SS Werra Passenger List – Italian Diplomats, Cultural Travelers, and a Winter Crossing to New York (Dec 1894)

Front Cover, Cabin Passenger List for the SS Werra of the North German Lloyd, Departing Friday, 14 December 1894 from Naples to New York via Gibraltar, Commanded by Captain G. Pohle. (Norddeutscher Lloyd) | GGA Image ID # 13fc7aeebe

🛳️ Review and Summary: SS Werra Passenger List – Diplomacy, Society, and Winter Voyaging on the Mediterranean Route (14 December 1894)

📜 For Teachers, Students, Historians, Genealogists, and Maritime Researchers

🚢 The SS Werra – A Maritime Classic of North German Lloyd
Built in 1882 for the Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) line, the SS Werra was part of a fleet of elegant and dependable express steamers. With her graceful lines and powerful single-screw propulsion, she represented the pinnacle of German engineering and transatlantic service in the late 19th century.

• Launched: 1882
• Operator: Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL), Bremen
• Route for this Voyage: Naples → Gibraltar → New York
• Departure Date: Friday, 14 December 1894
• Commanded by: Captain G. Pohle

This winter voyage reflected NDL’s growing presence in the Mediterranean emigrant and diplomatic markets, linking Southern Europe and the United States through warmer ports like Naples and Gibraltar during the off-season for North Sea departures.

Senior Officers and Staff

1. Captain: G. Pohle
2. Chief Officer: J. Jantzen
3. Chief Engineer: D. Querfeldt
4. Purser: Aug. Köhnsen
5. Physician: Dr. C. J. Dürsch
6. Chief Steward: C. Meyer

Cabin Passengers

1. Mrs. J. P. Cambell & daughter
2. Mrs. L. J. Sitgreaves
3. Miss M. J. Sitgreaves
4. Miss E. B. Richardson
5. Mr. Eugene L. Joung
6. J. M. Johnson
7. Conte A. L. Rozwadowski and family Italian Consul in Chicago
8. Mr. O. C. Stevens
9. Mrs. O. C. Stevens
10. Mr. W. H. Slocum
11. Mrs. W. H. Slocum
12. Mr. Mackintosh
13. Miss Mackintosh
14. Mr. Charles Hirzel
15. Mr. F. Ruffu
16. Mr. F. W. Chandler
17. Miss Amalia Palastri
18. Mr. & Mrs. John

LEUPDLD FRA TELL!. General Agents

• Piazza S. Siro. 10 Genoa
• VICO 1.0 PILIERO, Naples

Oelrichs & C.. General Agents 2, Bowling Green, New-York

John ONETTI & SONS, Gibraltar.

H. CLAUSSENIUS & C.. Chicago III.

ASELMEYER PFISTER & C C. Naples

List of Passengers, Senior Officers, and Agencies, SS Werra Cabin Passenger List, 14 December 1894. (Norddeutscher Lloyd) | GGA Image ID # 227d43bf42

✨ Notable Individuals Aboard – Diplomacy Meets Society

🎖️ Count A. L. Rozwadowski – Italian Consul in Chicago

Arguably the most prestigious name aboard, Conte A. L. Rozwadowski was a member of the Polish nobility and served as the Italian Consul in Chicago, a critical post given the vast wave of Italian migration to the American Midwest. His presence, accompanied by his family, suggests either a diplomatic return or reassignment. This underscores the role of liners like the Werra in state and consular service.

🎓 Miss Amalia Palastri

Likely associated with Italy’s vibrant musical or cultural elite, Miss Palastri may have been a performer or patron connected to the operatic scene. Her surname is historically associated with music education and operatic performance—making her passage potentially part of a cultural tour.

💼 Mr. F. W. Chandler & Mr. Charles Hirzel

These names reflect upper-middle-class American and possibly Swiss-German professionals. Passengers like Chandler were often business representatives, and Hirzel—a surname with Swiss ties—might have been part of the transatlantic commercial network linking Southern Europe to immigrant communities in New York and Chicago.

🧕 Mrs. L. J. Sitgreaves and Miss M. J. Sitgreaves

Traveling as a pair, these women represent the educated, upper-class American tourist class—frequently seen on extended Grand Tours of Europe. The Sitgreaves name is linked to prominent figures in law and exploration, particularly in the American Southwest.

💑 Mr. & Mrs. O. C. Stevens and Mr. & Mrs. W. H. Slocum

Two American couples, likely returning from Mediterranean travel or business engagements, reflecting the growing middle-class use of ocean liners for leisure travel.

🖼️ Noteworthy Images 📸

📘 Front Cover – SS Werra Passenger List, 14 December 1894 | GGA Image ID # 13fc7aeebe

A clean and classic Norddeutscher Lloyd design. Embossed script, dated printing, and voyage detail offer a perfect example of late 19th-century transatlantic recordkeeping.

📄 Passenger, Officer & Agent Listings (1 Page) | GGA Image ID # 227d43bf42

This image condenses the essence of a voyage: officers, global agents, and select passengers. Especially valuable for mapping NDL’s commercial and operational reach from Genoa to New York.

🎓 Relevance for Educators, Genealogists, and Researchers

👨‍🏫 Teachers and Students

🔹 Ideal for studies on Mediterranean-American migration routes

🔹 Supports units on diplomacy, cultural exchange, and transatlantic commerce

🔹 Rich primary source for analyzing social class and travel customs in 1890s Europe

🧬 Genealogists

🔹 Contains family groups, particularly women and children, ideal for tracing Italian, German, and Polish-American immigration

🔹 Useful for name verification and immigration timelines across major ports like Naples and Gibraltar

⚓ Maritime Historians

🔹 Demonstrates seasonal adaptations in liner routes

🔹 Highlights NDL’s broader geographic ambitions beyond Bremen

🔹 Includes a complete officer list, a rare and useful artifact for naval career research

📚 Final Thoughts: Why This Passenger List Matters

The 14 December 1894 voyage of the SS Werra is more than a log of names—it’s a window into a cosmopolitan winter crossing where diplomats, cultural travelers, American elites, and European professionals shared the same decks en route to New York. The mix of Southern European and American figures, diplomatic personnel like Count Rozwadowski, and traces of upper-middle-class mobility reveals the nuanced dynamics of globalization before the 20th century.

Ocean liners like the Werra were not only vehicles for mass immigration—they also played key roles in diplomacy, business, education, and leisure.

🔍 Students writing essays on late 19th-century diplomacy, transatlantic culture, or immigration trends are encouraged to explore the GG Archives passenger list database for further research.

🎼 Culture. Diplomacy. Discovery. Set sail with the GG Archives and rediscover the lives of those who shaped the Atlantic world. 🌍🛳️📖