SS Haverford Passenger List, 11 November 1908 – Transatlantic Travelers and a Reporter’s Misadventure

Front Cover of a Cabin Passenger List for the SS Haverford of the American Line, Departing 11 November 1908 from Liverpool to New York via Queenstown (Cobh), Commanded by Captain Enoch Maddox. The Ship Arrived in New York on 25 November 1908 (Morton Allan Directory). | GGA Image ID # 21ad81c40f

🚢 Review & Summary – SS Haverford, 11 November 1908

The SS Haverford of the American Line embarked from Liverpool on 11 November 1908, with an intermediate stop at Queenstown (Cobh) before completing her journey to Philadelphia. Under the command of Captain Enoch Maddox, this voyage reflected the transatlantic rhythm of early 20th-century passenger steamship travel—moving a mix of professionals, families, and notable figures between Europe and the United States.

This sailing, recorded in the Morton Allan Directory as arriving in Philadelphia on 25 November 1908, took place in a period when the Haverford was a familiar sight on the Liverpool–Philadelphia route, known for her large steerage accommodations and steady service.

🚢 About the SS Haverford

• Launched: 1901 by John Brown & Co., Clydebank, Scotland.
• Operator: American Line (part of International Mercantile Marine Co.).
• Tonnage: ~11,600 gross tons.
• Typical Route: Philadelphia–Liverpool via Queenstown.
• Passenger Profile: Designed with large steerage accommodations for immigrant traffic, but also capable of carrying a substantial Cabin Class complement.
• Historical Note: During WWI, the Haverford was used as a troop transport; she survived torpedo attacks and returned to commercial service afterward.

Senior Officers and Staff

1. Commander: Captain Enoch Maddox
2. Surgeon: G. H. Gill
3. Chief Steward: B. J. Priest

List of Cabin Passengers

1. Mr. Joseph Arch
2. Mr. J. G. Ayres
3. Mr. H. Bamber
4. Mr. James Bannon
5. Mrs. Bannon
6. Mrs. F. Barker
7. Mr. Alfred Bayley
8. Mr. E Berborn
9. Mr. Arthur H. Berry
10. Mrs. W. L. Berry
11. Miss C. Lee Braine
12. Mrs. Brown
13. Miss A. Byrne
14. Miss Margaret Carr
15. Mr. Ed. E. Chandler
16. Mrs. Chandler
17. Mr. Lionel S. Craven
18. Mr. Richard Davies
19. Mrs. Davies and Infant
20. Miss Florence B. Davies
21. Mrs. W. B. Elliot
22. Miss Adele Elliot
23. Miss Myra Elliot
24. Mr. George F. Ephgrave
25. Miss Rebecca D. Ernst
26. Miss Caroline Field
27. Miss Hilda M. Flueck
28. Mr. Wm. H. Fryatt
29. Mrs. F. A. Garrett
30. Mrs. H. Gill
31. Mr. Henry N. Gillespie
32. Miss Florence Godfrey
33. Miss A. W. Graham
34. Miss Irvine Gruff
35. Mr. John C. Gunn
36. Mr. Chas. D. Habliston
37. Mrs. Habliston
38. Mrs. C. H. Hill
39. Miss Gladys Hill
40. Mrs. J. M. Hillyar
41. Mr. H. H. Hitt
42. Mr. Tracey W. Holland
43. Mrs. Holland
44. Mr. Henry E. Jenkins
45. Mrs. G. Kearney
46. Miss Isabel Kearney
47. Miss Gertrude Kearney
48. Miss Janet Kearney
49. Miss Marie K Kennedy
50. Mr. Wm. Kimber
51. Mrs. Kimber
52. Master Kimber
53. Miss Ethel Kimber
54. Miss Harriet R. Krause
55. Mr. Benjamin Lees
56. Mr. Donald Lightbourne
57. Mr. Ellis Lund
58. Mr. R. P. Lundbek
59. Miss Isabel D. Macdonald
60. Miss Manley
61. Mrs. J. H. McAllister
62. Mr. Julian McCarthy
63. Mrs. Chas. McCue
64. Mrs. M. McGlade
65. Mr. George McNulty
66. Mr. Frank Mealin
67. Mrs. Mealin
68. Miss Minnie Mealin
69. Mrs. Metcalf
70. Miss Metcalf
71. Mr. Henry U. Michie
72. Mr. Telford H. Moss
73. Miss J. Parke
74. Mr. Houston H. Parsons
75. Mrs. M. J. Penhollow
76. Mrs. M. Percelle
77. Mrs. S. J. Price
78. Mrs. E. H. Randle
79. Master Wm, D. Reagan
80. Miss N. M. Rennyson
81. Miss Mary E. Rice
82. Mrs. Ida Ridgely
83. Miss Alice L. Seal
84. Mr. R. L. Sealby
85. Miss Ada M. Thompson
86. Miss Frances Thornton
87. Mrs. Tyson
88. Miss Louise Virtue
89. Mr. Edward M. Wakefield
90. Mrs. Wakefield
91. Miss Cora Wheeland
92. Mrs. Willard
93. Miss Cath. L. Willard
94. Mrs. G. E. Winslow
95. Mrs. S. Winterbottom
96. Miss Ada Winterbottom
97. Mr. T. Howard Worth
98. Miss E. Daisy Worth

📜 Notable Passengers & Social Context

While no professors or entertainment celebrities appear on this manifest, several individuals stand out for their social, economic, or historical interest.

🌍 Transatlantic Business & Professional Travelers

Mr. Edward M. Wakefield – Likely connected to Philadelphia business circles; his travels suggest professional or commercial activity between Britain and the U.S.

Mr. Henry U. Michie – A name associated with engineering and manufacturing sectors in the period, possibly traveling for technical work or industrial partnership.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Groups

The passenger list features many family units, such as the Kimber family (Mr., Mrs., Master, and Miss), representing middle- and upper-middle-class leisure or relocation travel. These family listings are valuable for genealogists tracing whole household migrations.

🗞️ A Journalist’s Misadventure

The Philadelphia Times recounts an amusing and slightly humiliating episode involving a reporter who boarded the Haverford upon arrival to gather news. While he conducted his interviews, the ship was moved mid-stream to await daylight customs inspection. The captain, perhaps in jest, refused to believe his credentials and detained him overnight as a suspected stowaway until a U.S. Inspector vouched for him the next morning. This anecdote adds human color to the voyage, illustrating both the formality of maritime security and the humor that could arise in shipboard life.

Notice: Landing Arrangements at Philadelphia

Should the steamer arrive at the Philadelphia wharf after 8:00 pm, Passengers have the option of remaining on board overnight and landing after breakfast on the following morning.

Reporting in Philadelphia.

The life of a newspaperman, like that of the policeman, is not always a happy one, as was shown a day or two ago when the American Line, steamship Haverford docked off Washington Avenue wharf. The vessel docked at 8 o'clock in the evening to permit the cabin Passengers to land. A certain reporter was assigned to get the news of the ship's voyage.

Following the aggressiveness of his profession, the reporter went aboard the vessel. While he was seeking interviews, the ship was taken out to mid-stream in order that the customs and immigration officers could have their inspections in daylight and that nome of the steerage Passengers could get ashore.

When the reporter was through with his work, he found himself a long way from the dock. He went in search of the Captain, but that officer refused to put him ashore, saying he did not believe the story and suggested to put the newsgatherer in Irons as a stowaway. He was kept on board until the next morning when the United States Inspector recognized him, and he was released. He is now wondering if the Captain did not play a joke on him in this detention.

Philadelphia Times

📚 Relevance for Teachers, Students, Historians, and Genealogists

Teachers & Students – Provides a primary source for studying maritime passenger life, transatlantic trade, and the role of Philadelphia as a U.S. port of entry.

Historians – Highlights shipboard routines, security protocols, and even ship–press relations in the early 1900s.

Genealogists – Lists multi-generational passengers and household groups, useful for tracing family migration patterns.

Cultural Scholars – The reporter incident offers insight into the interplay between the media and the maritime industry in the Edwardian era.

💡 Final Thoughts – Why This Passenger List Matters

The 11 November 1908 voyage of the SS Haverford is more than a list of names—it’s a snapshot of Edwardian-era transatlantic society. It captures business connections, family journeys, and even a lighthearted episode that humanizes maritime history. For genealogists, it’s a preserved record of individuals on the move; for historians, it’s a case study in how ocean liners operated both as transport and as cultural meeting points.