Nörenberg Immigration

Konstantin “Charlie” Nörenberg departed Hamburg on 9 January 1909 and arrived in New York seventeen days later. Yes, he passed through Ellis Island and saw the Statue of Liberty. Leaving his home country, he traveled to Hamburg and embarked on the voyage with three other young men, each aged 20, from his area of Vladimer, Volhynia, Russia: Emil Zychoczynsky, Emil Hülke, and Karl Eichmann.

Konstantin and Emil Z. intended to meet a friend named Anthoni Charkowski [spelling uncertain] in Laurel Hill/Long Island New York. The other two headed to the Lutheran Church’s Pilger Haus in Manhattan. Other documented details from the passenger manifest: Charlie paid for his own passage, possessed $20, was never before in the U.S., his nearest relative was Louise Nirenberg (mother), had never been in prison, was not a polygamist nor an anarchist. His physical condition was labeled as “good;” he was 5’10” tall, with a fair complexion, light brown hair and grey eyes, and was born in Vladimir, Russia.

The 1910 census shows several German-Russians living in the Laurel Hill area of Long Island. So, it is very likely that Konstantin and his buddy were traveling to meet someone from their village or at least they were told to meet someone there. When immigrating, a newly-arrived person needed to have enough money to get to their next location. By stating that he was only traveling to Long Island, Charlie was spared the possibility of detention on Ellis Island for lack of traveling funds.

Grandson Ken recalled that Grandpa Charlie said that he had a brother in America. This brother is not listed as a near relation on the ship manifest paperwork, nor is this brother listed on any of Charlie’s naturalization paperwork. Charlie had a step-brother, Wilhelm Riechert, from his mother’s first marriage.

What needs additional researching?

More research is needed to determine the relationships between the four young men that traveled to America together in January of 1909.

Did all four young men travel to Minnesota? to Cass Lake?
Where is Charlie’s brother?

SOURCES

NARA film 715, roll 1190; Passenger and Crews Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1919; SS Pennsylvania sailing from Hamburg Germany to New York, January 26, 1909; Ship’s Manifest (list 3, line 4) enumerates Nirenberg, Konstantin.

Johnston, J.S. “S.S. Pennsylvania.” Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Collection, [between 1896 and 1900], http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/det.4a15907.