The Emigrant Ticket

Before the journey to North America could commence the emigrants had to buy a ticket or “emigrant contract” as it also was called. When the big British shipping companies began with passenger traffic to North America so-called emigrant agents emerge in Sweden representing these shipping companies. It was the emigrant agents the emigrants turned to when they bought their tickets to North America. The agents also helped the emigrants with all sorts of practical arrangements necessary for the journey to their final destinations.

Immigrant Inspection Cards

The United States Congress passed an Act in 1893 stating that all immigrants or rather all Steerage and Cabin Passengers (2nd and 3rd class passengers) needed a so-called Inspection Card. This was a Certificate used by the U.S. Immigration Service for Immigrants which indicated that they were vaccinated, disinfected and passed daily health inspections during the voyage across the Atlantic. The immigrant was instructed to "Keep this Card to avoid detention at Quarantine and on Railroads in the United States.” The quoted message was written on the back side in 7 languages, among them Swedish. The cards held information such as; port of Departure, name of Ship, name of passenger, date of departure and last residence. Further, the card had to be stamped by the United States Consulate in the country of departure or by the passenger ship’s medical officer. The reverse side of the card held vaccination information guaranteeing that the immigrant was vaccinated, a vaccination certificate. There is an example of an inspection card further down on the page.

The Ticket

To make the journey across the Atlantic the emigrants needed a ticket. These emigrant tickets or emigrant contracts as they were also called were bought from any of the many shipping companies’ agents. Below is a transcript of an emigrant ticket from 1904 for Per Hilmer Johansson. The ticket was issued by the emigrant agency J. Oscar Reis, Gothenburg for the Cunard Line at a price of 60 Kr, third class. [Kr = Kronor, the Swedish currency]. The port of departure is Helsingborg, Skåne, Sweden and the destination is New York via England. The text on the ticket is inscribed in both Swedish (left hand side) and Engliah (right hand side). The ticket is signed by Per Hilmer Johansson’s father Johannes Nilsson. N:o 4177 Emigrant Contract Between J. O. Reis, Gothenburg, Authorized Emigrant Agent and the Emigrant mentioned below: I, J. Oscar Reis hereby undertake, upon the following terms, to forward from Helsingborg to New York, N.Y. in North America, the Emigrant named below for the sum of Kronor 60.00 , which amount has been duly paid and includes all ordinary charges upon landing in America. The journey takes place from Helsingborg 27/5 (May 27) by steamer steerage passage to Hull or Grimsby in England or else by steamer and railway third class to Esbjerg in Denmark and by steamer steerage passage to Harwich or Grimsby in England and thence within 48 hours, after having passed the Customs, to Liverpool by rail 3rd class and from Liverpool within 12 days after arrival there, by Ocean steamer steerage passage to New York or Boston in North America. From New York or Boston the Emigrant will be forwarded immediately after passing the Customs and complied with other formalities by rail 3rd class to ___________________. At the above mentioned fare the emigrant will be supplied with good and sufficient provisions and attendance after leaving Helsingborg until arrival at place of landing in America, lodging during the stay in England and conveyance and care of effects not exceeding 10 Eng. Cubic feet space by steamer and 150 Eng. lbs. weight by railway. Effects of children between 1 and 12 years are carried free at the rate of half of what has been before stated for effects to America, where no free conveyance of effects of children under 5 years is allowed. The emigrant is entitled to check for such effects as are not under his own care and will receive for same consisting of 1 packages and numbered 1922 a compensation not exceeding Kronor 50 per adult, and not exceeding Kronor 25 for children between 1 and 12 years, in the event of non-delivery, of the effects on surrender of said check upon arrival at place of landing in America, but no compensation will be allowed for loss or damage og effects caused by sea accident. Should the emigrant on arrival in the foreign country be refused by the authorities to immigrate, and if it cannot be proved that this prohibition has been caused by circumstances come to pass after this contract was made out, I, J. Oscar Reis, do hereby agree to repay the emigrant for the passage and at my expense have him returned to Helsingborg, Sweden; likewise his maintenance until his return and forwarding and care of his baggage. Likewise I do agree to, if so required by the emigrant, to let all controversies about this contract’s explication and the emigrant’s justice of compensation for non- fulfillment of the same to be decided by five arbiters, of whom the emigrant appoints two, I, or in the case I refuse, the Kings Governor in the government two, and the before said governor the fifth. If the emigrant has any reason for complaint of not being treated in accordance with the terms stipulated in this contract, a report thereof should be made to the nearest Consul as soon as circumstances admit. Agreed Johannes Nilsson Helsingborg on May 25, 1904 J. Oscar Reis through Nils Nilsson Shown and approved as made up in in accordance with the Royal Decree of June 4, 1884, and the Royal Proclamation of September 28, 1893, certified by, Helsingborg Police Department May 25, 1904. Transcription: Hans Högman, 2013. The contract is shown below:

Example of an Emigrant Ticket from 1904

Above, Peter Johnson (Per Hilmer Johansson) made a revisit to Sweden during summer of 1910 to see relatives and friends. To the left is his ticket for the journey back home to the United States. The ticket was sold by the emigrant agent Carl Eriksson, Gothenburg to Per Hilmer Johansson, resident of New York City and issued in Helsingborg on September 30, 1910. Hilmer was 26 years old in 1910. The price of the ticket was 280 Kr (2nd class). The ship’s name is the SS Adriatic (inscribed diagonally in the center of the ticket) and the shipping line White Star Line (Hvita Stjern Linjen). His route is noted in the running text and he went from Helsingborg, Sweden via Copenhagen and Esbjerg, Denmark and from there with a steamer to Hull, England. His journey continued by train from Hull to Southampton. The port of arrival in the United States is New York. The image is shown with consent of Peter Johnson, New York City.

The following text is found at the reverse

side of the emigrant contract from 1904

The image above is an example of an emigrant ticket (emigrant contract) issued by the emigrant agency J. O. Reis, Gothenburg, for the Cunard Line. The ticket is for Per Hilmer Johansson (19 years old), Förslöv parish, Kristianstad Län and issued in Helsingborg on May 25, 1904. The price is 60 Kr (3rd class - steerage). The steamship is the SS Carpathia (inscribed diagonally in the center of the ticket). The ticket is stamped Esbjerg which means that Hilmer went from Sweden via Esbjerg on the west coast of Denmark to England. The port of arrival in England was probably Hull and from there by train to Liverpool. The running text on the left side of the ticket is in Swedish and the corresponding text on the right hand side is in English. The open space in the center of the ticket has three columns: name of emigrant, age and last residence. The ticket measures (HxW) 29 cm x 31.5 cm (11.4 x 12.4 inches). The paper is very thin tissue type. Per Hilmer Johansson settled in New York City and used the name Peter H. Johnson in the United States. The image is shown with consent of Peter Johnson, New York City. The printed text in the emigrant ticket holds the following section: I, J. Oscar Reis hereby undertake, upon the following terms, to forward from Helsingborg to New York, N.Y. in North America, the Emigrant named below for the sum of Kronor 60.00 , which amount has been duly paid and includes all ordinary charges upon landing in America. The journey takes place from Helsingborg 27/5 (May 27) by steamer steerage passage to Hull or Grimsby in England or else by steamer and railway third class to Esbjerg in Denmark and by steamer steerage passage to Harwich or Grimsby in England and thence within 48 hours, after having passed the Customs, to Liverpool by rail 3rd class and from Liverpool within 12 days after arrival there, by Ocean steamer steerage passage to New York or Boston in North America. At the far bottom of the ticket: Helsinborg i Poliskammaren den 25 Maj 1904 (Helsingborg Police Department May 25, 1904)

Immigrant Inspection Card

Above, an Immigrant Inspection Card (Medical Card), front page, for P. Hilmer Johansson, from May 31, 1904. A vaccination certificate was needed for immigrants and 3rd class passengers. This inspection card was issued for the journey from Liverpool to New York. On the card we find that the ocean liner's name, the Carpathia, and that the immigrant’s last residence was Hborg (Helsingborg, Sweden). No 28 at the bottom right is Hilmer’s number in the ship’s list or manifest. There are 3 large blocks on the front of the card. The first block (left side) with the headline "Inspected and passed at" used to have a blue stamp with the text "U.S. Consulate Liverpool" but now very faded. The center block with the headline "Passed at Quarantine, port of" has been stamped with a large red D. This “D” is a reference to the list in the manifest where Hilmer will be found as passenger no 28. The shipping companies used to divide the manifests in several lists. Hilmer is in list “D”. The third block (right side) with the headline "Passed by Immigration Bureau, port of" had a round blue stamp, so faded that it was un-decipherable some 50 or more years ago but ought to be the Ellis Island stamp. The card measures (HxW) 9.5 cm x 14 cm (3.7 x 5.5 inches). The image is shown with consent of Peter Johnson, New York City.

Vaccination Card

Above, a Vaccination Card, reverse side of the Immigrant Inspection Card for P. H. Johansson. Here is a "vaccinated" stamp, probably the ship's medical officer's. The English text at the top reads: Keep this card to avoid detention at Quarantine and on Railroads in the United States. The Swedish text below the English reads: Behåll detta kort för att förekomma dröjesmål vid Karantänstationen och på Järnvägarna i Förenta Staterna. This was instructions to the immigrant to retain the card until he reached his destination in the United States in order to avoid detention. The image is shown with consent of Peter Johnson, New York City.

Emigrant Ticket from 1910

The image is shown with consent of Peter Johnson, New York City. The above text translated into English: Read this carefully before the departure from Helsingborg! According to the American Immigration Act, in force from April 1, 1893, the following classes of aliens are denied entry to the United States, viz; 1) Persons who are idiots or mentally disordered. 2) Persons who suffer from contagious diseases. 3) Persons convicted for ignominious crimes, or in evidence of moral decay. Persons prosecuted for political misdemeanor are not included in this point. (exempted) 4) Persons in favor of polygamy. 5) Persons who have an agreement to perform work in the United States 6) Persons who have received alms relief; are incapacitated or so destitute that it can be foreseen that they upon arrival at the final destination will be in need of public support. This point also includes; aged men and women, orphans, crippled or deformed, unmarried pregnant women, unmarried women with illegitimate children and widows with underage children; However, the above groups of people can disembark in America if they have a permit issued by the appropriate authority there, which must be presented to the Cunard Line’s office prior to the departure from Gothenburg. As can be read above, the US authorities were definitely trying to deny entry to those incapable of taking care of themselves, criminals, etc. These were people the authorities suspected of becoming a burden to society (Likely Public Charge, LPC) and were denied entry.

Source References

• Source references Top of page