SS President Lincoln (1907): A Prepaid Voyage from Germany to America – A Rare Immigration Document

📌 Discover a rare 1907 prepaid passage contract for the Weise family aboard the SS President Lincoln, detailing steerage travel from Germany to Minnesota via New York. This historical document sheds light on early 20th-century immigration, prepaid ticket systems, and the challenges of transatlantic migration. A must-read for genealogists, historians, and maritime enthusiasts! 🚢

SS President Lincoln Prepaid Steerage Ticket/Contract, 20 November 1907 for a German Immigrant Family. GGA Image ID # 1f9ee51d3e

Prepaid Passage Contract Summary

• Date of Purchase / Voyage: 20 November 1907
• Steamship Line: Hamburg America Line
• Steamship: SS President Lincoln
• Route: Hamburg (Cuxhaven) to Ellsworth, MN via New York
• Ticket Type: Prepaid Passage Contract
• Voyage Class: Steerage
• Name on Contract: Heinrich Weise and Family
• Etnicity of Passenger(s): German
• Contract Terms: Not Stated
• Cost of Ticket: $150.92 / $4,290.00 USD in 2020

Prepaid Passage Contract Details

Steerage Prepaid Passage Contract
No. S.P.T. 218821

Hamburg America Line
Express Service. Regular Service.

Date of Issue: 20 November 1907
Purchaser Name: Wil Stoterberg
Address: Ellsworth, MN

Names of Passengers | Ages
Heinrich Weise | 46
Mrs. Heinrich Weise | 40
Their Son | 6

Residence and Address of Passenger:
Schippenbeil
East - Preuseu - Germany

Booked from Hamburg
To Ellsworth MN

Ocean Passage, Steerage at $27.50 rate for Two Adults. Total $78.75
American Railroad Third Class @ 24.85 for Two Adults. Total $72.17

Total $150.92
Less Commission $8.60
Net Amount for the Company $142.32

• First Name: Heinrich
• Last Name: Weise
• Nationality: Germany, German
• Last Place of Residence: Schippenbeil, Germany
• Date of Arrival: June 27th, 1908
• Age at Arrival: 49
• Gender: Male
• Marital Status: Married
• Ship of Travel: Amerika
• Port of Departure: Cuxhaven
• Manifest Line Number: 0003
• Passenger ID: 101798040146
• Frame: 282
• Line Number: 3

• First Name: Anna
• Last Name: Weise
• Nationality: Germany, German
• Last Place of Residence: Schippenbeil, Germany
• Date of Arrival: June 27th, 1908
• Age at Arrival: 35
• Gender: Female
• Marital Status: Married
• Ship of Travel: Amerika
• Port of Departure: Cuxhaven
• Manifest Line Number: 0004
• Passenger ID: 101798040147
• Frame: 282
• Line Number: 4

• First Name: Richard
• Last Name: Weise
• Nationality: Germany, German
• Last Place of Residence: Schippenbeil, Germany
• Date of Arrival: June 27th, 1908
• Age at Arrival: 7
• Gender: Male
• Marital Status: Single
• Ship of Travel: Amerika
• Port of Departure: Cuxhaven
• Manifest Line Number: 0005
• Passenger ID: 101798040148
• Frame: 282
• Line Number: 5

Relative Cost of Passage Ticket in Today's Currency Value

In 2020, the relative values of $150.92 from 1907 ranges from $3,140.00 to $92,300.00.

A simple Purchasing Power Calculator would say the relative value is $4,290.00. This answer is obtained by multiplying $150.92 by the percentage increase in the CPI from 1907 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 $150.92 Commodity in 1907 there are four choices. In 2020 the relative:

• real price of that commodity is $4,290.00
• real value in consumption of that commodity is $9,520.00
• labor value of that commodity is $20,600.00 (using the unskilled wage) or $28,400.00 (using production worker compensation)
• income value of that commodity is $24,300.00
• economic share of that commodity is $92,300.00

If you want to compare the value of a $150.92 Income or Wealth , in 1907 there are five choices. In 2020 the relative:

• real wage or real wealth value of that income or wealth is $4,290.00
• household purchasing power value of that income or wealth is $9,520.00
• relative labor earnings of that commodity are $20,600.00 (using the unskilled wage) or $28,400.00 (using production worker compensation)
• relative income value of that income or wealth is $24,300.00
• relative output value of that income or wealth is $92,300.00

If you want to compare the value of a $150.92 Project in 1907 there are four choices. In 2020 the relative:

• real cost of that project is $3,140.00
• household cost of that project is $9,520.00
• labor cost of that project is $20,600.00 (using the unskilled wage) or $28,400.00 (using production worker compensation)
• relative cost of that project is $24,300.00
• economy cost of that project is $92,300.00

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.

🚢 SS President Lincoln (1907): A Prepaid Voyage to a New Life in America

📜 Overview: A German Immigrant Family’s Passage to the U.S.

This prepaid passage contract, dated 20 November 1907, records the steerage travel of Heinrich Weise, his wife Anna, and their young son Richard aboard the Hamburg America Line’s SS President Lincoln. The family’s journey from Schippenbeil, Germany (modern-day Poland) to Ellsworth, Minnesota, via Cuxhaven and New York, represents a common immigration path for German families seeking a better life in the U.S.

📌 Why is this document important?

✔️ Demonstrates prepaid passage contracts, where sponsors in the U.S. could purchase travel for European family members.

✔️ Highlights a major migration route from Germany to the U.S. via the Hamburg America Line.

✔️ Provides insight into the financial aspects of steerage travel, including costs and commissions for ticket agents.

✔️ Captures an immigrant family's journey, illustrating the hope and hardship of transatlantic relocation in the early 20th century.

🚢 The SS President Lincoln was a pivotal immigrant transport vessel, bringing thousands of European families to America.

🌍 Who Would Find This Document Valuable?

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

🧬 Genealogists – Validates ancestral migration records, linking to Ellis Island and U.S. Census records.

📜 Historians – Examines German migration patterns and prepaid ticket systems.

🛳 Maritime Enthusiasts – Details a significant immigrant steamship in the Hamburg America Line fleet.

📜 Key Details of the Passage Contract

📅 Date of Purchase: 20 November 1907

📅 Departure Date: Estimated Early 1908

🚢 Steamship Line: Hamburg America Line

🛳 Steamship: SS President Lincoln

🌍 Route: Hamburg (Cuxhaven) → New York → Ellsworth, MN

🎟 Ticket Type: Prepaid Passage Contract

💰 Cost of Ticket: $150.92 (~$4,290 in 2020 USD)

🛏 Voyage Class: Steerage (Third Class)

👤 Passengers: Heinrich Weise (46), Anna Weise (40), and Richard Weise (6)

📌 Did You Know? Prepaid passage contracts were a common way for immigrants already settled in the U.S. to bring over family members.

🛳 The Journey: A Pathway for German Immigrants to the U.S.

By the early 20th century, millions of Germans were immigrating to America, particularly to the Midwest. This contract represents a common pattern:

✔️ Sponsored travel – The ticket was purchased by Wil Stoterberg in Ellsworth, Minnesota, likely a family member or friend.

✔️ Third-class travel – The Weise family traveled in steerage, the most affordable class for immigrants.

✔️ Rail connections – The contract includes third-class train fare from New York to Minnesota.

✔️ Ellis Island processing – Like all immigrants arriving in New York, the Weise family underwent medical and legal inspections before being admitted to the U.S.

📌 Did You Know? By 1907, over 8 million Germans had immigrated to America, making them one of the largest ethnic groups in the U.S.

🛳 The SS President Lincoln: A Workhorse of Immigration

✔️ Built in 1903, the SS President Lincoln was a German transatlantic liner operated by Hamburg America Line.

✔️ Designed for mass immigration, with large steerage compartments accommodating thousands of third-class passengers.

✔️ Made multiple transatlantic voyages, primarily carrying German and Eastern European immigrants to America.

✔️ Seized by the U.S. during World War I, later converted into a U.S. Navy troop transport.

📌 Did You Know? The SS President Lincoln transported thousands of European immigrants before being repurposed as a military transport in WWI.

🛳 Life in Steerage for the Weise Family

⚓ What was it like for steerage passengers like the Weise family?

✔️ Overcrowded dormitories – Passengers slept in shared bunk spaces, often without privacy.

✔️ Simple meals – Food consisted of bread, soup, potatoes, and tea.

✔️ Strict medical inspections – Upon arrival, immigrants underwent health checks, with some facing quarantine or deportation.

✔️ Limited hygiene facilities – Steerage class had minimal access to fresh air and proper sanitation.

📌 Did You Know? A steerage ticket cost roughly one-third of an annual wage for a working-class European in 1907.

📜 Noteworthy Images in the Collection

🖼 📜 The Original Passage Contract – A rare document detailing the financial arrangements of immigrant travel.

🖼 🚢 The SS President Lincoln – A German liner instrumental in transatlantic migration.

🖼 📄 Passenger Arrival Records – Confirms ticket details, final destination, and sponsorship information.

💰 Cost of Passage: Then vs. Now

💰 1907 Ticket Price: $150.92 (~$5.80 in 1907 USD per person)

💰 2020 Equivalent: $4,290 to $92,300 (depending on economic comparison)

📌 Comparison with Today:

✔️ A steerage ticket in 1907 cost roughly the same as an economy-class plane ticket today.

✔️ The pricing structure highlights how difficult it was for working-class families to afford migration.

🔹 Conclusion: This contract provides not just financial details but also insight into the challenges of immigrant life.

🧬 Genealogical & Historical Value of This Document

📜 For Genealogists:

✅ Confirms departure location, ship name, and final destination.

✅ Provides passenger names, ages, and addresses for tracing family history.

✅ May connect to Ellis Island, U.S. Census, and naturalization records.

🏫 For Teachers & Students:

✅ Shows the economic realities of immigration.

✅ Demonstrates early 20th-century migration logistics.

📖 For Historians:

✅ Highlights German migration patterns.

✅ Shows the prepaid ticket system that facilitated immigration.