Voices Across the Sea: The SS Werra’s 1896 Voyage from Genoa to New York
📌 Explore the SS Werra's 19 November 1896 passenger list from Genoa to New York, enriched by a 19th-century travel diary. Ideal for historians, genealogists, and educators exploring transatlantic migration and maritime history.
Front Cover, Cabin Passenger List for the SS Werra of the North German Lloyd, Departing Thursday, 19 November 1896 from Genoa to New York via Gibraltar, Commanded by Captain C. Pohle. GGA Image ID # 1dcc5e19a4
🛳️ Review and Summary: SS Werra Passenger List – A Winter Voyage of Diplomats, Divines, and Distinguished Travelers (19 November 1896)
"Echoes Across the Atlantic: A Voyage of Dreams, Diplomats, and Devotion aboard the SS Werra"
🚢 The SS Werra – A North German Lloyd Express Steamer on the Mediterranean Route
The North German Lloyd steamship SS Werra set sail from Genoa on Thursday, 19 November 1896, bound for New York via Gibraltar. Under the command of Captain C. Pohle, this elegant express liner carried a diverse complement of passengers—Italian emigrants, returning American citizens, religious leaders, and travelers seeking opportunity or reunion across the Atlantic. The passenger list, combined with reflections from the 1894 "Diary of a Voyage on the SS Werra," adds rare emotional texture to the documented journey.
Cabin Passengers
For New York
- Mrs. Mary A. Alton
Keokuk, IA - Mr. C I. Alton
Keokuk, IA - Mr. David K. Boyd
Philadelphia, PA - Mrs. David K. Boyd
Philadelphia, PA - Miss Paula Baumgartner
New York - Mrs. Marianna Caselli
Lucca, Italy - Mr. John Downes
Newhaven, CT - Miss Erminia Ferretti
Chiavari, Italy - Mr. Jachson C. Fero
Pomtret, CT - Mr. Charles Fritz
New York - Mrs. Bessie S. Gilmore
New York - Miss Ginevra Gilmore
New York - Mr. Pietro Gabrielli
Lucca, Italy - Rev. E. J. Kreidt
Nicaragua Falls, Canada - Mr. Federico Lena
Fort Worth, TX
Title Page and Cabin Passengers Heading to New York, 19 Noember 1896. GGA Image ID # 1ffcb66b2e
Arrived in New York 10 December 1896
First Cabin: 22 Adults 1 Child
Second Cabin: 32 Adults 2 Children
Steerage Passengers: 97 Adults, 10 Children, 3 Infants
Total: 151 Adults, 13 Children, 3 Infants
Note: Before this list was digitized, other pages were likely separated. We think it was misfiled. The Passenger Manifest from Ellis Island was in very poor condition. There were more than a dozen lines completly unreadable.
List of Passengers from Manifest
- … ...a...a- Italian
- ... ... ...gg...- Italian
- Teresa... ...i- Italian
- "… ...la - Italian"
- ...ella ...lli- Italian
- Ricardo Ray Abuelo-Italian North
- Tomilda... Ad...ni- Italian
- ... Agnaletto- Italian
- Catterina Agnaletto…- Italian
- Maria Alardi- Italian
- Mary A. Alton- US Citizen
- C. G. Alton- US Citizen
- Michele Amato- Italian
- Carlo Angiolini- Italian
- Guiseppe Arata...- Italian
- Antonio Arrigo-Italian North
- Santo Azzara-Italian North
- Pietro Barbaro…-Italian North
- Guiseppe Bartali-Italian North
- Paula Baumgartner- Austrian
- Alessandro Biggi-Italian North
- Guiseppe Biggi- Italian
- Luigia Borgherani- Italian
- Ferdinando Borgherani- Italian
- David K. Boyd- US Citizen
- Mrs. K. Boyd- US Citizen
- Angelo Calcaguini-Italian North
- Angeolina Calcaguini-Italian North
- Constantin Calcaguini-Italian North
- Antonio Calcaguini-Italian North
- Dolores Camacho-Italian North
- Marianna Caselli- Italian
- Giovanni Cerelli- Italian
- Vincenza Cirese- Italian
- Agata Contestabile- Italian
- Filomena Contestabile- Italian
- Claudio Contestabile- Italian
- P...xele… Contestabile-U.S.A. Italian
- Gaccinto D'Agostino- Italian
- Ricco… D'Agostino- Italian
- Presidio D'Agostino- Italian
- ...edta D'Agostino- Italian
- Carmine D'Agostino- Italian
- Elementina D'Agostino- Italian
- Angalina D'Agostino- Italian
- ...ita D'Amato- Italian
- Carmine D'Amato-Italian
- Antonina De Hili- Italian
- Basina De Marca-Italian North
- Sabastiano De Marca-Italian North
- Nicolo De Marca-Italian North
- Ernesta De Mattei- Italian
- "...squa De Paoli- Italian"
- E… De Paoli- Italian
- John Downes- US Citizen
- Bartolena ... A...a Faz…- Italian
- Guiseppe Felanto...- Italian
- Domenico Ferbio- Italian
- Ermenina Feretti-Italian North
- Jackson C. Fero- Egyptian
- Guiseppe Ferraro-Italian North
- Guiseppe Ferraro-Italian North
- ...lo Fontano- Italian
- Silvio Fornouzini- Italian
- Chas. Fritz- French
- Guiseppi Froil- Italian
- Guiseppe G...d..-
- Giovanni G...tri- Italian
- Pietro Gabrielli- Italian
- Juan Suarez Garcia-Italian North
- M. F. Garcia-Italian North
- Fabiano Gianciolo-Italian North
- Teresa Giberti- Italian
- Bessie Gilmore- US Citizen
- G. Gilmore- US Citizen
- William Gilmore- US Citizen
- Giovanni Grasso- Italian
- A. I. Haidt- US Citizen
- Elisab. Harbaro-Italian North
- Julia Harbaro-Italian North
- Clotilde Harbaro-Italian North
- Giov. Harbaro-Italian North
- Guiseppe Juliani-Italian North
- Antonio Legale-Italian North
- Federico Lena-Italian North US Citizen
- Giovanbattista Lugaro-Italian North
- Teresa Magiviscaldo-Italian North
- Luigi Magiviscaldo-Italian North
- Pietro Magnani- Italian
- ...da Magnani- Italian
- Maria Malasi...- Italian
- Guiseppe Marchelli-Italian North
- Landro… Margano- Italian
- Martin Maruggo- US Citizen
- Francesco Matteo-Italian North
- P. R. Mayer- US Citizen
- Cesare Mazoni…- Italian
- J. L. McIntyre- US Citizen
- Mrs. McIntyre- US Citizen
- Cristoforo Molinari-Genoa Italian
- Carlotta Molinari-Genoa Italian
- Marie Molinari-Genoa Italian
- Frederik W. Moll- US Citizen
- Pietro Monago-Italian North
- Elisa Muzzioli- Italian
- Giovanbattista N…- Italian
- Filomena Ni...na- Italian
- E... Nicolo-Italian North
- Flora Olmedo-Italian North
- Catterina Orla- Italian
- Emanuele Orla- Italian
- Fidalona Palestri-Italian North
- Adolfy Palestri-Italian North
- Gurla Palestri-Italian North
- Luiga Palestri-Italian North
- Emma Palestri-Italian North
- Alberto Palestri-Italian North
- Guiseppe Palide-
- Palma Pederzani- Italian
- Luigi Pelliccia-Italian North
- Carmela Pennacchio-Italian North
- William L. Penny- US Citizen
- Filippo Petrucci- Italian
- Wm. M. Pinton- US Citizen
- Alessandro Rampazzoni- US Citizen
- Domenico Reder- Italian
- Francesco Rizzuti- Italian
- Francesco Rossi-Italian North
- Maria Rossi-Italian North
- Francisco Sanchez-Italian North
- Vittorio Santamaria- Italian
- Luigi Santi- Italian
- Francesco Segarini-Italian North
- Paolo Serra- Italian
- Monsignor Seton- US Citizen
- Mrs. Sacramentode Torres-Italian North
- Mrs. Henry K. Whiton- US Citizen
- Louisa Whiton- US Citizen
- R. O. Williams- US Citizen
- ...ss… - Italian
- ...ola - Italian
🚢 The SS Werra: Ship and Route Highlights
Launched in 1882 and operated by Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL), the SS Werra was one of the line’s proud express steamers that served both the North Atlantic and Mediterranean routes. On Thursday, 19 November 1896, the SS Werra departed Genoa, Italy, bound for New York, with scheduled stops at Gibraltar.
This route was increasingly significant during the winter months, offering southern Europeans—particularly Italians—a gateway to the Americas while avoiding the harsher weather conditions of northern ports like Bremen or Hamburg.
- Launched: 1882 by John Elder & Co., Glasgow
- Operator: Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) / North German Lloyd
- Route: Genoa → Gibraltar → New York
- Speed/Capacity: Approx. 16 knots; 170 first class, 130 second class, 1,000 steerage
- Departure Date: 19 November 1896
- Arrival in New York: 10 December 1896
- Commanding Officer (1896): Captain C. Pohle, also noted in the 1894 diary as a “jolly-looking weather-beaten tar”
The Werra was built for both speed and comfort, part of the famed "Rivers Class" vessels serving Mediterranean and North Atlantic routes. She connected Europe’s ports with the gateway to the New World—and transported more than just people; she carried their hopes, memories, and letters from far-off loved ones.
👥 Notable Individuals on Board – A Distinguished Mix of American Society, Religious Leadership, and International Travelers
⛪ Monsignor Seton – U.S. Catholic Clergy
One of the most significant passengers aboard this voyage was Monsignor Seton, a high-ranking Roman Catholic clergyman from the United States. As a monsignor, he would have held a position of prestige and spiritual authority. His inclusion reflects the importance of transatlantic religious networks during this era of growing Catholic immigration.
🎓 Rev. E. J. Kreidt – Niagara Falls, Canada
A Protestant clergyman from Niagara Falls, Canada, Rev. Kreidt’s presence suggests either a religious tour or missionary work—both common in this period of ecumenical and evangelical outreach. His travels from Southern Europe back to North America signal the global mobility of faith leaders in the late 19th century.
👨💼 Mr. Federico Lena – Fort Worth, TX
Possibly a businessman or cultural envoy of Italian descent, Mr. Lena is listed as a U.S. citizen, and his return via Genoa implies prior connections in Italy. His journey from Fort Worth demonstrates the expansion of transatlantic connections beyond the coastal U.S., reaching into the American South and West.
👩👧 Mrs. Bessie S. Gilmore, Miss Ginevra Gilmore, and Mr. William Gilmore – New York Society
This well-to-do American family reflects the upper-middle-class New York social sphere. Families like the Gilmores often traveled abroad for leisure, education, or to reconnect with European heritage. Their inclusion adds a cultural tourism dimension to the voyage.
📝 John Downes – New Haven, CT
A likely academic or Yale-affiliated professional, given New Haven's association with the university. Individuals like Downes were part of the transatlantic scholarly exchange of the time.
🎩 Mr. & Mrs. David K. Boyd - Philadelphia, PA
Prominent travelers from Philadelphia, PA, they likely represent the growing class of upper-middle American tourists taking the “Grand Tour” across Europe—a trend noted frequently in period travel diaries.
🎼 Miss Paula Baumgartner (New York)
Possibly of Austrian-Jewish descent, her solo return from Europe may align with the intellectual and artistic exchanges between Vienna and New York during the Gilded Age.
👩🎨 Miss Erminia Ferretti (Chiavari, Italy)
A refined name from a coastal Ligurian town, she may have been a teacher, governess, or artist—a rising trend among Italian women emigrating with professional skills.
🇺🇸 Mr. Jackson C. Fero (Pomfret, CT)
Notably listed as Egyptian on the ship manifest, Mr. Fero’s background presents a rare example of 19th-century trans-Mediterranean American expatriatism or diplomacy.
🏛️ Mrs. Marianna Caselli and Mr. Pietro Gabrielli (Lucca, Italy)
Italian emigrants from a notable city steeped in cultural tradition. These names might interest genealogists tracing Tuscan family roots.
🧳 Passenger Statistics and Voyage Highlights
🧒 Passenger Totals (upon arrival in New York on 10 December 1896):
- First Cabin: 22 Adults, 1 Child
- Second Cabin: 32 Adults, 2 Children
- Steerage: 97 Adults, 10 Children, 3 Infants
- Total: 151 Adults, 13 Children, 3 Infants
This data reflects the tiered structure of ocean travel, where economic class determined everything from meal quality to sleeping arrangements and deck access. With nearly 100 steerage passengers, this voyage was typical of Italian and Austrian emigration trends of the 1890s.
🖼️ Noteworthy Images 📸
📘 Front Cover, SS Werra Cabin Passenger List – 19 November 1896 | GGA Image ID # 1dcc5e19a4
This elegant, typographically formal cover from the North German Lloyd archive reflects the attention to presentation and formality in travel documentation of the time.
📄 Passenger Roster & Title Page | GGA Image ID # 1ffcb66b2e
Shows a clean, typographic layout of the cabin class manifest, highlighting passengers bound for New York. This page is especially useful for genealogists researching Italian or Austrian emigrants. Captain Pohle returns from Pope’s diary, a rare human continuity across voyages.
🧭 Relevance of the SS Werra Voyage – Why It Matters
This particular voyage of the SS Werra is a microcosm of transatlantic life at the close of the 19th century, combining:
🔹 Catholic and Protestant clergy, revealing spiritual networks that spanned oceans 🌍⛪
🔹 Affluent tourists and returning citizens, showing how the Mediterranean route supported off-season leisure and business travel 🏛️🌴
🔹 Italian and Austrian emigration, particularly from regions like Lucca and Chiavari, vital to understanding the growth of Little Italies in North America 🧳🧒
🔹 Multinational mobility, as seen in travelers from Egypt, Canada, Austria-Hungary, and the U.S.—evidence of cosmopolitan identities in a pre-aviation age
📖 Reflections from the 1894 Diary: Life Aboard the Werra
To understand what the 1896 passengers might have experienced, we turn to Sarah A. Pope’s 1894 diary, written during her own voyage on the SS Werra.
🪶 Atmosphere Onboard: Pope observed “forty-five quiet passengers,” dining at the captain’s table and enjoying brilliant Mediterranean sunsets. She recounts social deck dancing under electric lights—a reminder that steamship crossings could be both elegant and communal.
🎶 Steerage Music & Joy: In stark contrast, she writes of 700 Italians in steerage singing and dancing, led by a priest—possibly an echo of Rev. Kreidt's spiritual counterparts aboard in 1896. The diary reveals a touching humanity in even the most crowded quarters.
🌍 Cultural Commentary: Her visit to Gibraltar, passing the Azores, and dining with Californians and Bostonians paints a cosmopolitan picture of life aboard. Her reflections enrich our understanding of how Werra passengers experienced class divisions, cultural intersections, and transatlantic camaraderie.
🧳 A Global Mosaic: Many 1896 steerage passengers, such as Antonio Arrigo, Carmine D'Amato, Filomena Contestabile, and Francesco Segarini, echo the same Southern and Northern Italian heritage described in Pope's account—a living link between her vivid prose and the demographic realities of that voyage.
📚 Relevance for Teachers, Students, Genealogists & Historians
✅ For Educators: This voyage provides primary source evidence of immigration, class structure, and maritime culture during the Gilded Age—ideal for lessons on migration, travel, or turn-of-the-century globalization.
✅ For Genealogists: This list connects American citizens, Italian families, and international travelers, offering tangible leads for ancestral research—especially for families from Genoa, Lucca, or Northern Italy.
✅ For Historians: The SS Werra exemplifies the German maritime presence in the Atlantic migration corridor, and the 1894 diary serves as a microhistorical lens on class, gender, and travel.
📚 Final Thoughts – Why This Passenger List Belongs in the Classroom and Archive
The 19 November 1896 voyage of the SS Werra offers a cross-section of society, from elite Americans and clergy to working-class Italian families. It underscores how steamships like the Werra connected Genoa, Gibraltar, and New York, not just commercially but culturally, religiously, and socially.
The SS Werra's 1896 voyage is more than a record of names—it’s a narrative of transatlantic passage, threaded with aspiration, cultural exchange, and personal stories. The integration of Sarah A. Pope’s 1894 diary breathes life into this journey, giving modern readers a textured sense of what it meant to leave Genoa and arrive in New York aboard one of the era’s most traveled steamers.
🛳️ From the quiet conversations at Captain Pohle’s table to the soulful songs rising from steerage, this list captures the essence of human movement across oceans and generations.
This manifest is a valuable primary source for:
🎓 Students studying immigration and religious history
🧬 Genealogists tracing Italian and Austrian ancestors
🧳 Historians exploring class, tourism, and faith in the age of steam
It is also deeply humanizing—revealing lives in motion, hopes carried in trunks, and goodbyes whispered on Mediterranean docks.
📚 Dive into the past. Sail with the stories. Research with the GG Archives. 🌍🛳️✨
Diary of a Voyage on the SS Werra, 1894
New York, 19 October 1894, Wednesday Afternoon
We left Chicago on the "Limited," with many friends at the station to bid us Godspeed and our compartments filled with the fragrance of flowers sent by those who could not be of the number.
All were cheerful, and we tried to be, although there could not but be speculation as to the advisability and feasibility of two lone women undertaking the journey around the world.
Even the related experiences of Orthodoxia and her friend were not wholly reassuring. We were tired from the necessary preparations and rested to our heart's content until we arrived at the Union Station in New York.
A friend invited us to the theater, and we enjoyed a delightful evening after a Holland House dinner.
We were surprised at the table by the appearance of Chas. G. and Abby. We had given up seeing them, as it seemed like they would need more time to return from their Montréal trip.
However, they are here, and we are more than pleased.
Today, we have finished the last details of preparation, and friends have called to bid us "hail and farewell."
It is late, and we must rise betimes tomorrow, as our "S. S. Werra" sails at ten o'clock. So good-night.
S. S. Werra, 20 October 1894, 11 a.m.
Just a line to send back by the pilot. There is no time to read the twenty-three letters to the steamer and only time for glances at the seven telegrams. If all the wishes of our dear friends are fulfilled, we shall indeed have a successful journey, and it will not be "a little journey round the world" either.
Chas. G. and Abby, with other friends, waved us off, and Mary's flag and my handkerchief responded heartily. It is a beautiful morning, and we are full of courage and are sincerely grateful for all the contributions to our comfort and pleasure.
21 October 1894
Our glorious weather continues, and the air seems more like June than October. The sky is cloudless, and the sea is quiet. There never could be two more delightful days for ocean travel. Thus, our beginning is auspicious.
The only observance of Sunday has been playing national hymns early in the morning. Everybody is quiet, and all is decorous if we except the singing and dancing of the Italians in the steerage, of whom there are seven hundred. These are going home to sunny Italy to escape the rigors of our northern winter.
They have made some money, and the steamship companies allow them to do this.
An Italian priest instigated them to sing and dance; it is surprising to notice how musical most of them are. The priest attended to their spiritual needs early in the day. He, too, is going home for the winter and is a first-cabin passenger.
There are only forty-five passengers, and they are the quietest lot I have ever seen on board a ship. A later acquaintance may develop some hilarity.
Captain Pohle is cordial and pleasant and is a jolly-looking weather-beaten tar. We are seated at his table, and our vis-a-vis are Californians. Our rights and lefts are inclined to be social, so we anticipate a delightful twelve-day sail.
28 October 1894
Our week has been one of unusual beauty and comfort. We have rocked most gently in the cradle of the deep; the sun has shone constantly, and the air has been delightful.
Tuesday and Wednesday, a few succumbed to mal-de-mer, but only for one day. The trip so far has been perfect.
Last night, Mary and Mrs. Potter asked the Captain if they could have a dance on deck. Before we realized his "yes," the deck was cleared, draped with flags, and brilliantly lighted with electrics.
Many of the passengers joined in the Virginia reel, which made the ball's opening lively. The band played well, and all voted the ball a jolly success.
We have come in a southeasterly direction. We were not without companionship on the great deep when we passed the Azores and saw men and animals moving about Fayal.
We are amused that Mary is constantly being taken for a Boston girl.
The maple sugar from Queechee, the half pints, and the "Park and Tilford" packages have proved most acceptable, and we thank you.
Quite a number of the passengers disembarked at Gibraltar to go to different points, and we shall be obliged to hurry right on from Genoa to make our connections at Naples.
Let us hope that the Mediterranean will not be as treacherous as before.
The Merrills did themselves proud in sending so many kind, loving messages to the steamer.
They were all appreciated, be assured.
31 October 1894
We arrived at Gibraltar at noon on Monday and had four hours there. We went on shore in the N. D. L. lighter and took a long drive with our table vis-a-vis. Our drive was over passable roads to the jumping-off place, and we passed many beautiful gardens surrounding tasteful dwellings.
Gibraltar seemed like an old friend, so familiar were the queer little streets, quaintly named, and the very cosmopolitan people who thronged them. It was but yesterday that we might have been there.
The soldiers were playing football at the other end of the Rock as before. Five thousand of these lead here their idle lives, and you know it is said that the "new" gun can demolish even Gibraltar. Let us hope no necessity will arrive for its being done. It would seem a pity to mar this magnificent specimen of nature's handiwork.
We bade our shipmates adieu at the Grand Hotel and boarded the "Werra" just in time to sail away. During the afternoon, we passed the islands of Ibiza, Majorca, and Minorca, and we could distinguish houses.
The night was so beautiful that we were reluctant to leave our steamer chairs and turn in. Today is perfect, and as we had planned to remain in our berths on account of the expected "choppy" sea, we are enjoying our surprise.
We found a letter from the new courier when we came on board in New York, and he is to meet us in Genoa.
We thought to have news from somewhere in Gibraltar, but no one remembered to buy a paper, so we are still ignorant of terra firma affairs.
Naples, Italy, 4 November 1894
We had breakfasted early on Thursday morning, and our new courier, Weismuller, came on board as soon as possible and assumed his duties immediately. We drove to the Hotel de Gènes and had a beautiful room. The same uncertain elevator was running, which looked like in 1890.
The day was perfect in Genoa, and being "All Saint's Day," the whole city had a festive appearance. Everybody seemed to be carrying flowers in various forms, and we learned that they were preparing to go out to Campo Santo, the beautiful city of the dead. We decided to drive out and see the decorations.
The pillared square was filled with immense wreaths and bouquets; before each tomb, large candelabras held burning candles. In the center, where are the graves, a crowd of people were hanging wreaths and tiny lamps on the headstones or covering the burials with blossoms.
Many of the people were kneeling in prayer. The women were in the country's bright costumes, adding charm to the picturesqueness. It was all touching and exciting.
From Genoa to Rome, the "wagons-lits" had to be endured; in the morning, we changed to the first Pullman car that was ever made, we thought. Still, it was infinitely better than the wagon-lit.
After breakfast, we took a stroll from the station and entered the church of "Santa Maria degli Angioli." This was once the "Baths of Diocletian," and Michael Angelo transformed. It is beautiful.
We arrived at the "Grand Hotel" in Naples at about three o'clock. We found it as immaculate as before, with service and table good. Our room is on the Bayside, with Mt. Vesuvius in the distance.
Sarah A. Pope, "Aunt Sarah Here: Aunt Sarah There," Chicago: Self Published, MDCCCXCVI (1896), Compiled and Printed as a Souvenir of the Round-the-World Journey. pp. 9-17.
