Ludwig and Elise Gampher - SS Albert Ballin - 16 July 1926

Group Photo of German Immigrants to America on the SS Albert Ballin of the Hamburg-America Line - 1926

Group Photo of German Immigrants to America on the SS Albert Ballin of the Hamburg-America Line, Who Departed from Hamburg on 16 July 1926 for New York, Arriving on 26 July 1926. Image Courtesy of Lydia Schlotthauer Sayers Yee. GGA Image ID # 1597090fdb

In the group photograph above, you will see two individuals seated behind the life ring. Those are my aunt and uncle. (My grandmother's brother Ludwig and his wife) Elise and Ludwig Gampfer.

This was taken on 16 July 1926 before departure from Hamburg, Germany. The Gampfer's Traveled in the Thrid Class, They arrived on 26 July 1926 in Ellis Island, New York.

After Ludwig served in the Germany Navy during WWI he vowed to leave Germany for a better life. So he did. As far as I can recall he never set foot back in Germany after September 1926, having gone back with Elise to settle his affairs.

Upon returning they purchased a house in Brooklyn. During the second world war, our family was very dependent on the CARE packages he sent from New York. After retirement, Ludwig and Elise moved to Kenoza Lake New York.  He died in 1996 and she died in 1998.

Staatsarchiv Hamburg, Bestand: 373-7 I, VIII (Auswanderungsamt I). 1926

Staatsarchiv Hamburg, Bestand: 373-7 I, VIII (Auswanderungsamt I). Mikrofilmrollen K 1701 - K 2008, S 17363 - S 17383, 13116 - 13183 (1926). Hamburg State Archives. GGA Image ID # 1597388ef2

Left Side List No. 9, Page 00740 of the List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States for Passengers aboard the SS Albert Ballin 1926

Left Side List No. 9, Page 00740 of the List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States for Passengers aboard the SS Albert Ballin of the Hamburg-America Line that departed from Hamburg on 16 July 1926, arriving in New York on 26 July 1926. Form 500 B, United States Department of Labor, Steerage Passengers Only. GGA Image ID # 1597bc9189

Right Side List No. 9, Page 00740 of the List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States for Passengers aboard the SS Albert Ballin 1926

Right Side List No. 9, Page 00740 of the List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States for Passengers aboard the SS Albert Ballin of the Hamburg-America Line that departed from Hamburg on 16 July 1926, arriving in New York on 26 July 1926. Form 500 B, United States Department of Labor, Steerage Passengers Only. GGA Image ID # 1597e5a82e

  • First Name : Louis (Ludwig)
  • Last Name : Gampfer
  • Birth Date: 1899-02-20
  • Place of Birth : German
  • Ethnicity/Nationality: Ixheim in the Rheinland-Pfalz
  • Residence Place: Pirmasens
  • Date of Arrival : 26 July 1926
  • Age at Arrival : 27
  • Gender : Male
  • Occupation: Elektromonteur
  • Ship of Travel : Albert Ballin
  • Steamship Line : Hamburg-America Line
  • Accommodation: 3. Klasse
  • Port of Origination : Hamburg
  • Port of Destination : New York
  • Route: Hamburg, Boulogne; Southampton; New York
  • Manifest Line Number : 4
  • Destination: Brooklyn, New York
  • Citation: Volume 373-7 I, VIII A 1 Band 337 (Staatsarchiv Hamburg, Bestand: 373-7 I, VIII (Auswanderungsamt I). Mikrofilmrollen K 1701 - K 2008, S 17363 - S 17383, 13116 - 13183.)

 

  • First Name : Elise
  • Last Name : Gampfer
  • Birth Date: abt 1902
  • Place of Birth : German
  • Ethnicity/Nationality: Wolfstein in the Rheinland-Pfalz
  • Residence Place: Pirmasens
  • Date of Arrival : 26 July 1926
  • Age at Arrival : 24
  • Gender : Female
  • Ship of Travel : Albert Ballin
  • Steamship Line : Hamburg-America Line
  • Accommodation: 3. Klasse
  • Port of Origination : Hamburg
  • Port of Destination : New York
  • Route: Hamburg, Boulogne; Southampton; New York
  • Destination: Brooklyn
  • Manifest Line Number : 5
  • Citation: Volume 373-7 I, VIII A 1 Band 337 (Staatsarchiv Hamburg, Bestand: 373-7 I, VIII (Auswanderungsamt I). Mikrofilmrollen K 1701 - K 2008, S 17363 - S 17383, 13116 - 13183.)

 

Scenes from the Third Class on the SS Albert Ballin of the Hamburg-America Line, 1926.

Scenes from the Third Class on the SS Albert Ballin of the Hamburg-America Line, 1926. Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Third Class Dining Room, Passengers Relaxing on the Thrid Class Promenade Deck, Third Class Ladies Saloon, Third Class Bath and Stateroom. From the Albert Ballin Passenger List, 28 January 1926. GGA Image ID # 15976c7d46

SS Albert Ballin was an ocean liner of the Hamburg-America Line launched in 1923 and named after Albert Ballin, the visionary director of the line who had committed suicide several years earlier. Albert Ballin was built by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, and served on the Hamburg-New York City route.

Declaration of Intention, Ludvig Gampfer dated 26 July 1926.

Declaration of Intention, Ludvig Gampfer dated 26 July 1926. Filing a declaration of intention was the first formal step toward naturalization for most persons seeking admission to U.S. citizenship between Jan. 29, 1795 and Dec. 23, 1952.  For this reason the census and other contemporary sources sometimes refer to filing a declaration as "taking out first papers." GGA Image ID # 15994a7e1f

DSS Form 1, World War II Draft Registration Card for Ludwig Gampfer, Order Number 11034, Serial Number T-1121.

DSS Form 1, World War II Draft Registration Card for Ludwig Gampfer, Order Number 11034, Serial Number T-1121. Ancestry.com. U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. GGA Image ID # 1598df9600

  • Name: Ludwig Gampfer
  • Race: White
  • Age: 42
  • Birth Date: 20 Feb 1899
  • Birth Place: Permasens, Germany
  • Registration Date: 16 Feb 1942
  • Registration Place: Elmhurst, Queens, New York
  • Employer: Rose Dye Works
  • Weight: 170
  • Complexion: Light
  • Eye Color: Blue
  • Hair Color: Brown
  • Height: 5 5
  • Next of Kin: Elisa Gampfer

Declaration of Intention No. 157146 for Elise Gamfer dated 26 July 1928.

Declaration of Intention No. 157146 for Elise Gamfer dated 26 July 1928. National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, DC; NAI Title: Index to Petitions for Naturalizations Filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts in New York City, 1792-1906; NAI Number: 5700802; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: RG 21. GGA Image ID # 15995e504c

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