Photographer Alfred Stieglitz named this 1907 photograph “The Steerage.”
A sea of humanity on the high seas. I would guess they were immigrants headed for the USA but who knows? Do you suppose the people on the upper deck were a different class than the people on the lower deck?
old spirituals 
Oh, absolutely they were a different class. My maternal grandmother came over from England to Canada with my mother in 1930 to join my grandfather who had been here for a year. They were in 3rd class. My mother told me the story of her being so cute at age 2 (big sausage curls, a round chubby face, big green eyes) that the 1st class passengers couldn’t get enough of her. They would call her up on their deck so they could play with her and talk to her. My 3rd class Nanna was more than thrilled to be up there because it was much more roomy and appointed with luxurious fittings which she got to enjoy for an hour or so a day, lol.
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The ship my mother and grandmother took from England to Canada in 1930.
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How cool, Jennie!! The Duchess of Bedford!
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I still have an old handkerchief of my grandmother’s which she bought on board the ship. It has Duchess of Bedford printed on it. It’s upwards of 100 years old now.
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That’s a real heirloom!
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Smart little girl! Probably a lot of people had champagne taste and a Coca-Cola budget 😉
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Those who left ancestral homes to begin a new legacy in America were proud, brave, and ambitious people. Many started their new life in steerage but rose to middle class in America. My ancestors were among them.
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Mine too, Jax!
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What a wonderful story, Jennie. My family has no stories of migrating to America. My mother has an ancestor in one of the 13 Colonies. My dad’s family has ties possibly to the Revolutionary War, but definitely to Texas before it was a Republic. This ancestor was given a land grant by Stephen Austen and he fought with Sam Houston. It just seems as if my family has always been here. Lol. Your mother must have had a great time on that ship!
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My paternal and maternal grandparents came to America in 1903 from Italy. Both were in their late teens. My wife’s maternal grandparents came from Hungary, a bit older in age. But her paternal grandparents’ family genealogy goes back to William Penn’s Quakers, a group that migrated across the Delaware River to New Jersey. One was a Lieutenant that fought in the New Jersey Militia during the Revolutionary War at the Battle of the Iron Works in Mount Holly, NJ. That battle was instrumental in occupying a large contingent of British and Prussian troops, preventing them from supporting the troops in Trenton when Washington attacked on Christmas. She is a certified member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This history is what makes America, America!!!!
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My wife’s paternal genealogy dates back to William Penn and the Quakers. A relative fought at the Battle of Iron Mountain in Mount Holly, NJ, during the two day preceding Washington’s attack on Trenton, NJ, on Christmas. That little known battle occupied a contingent of Prussian and British troops preventing them from supporting the Prussian troops at Trenton. He was a Lieutenant in the New Jersey Militia and the “Patriot” that qualifies her to be a member of the “Daughters of the American Revolution.” Her maternal grandparent immigrated from Hungary.
My paternal grandfather arrived via the SS Citta Di Napoli and my paternal grandmother came on the SS Canada from Naples.
This history is what makes America, America.
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