In a
previous post I included a link which could be a match for Ethel migrating from Canada to the USA at Niagara Falls in 1910. This came from the Family Search website and was a transcription only, without copies of original documents. Find My Past has now added records of
US/Canadian Border Crossings and these do give links to originals.
This is the passenger list. It shows Ethel's occupation as actress, which seems to confirm that this is the right person. Her nationality is given as "England" - she was born in Plumstead, SE London - and her race as Irish. This must have been the logic of the time; her mother was from Belfast and her paternal grandfather from Seago. It also indicates she was being creative not just about her age (21 when really 17) but also her family! As nearest relative, she gives a sister Alice DuBois living in Antwerp. This does not equate even loosely to any of her known family. So far, I have not found anything about Isabell Routhwell. Her address looks like 14-E, 16 Street, Buffalo.
This is a somewhat curious document. It shows the date of her arrival as 5/28/10 i.e. 28 May 1910. There is a box on the form "Section and Subdivision -
Act of 1924". This placed restrictions on immigration according to country of origin and numbers already in the US in 1890. Presumably when the Act was implemented, it was necessary to compile retrospective records of who had already entered the US and from where.
These documents also point to another detail that has so far eluded me - her departure from the UK. This tells us that she arrived in Quebec in July 1909 on the
Empress of Britain. It is therefore quite likely that Ethel sailed from Liverpool.
This is looking likely. Departed Liverpool 2 July 1909, arrived Quebec 9 July. Just 55 pages to trawl through.
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/immigration-records/passenger-lists/passenger-lists-1865-1922/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=5143&
And here it is on page 18. Not the clearest image, I'm afraid. As far as I can make out, she is listed as Caroline McCann, aged 21 (would actually only have been 16), with an intended occupation in Canada of "Domestic". Possibly this was to meet a criterion of assisted passage, which might not have applied had she described herself as an actress. Religion given as Roman Catholic, which suggests that this is our girl.
I had been curious how Ethel could have travelled from England to Canada and the USA quoting an age that was at variance with the facts. Wouldn't her passport have given the game away? I am indebted to Tom at
http://www.passport-collector.com/ for this
information:
Until the Great War no travel documents were required to enter USA. Later on passports were issued based on birth certificates and citizenship/naturalization documents.
