When I tell people that I’m a professional genealogist, I often hear, “Oh, my mother/grandmother/aunt did that.” Genealogy is a very popular hobby, I know…I was a hobbyist for over 25 years. But I also know that until I started taking classes, learning about obscure records, and digging into families other than my own, I missed a thing a two. You know how it is…you see that shaking leaf show up on Ancestry showing you a hint. You click on it. You see your ancestor’s name. You get excited. You click on the record to download it to your tree. Yay! One more mystery solved.

Stop. Look a little bit closer. Compare the information in the record with what you know (or think you know).

When Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, I got a note from an old friend. She told me that her family believed that her great-grandmother, Anna Warcaba, came to the United States by herself as a teenager. Her cousin had done some research and learned that Anna was born 10 May 1897 to Michael Kosinich and Anna Truszak. Anna arrived by herself at Ellis Island on 31 March 1913 aboard the Prinz Friedrich Wilhelm. The ship departed from Port of Bremen, but the family identified as being Ukrainian. Anna later married Wasyl Warcaba, and they resided in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. My friend was interested to know if Anna Warcaba, born 10 May 1897 and later residing in Lakewood, Ohio, was of Ukrainian descent.

The first thing I did was check the record my friend’s cousin relied upon for her information: the manifest of the S.S. Prinz Friedrich Wilhelm, arriving from Bremen in New York on 31 March 1913.

On this ship manifest, Anna Warcaba is identified as a 20-year-old single woman of Austrian nationality and Ruthenian decent. She was a servant, unable to read or write, who had previously lived in Molodÿcz, Galicia. Her father was Wasyl Warcaba, who lived in Molodÿcz, Galicia, in the village of Radawa. This is located in what today is southeast Poland.

Anna indicated that her final destination was Boston, Massachusetts, where she intended to reside with her sister, Marya Borown at 35 Wall Street. Anna paid her own passage and arrived with $28. She had not previously visited the United States. She was 5' 5" tall, of fair complexion, with blond hair and brown eyes. She was born in Molodÿcz, Galicia. 

Anna Warcaba - Check!

Wasyl Warcaba - Check!

But wait…My friend had told me that her great grandmother’s married name was Warcaba, yet this record shows that it was the passenger’s maiden name. And Wasyl Warcaba is her father’s name, not her husband’s.

Right away I was almost certain the passenger listed on this manifest wasn’t my friend’s great grandmother. But one should never be satisfied with just one source! Since Anna Warcaba on the ship’s manifest was headed to Boston, that’s where I took my search next.

Read Part 2 to see what I found!

Wondering about your own ancestor’s immigration? Contact me to see how I can help you learn more!