Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Aboard The Dresden


My Uncle Ray (My Mom's Brother) and my cousin Deb
have been doing a lot of research of my Grandma's
family that came to America from Poland. They've
located a copy of the ship's manifest of "The
Dresden" that brough my Great Great Grandmother
with many of her family from Poland (then a part
of Prussia).


The Dresden arrived at Ellis Island on March 17, 1893
with the Wronka family aboard. Apparently other members
came on a later date but Maria arrived by herself with
only some of her children on this trip. The Dresden was
built by the Bremer Vulkan Shipbuilders of Vegesack Germany
in 1889. It weighed 4580 gross tons, was 390 feet long and
46 feet wide. It held 1,818 passengers (1760 of which were
in third class (steerage) which included Maria). It was
eventually sold to the Turkish government in 1906 and
renamed the Tirimujghian. It sunk in the Black Sea in 1914.

Last November, as Lynn and I were traveling in Eastern Europe,
we returned to Poland on a German plane (Lufthansa) just like
Maria left Poland on a German ship. One of Maria's ancestors
had come home.

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