Ships of Our Ancestors [Paperback]

Michael J. Anuta (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0806313811 | ISBN-13: 978-0806313818 | Publication Date: 1999

Ships of Our Ancestors is a compilation of photographs of the steamships that were employed in transporting immigrants to this country in the heyday of mass migration. These were the propeller-driven, steel-hulled leviathans of legend, owned and operated by such famous shipping lines as North German Lloyd, White Star, Cunard, Guion, Red Star, Inman, and Hamburg-American. Photos of nearly 900 ships are arranged here in alphabetical order, and each ship is further identified by date, shipping line, and source. For genealogists the photographs represent a visual testimony of the great passenger ships that grew old in service and then passed from the scene without a trace. They are proof of a bygone time and our connection to it.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Aptly named, this 1983 title is a collection of photographs of the ships on which immigrants crossed the oceans to the United States from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s. Each photo includes the name of the vessel along with the year of its construction and the line to which it belonged.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"If you are a genealogist trying to connect people with their heritage, this book may help you...If you simply love photos of steamers, you'll want to take a look at Ships of Our Ancestors." --NAUTICAL RESEARCH JOURNAL, Vol. 42, No. 2 (June 1997) , p. 115.

"The book...represents a labour of love on the part of a dedicated antiquarian...." --THE NORTHERN MARINER, Vol. 7, No. 2 (April 1997), pp. 95-96.

Product Details

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: Genealogical Publishing Company (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806313811
• ISBN-13: 978-0806313818
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #491,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Should be titled - Pictures of Ancestral Ships, August 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ships of Our Ancestors (Paperback)

This book does provide pictures of probably all of the immigrant ships used, however, there is nothing else besides postcard-size pictures. They are arranged alphabetically, 3 per page, and provide a name, date, and steamship line. I was able to find the ship that my grandmother remembered traveling on her voyage to America, but no other information was available. I believe that the title is deceiving. The description stated that pictures were available, but no mention was made of "all pictures and no text". I believe that it is overpriced for a collection of pictures that I later found for free on the internet.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A picture is worth a thousand words!, August 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ships of Our Ancestors (Paperback)

Yes, it is true that this book contains no detailed information about the ships that are pictured in it's pages. Yes, the photos are of indifferent quality and some are of relatively small size....... So what! This book is in my experience the only widely distributed source for photographs of emigration ships from the late 19th and early 20th century. I was able to find no less then five of the "boats" that my German ancestors came on during the 19th century. Most of the Bremen and Hamburg ships from the Steam power era seem to be present in this book. The only ships I couldn't locate were the earlier "Bark's" (sailing vessels), which probably were never photographed in the first place. There are several web sites including "Magellan - The Ships Encyclopedia" that give lots of raw data on these ships and some history to go alone with your photograph. If you need it and it's not at the library, this is probably the book that will have a picture of your ancestors ship.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It made me feel like a passenger on the ships of my parents, June 28, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Beverly Hills, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ships of Our Ancestors (Paperback)

I could feel the vibration going thru me as to how my parents felt, thought, lived, how they ate, how they were dressed, how they communicated with each other of other ethnic groups. I NOW can envision myself in my parents places coming in on the SS FREDERIC DER GROSSE and the SS GROSSE KURFURTZ.

These pixs brought me a little closer to my parents.