I would like to know the name of the ship that a family of four Jewish
people took to America from Southhampton in November or December 1926
(probably late November to early December)to Ellis Island. They were
Polish citizens emigrating to the U.S., and had relatives living in
Brooklyn, New York. The four people were:  Jacob (or Jakob) Kubert
(appr. 35 years old), Etta Kubert (appr. 26 years old), and their
children Ida Kubert (2 y.o.) and Joseph (or Yosaif) appr. 2 mos. old.
Of course, they traveled in steerage. I would require concrete written
evidence from a manifest or somesuch, positively linking the Kuberts to the
ship's name. I also need to know the date of the trip, and the name of
the shipping line.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 21 Sep 2005 07:35 PDT

How sure are you of the details you provided?

My understanding is that Ellis Island ceased serving as a port of
entry after 1924.  Are you sure the Kubert's came through Ellis Island
in 1926?

---

Clarification of Question by billbuster-ga on 21 Sep 2005 07:41 PDT

Clarification of the question:  Actually, I don't know for certain
that the Kubert family entered America through Ellis Island. This has
been told to me but it may have just been an assumption. I am
confident of the other information. If immigrants didn't go through
Ellis Island in 1926, where did they commonly arrive if they were
coming into NYC?

Billbuster --

As you may know, one of the widest databases of shipboard arrivals in
New York is at the following site:

Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
http://www.ellisisland.org/

Unfortunately, they have nothing that comes close to matching your family search.  

The NY Times in that period listed daily ship arrivals into New York
and the port that they came from.  However, it wouldn't list
passengers.

The NY Times is available online via Proquest Historical newspapers, a
fee-based service that's excellent, online, and available at no charge
at many libraries.  Also, many libraries still retain NY Times on
microfilm from that period.

The final place to look is at microfilm at the National Archives. 
They have records rooms at various places around the country.  My
suggestion would be to call to see if they have any shipboard records
for the Port of NY as late as 1926.  Note that NARA has reading rooms
around the country --

National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/immigration/passenger-arrival.html#have

Good luck with the family search . . .

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Billbuster --

Philadelphia and Boston might have been common ports, though I'd
certainly look at New York first.

But let me tell you a personal story about Polish grandparents who
came to Buffalo at the turn of the century.  I'd been unable to find
them, despite being reasonably certain about the year of arrival.  I
explained my quandary to a NARA volunteer and he instantly suggested,
"Have you tried St. Alban's, VT?"  After asking why because I'd never
even heard of the town, he explained, "Many of the Eastern European
immigrants actually came across to Canada, then took the train south
from Montreal.  They'd have crossed at St. Alban's."  Within 15
minutes, I'd found my grandmother and two aunts.

Polonia: The Journey to America
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~atpc/polonia/usa/plam-journey.html

There's a final route that you should pursue -- if any of the family
were ever naturalized, you should pursue all of the immigration
documents via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with
immigration.  It's a wealth of family background & information.

You have to request a copy of the "Petition for Naturalization" and
"Certificate of Naturalization" from the Immigration and
Naturalization Service using a 'Freedom of Information Act' (FOIA)
request.  This process takes 4-6 months and undoubtedly will be
expedited if you provided a stamped return envelope:

U.S. Department of Justice 
"FOIA Request Form"
http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/g-639.htm

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Another way to find the date of arrival and the ship name is to
consult naturalization papers. Jacob Kubert, his wife Ethel, and their
children Ida, Joseph and Rachel (who was born in New York) are listed
in the 1930 US Census,living on Schenck Ave. in Brooklyn. According to
the census, they arrived in the United States in 1927 and by 1930
Jacob had already taken out his first papers (called a "Declaration of
Intention"). His naturalization papers will list his date of arrival,
and often will have an attached "Certificate of Arrival" that records
the ship name as well. Rather than hunt for the court where he filed
his papers, you can contact the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization
Service to obtain copies of his naturalization papers. Inquiries and
requests for a search form should be addressed to: U.S. Immigration &
Naturalization Service, 425 Eye Street NW, Washington, DC 20536;
telephone (800) 870- 3676.