"Welcome to U.S.A.!"

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Atlantic Ocean, July 2, 1949. This is the last newletter the General Howze issued prior to docking in New York City. My friend Kris's Uncle Al did the artwork and hand lettering for the piece.

Thanks to Kris for making this document available to us.

The Life Box (Part 24)

Suburban Chicago, August 1964. I record my memory of the ride on the big boat.

A Closer Look (Part 40)

Southwestern Lithuania, about 1909. This is Mr. Irene's Great Aunt Petra. She stood for this photo shortly before she sailed to the United States.

Here's the original post.

Economy Class

Over the Atlantic Ocean, July 1971. We've boarded the Pan Am 747 "Jumbo Jet," and we are on our way to Vienna.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 37)

Atlantic Ocean, Summer 1955. My Best Friend's Mother, Louise, poses with her oldest daughter during their ocean crossing aboard the Andrea Doria.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.

Setting Sail

Atlantic Ocean, Summer 1955. Here's another image of my Best Friend's Dad, Dolfo, and her sister as they prepare to sail from Genoa to the United States aboard the Andrea Doria.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.

Seventy Years

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Normandy, June, 2010. Thanks to my friend Susan for making these photos available to us.

On the Deck

Atlantic Ocean, Summer 1955. My Best Friend's Parents, Dolfo and Louise, are ready to sail back to the States.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.

Happy Travels

Atlantic Ocean, Summer 1955. My Best Friend's sister sets sail aboard the Andrea Doria.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.

Cruise Memento

I wrote earlier how my Best Friend's Parents sailed across the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Andrea Doria. Earlier, I had thought they made the trip during their honeymoon. I was wrong; they sailed aboard the liner in 1955, one year before the Andrea Doria sank.

Their voyage aboard the Andrea Doria stuck with me because the historical figure, Andrea Doria, was someone I later studied when I did research about Mediterranean piracy. Although my work focused on Venice, I also learned about how other maritime cities—namely Genoa and Pisa—took measures to protect their interests from naval pillage.

 
Atlantic Ocean, Summer 1955. Here's a postcard my Best Friend's Mom, Louise, saved from the trip.

Thanks to my Best Friend for making this photo available to us.

"We're on the swaying boat."

That's what a friend of my maternal Grandfather, Jake, wrote on the back of this photo:

Atlantic Ocean, May 9, 1949. This is the woman whose family settled on a farm in Howard Lake.

Another Look at the First Photo

Hey! This is the first photo I posted on this blog. Why am I republishing it? I recently discovered some original prints my Dad had cropped and reprinted for our family photo albums. It's interesting to revisit the images in their larger context:

Atlantic Ocean, June 1949. This photo helps me better understand how small the boat was.

Splashy

Cape Cod, Massachusetts, July 1963. This photo is unusual because neither Mom nor I like being in the water. There are some images that suggest the opposite, but I don't remember ever enjoying a swim.

"Crossing the Ocean"

The Baltic DP project has made available an account written by a young, Lithuanian DP.

For more photos of and recollections about the crossing, click on the "Atlantic Ocean" label below.

Leaving

Atlantic Ocean, April 30, 1949. Dad's friend rides aboard the USAT General Omar Bundy. The friend looks to the shore of what he called "old England;" this makes me think the ship was transporting Displaced Persons to Australia.

It's cold on the Atlantic Ocean in June.

Atlantic Ocean, June 1949. Today I ran across another photo of my Parents aboard the "General W.M. Black." I am happy when I find something new in my Dad's outtakes box. Dad still wears his wedding ring on his right hand.

When I think about uncertainty—or how dicey it is to make long-term plans—I consider what thoughts my Parents had as they sailed to America.

Sailing to America

Probably Bremerhaven, Germany, June 1949. The General Howze leaves the port. My friend Kris's Grandfather wrote, "Our ship, on which we sailed to America."

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

Anticipation

Probably Bremerhaven, Germany, June 1949. My Mom's best friend, Donna, poses with Jerry, the American soldier who took pre-departure photos of Donna and her family as they set sail for America. The two stand on the deck of the "General Howze."

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

We travel with family.

Atlantic Ocean, June 1949. My Mom's best friend, Donna, travels with her mother to America aboard the "General Howze."

Thanks to my friend Kris for making this photo available to us.

Another Departure

My Mom's best friend, Donna, spent the post-war years at a Displaced Persons camp in Würzburg. After Congress passed the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, Donna sailed to the United States with her brother, Uncle Al, and her Parents.

The ship "General Howze" transported Donna to America. When the ship left the German port, an American soldier named Jerry took photographs of Donna and her family. Jerry later sent the developed prints to Donna.

The General Howze arrived in New York on July 3, 1949. Donna and her family took a Chicago-bound train that same day, and the train reached Chicago on July Fourth. Donna remembers drinking a great deal of cold lemonade that day. She developed a stomach ache because she was unaccustomed to iced beverages.

I don’t know whether this was the same sailing of the General Howze as the one that brought Jonas Mekas to the United States.

Probably Bremerhaven, Germany, June 1949. The "General Howze" sets sail for America.

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Probably Bremerhaven, Germany, June 1949. Donna and her brother, Uncle Al, are ready to emigrate to the United States. I love that Donna is wearing trousers, and I covet Uncle Al's sweater.

Donna left Germany not long after my Parents sailed to the United States.

Thanks to my friend Kris for making these photos available to us.