Johann Blees, Immigrant
Johann Blees (1856-1916) immigrated to the United States in the early 1880s.
What does his immigration record tell us about him?
Where was he from?
What was his birthdate?
Did he have traveling companions?
From Bremen to Baltimore
Often a family historian can find the passenger list from the departure port as well as the arrival port.
The port of Bremen, Germany was a major point of embarkation for emigrants during the 19th and 20th centuries. Shipowners were required to maintain passenger lists and deliver them to the Nachweisungsbureau für Auswanderer [Information Office for Emigrants]. The regulations of the Nachweisungsbureau improved the quality of the emigrant experience before and during their voyage.
Unfortunately, all Bremen lists from 1875 – 1908 were destroyed due to lack of space in the Bremen Archives.1http://www.passengerlists.de/
However, the Baltimore arrival lists are available at the National Archives.
Johann Blees, Steerage Passenger No. 1654
Arrived at the Port of Baltimore on May 26, 18822Baltimore, Maryland. Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, Maryland, 1820-1891. Microfilm Publication M255. RG 36. Roll 35: Jan 6 – Jul 27, 1882. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Ship: S.S. Strassburg arrived 26 May 1882. Johann Blees, Steerage Passenger No. 1654, page 38.
Details from this arrival manifest:
- Name: Johann Blees
- Age in Years and Months: 27
- Sex: m [male]
- Occupation: workman
- Country in which they severally belong: Prussia
- Country in which they intend be become inhabitants: Baltimore
- Died on the voyage: [blank]
- Part of the vessel occupied by each passenger during the voyage: ditto [steerage]
Information in the Record
Because only the arrival record survives, we do not have a lot of information about Johann Blees, the immigrant. We know that he was 27 years old and described himself generically as a workman from Prussia.
From this record, we can deduce a few things about Johann:
He was not particularly wealthy and traveled in steerage with 1784 other passengers (1785, if you count the baby that was born on the voyage).3Ibid., page 41.
Johann traveled alone. The single man listed above him was from Bavaria. Enumerated below him, the families were Swedish farmers.
His intended destination was Baltimore. Or was Baltimore listed as an easy answer for the U.S. Immigration officials?
Baltimore
To date, I have not discovered any record of Johann in Baltimore. The Internet Archive has copies of early 1880s City Directories for Baltimore. Sadly, there are no entries for Johann/John Blees. Similarly, searches of digitized newspapers yielded no results for him.
Where to Research next
Did Johann submit his paperwork for U.S. citizenship?
Where did Johann settle?
How can we find his birth location?
SOURCES
- 1
- 2Baltimore, Maryland. Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, Maryland, 1820-1891. Microfilm Publication M255. RG 36. Roll 35: Jan 6 – Jul 27, 1882. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Ship: S.S. Strassburg arrived 26 May 1882. Johann Blees, Steerage Passenger No. 1654, page 38.
- 3Ibid., page 41.