized on immigrant travel, offering package deals that included food and rail transport within the U.S.

🖼 Noteworthy Images in the Collection

🖼 📜 Original Passage Contracts – Rare surviving documents from the 1880s, featuring handwritten details.

🖼 🚢 Historic Steamships – Includes images of vessels like RMS Britannic and RMS Germanic.

🖼 📄 Agent’s Records & Prepaid Memorandums – Providing direct evidence of family-sponsored immigration.