Description of Archival Records Anchor Line Passenger Lists (1883–1938)

Collection Period Covered

Dates: 30 June 1883 – 26 August 1938

Geography & Routes:

Primarily Glasgow ↔ New York (frequently via Moville/Londonderry/Belfast), with sailings to/from Boston, Liverpool, Naples, and special cruise itineraries (Mediterranean, Bermuda, etc.).

Passenger Classes Represented:

Saloon/First, Cabin/Second, Tourist Third Cabin, and Mixed (combined class lists).

Record Description

Fifty-two original Anchor Line passenger lists and special-cruise rosters issued 1883–1938. Formats range from pocket lists and multi-panel foldouts to illustrated pamphlets with color lithographed covers. Many items include sailing schedules, fleet lists, “Information for Passengers,” wireless telegraph/telephone rates, time-at-sea & distance tables, track charts with memorandum of log, and advertisements for cruises or associated lines (e.g., Cunard).

Physical condition varies from Excellent to Fair, with typical period wear: foxing/toning, vertical or horizontal folds, detached or removed staples with minor rust shadows, scrapbook extraction scars, and occasional contemporary reader annotations (checkmarks, initials, brief notes, plotted tracks). Several covers credit printers or artists (e.g., Horn & Connell (Glasgow); Andrew Reid & Co., Newcastle-upon-Tyne; McCorquodale & Co., Glasgow & London; A. Trani, Naples; J. A. Lowell & Co., Boston).

Record Content

Each list typically contains some or all of the following:

• Vessel identification: ship name, line, route, and date; sometimes tonnage or promotional imagery of the ship.
• Command & complement: Captain/Commander and Senior Officers & departmental staff (often noting stewardesses/matrons).
• Passenger registers: names arranged alphabetically or by class/embarkation port; many lists include home towns; some note tour numbers/room numbers (e.g., Students Travel Club).
• Onboard information: mealtimes, table seating, medical services, baggage, postal/telegraph services, deck chairs/rugs, library, religious services, muster information, etc.
• Sailing information: current or seasonal sailing schedules, global services, offices and agencies.
• Navigation ephemera: track charts and memorandum of log pages (occasionally completed by the traveler).
• Marginalia: reader-applied dashes/checkmarks; occasional biographical notes or addresses; a few lists include inked track runs day-by-day.
• Visual elements: fine color lithographs, photographic inserts, or embossed designs (e.g., Forth Bridge, Wallace Monument, historic sailing ships, U.S. landmarks).

Notable traveler groups appear frequently—clergy and religious orders, physicians, professors/academics, judges, military officers, and organized youth/college travelers (e.g., Students Travel Club, 1927–1933). Several lists note distinguished passengers by title or honorific.

Ships Represented by Passenger Lists in This Collection

• Anchoria: 1884-09-05 (Saloon); 1903-06-04 (Cabin)
• Assyria: 1922-08-26 (Cabin)
• Caledonia: 1905-07-01 (Clark’s charter “special”); 1910-03-26 (Cabin); 1932-09-16 (Saloon & Tourist); 1935-11-01 (First & Tourist); 1936-09-18 (Cabin & Tourist); 1938-08-26 (Cabin & Tourist)
• California: 1907-10-12 (Second); 1926-08-19 (Tourist); 1927-09-17 (Cabin); 1929-09-14 (Cabin & Tourist); 1930-05-24 (Cabin & Tourist); 1930-08-20 (Cabin & Tourist); 1931-02-23 (Bermuda cruise; Cabin); 1931-07-10 (Cabin & Tourist); 1938-07-22 (Cabin & Tourist); 1938-08-19 (Cabin & Tourist)
• Cameronia: 1912-08-31 (Second); 1913-09-06 (Saloon); 1922-02-24 (Saloon & Second); 1926-07-31 (Saloon & Second); 1927-07-02 (Tourist, Students Travel Club); 1929-07-03 (Tourist, Students Travel Club); 1931-07-11 (Cabin & Tourist); 1932-06-25 (Cabin & Tourist); 1933-08-16 (Tourist)
• Circassia: 1890-07-12 (Saloon); 1897-08-12 (Saloon)
• City of London: 1922-08-19 (Cabin)
• City of Rome: 1884-08-23 (Saloon); 1896-08-20 (Saloon)
• Columbia: 1903-08-08 (Second); 1912-08-17 (Saloon); 1920-07-17 (Saloon & Second); 1923-08-23 (Cabin)
• Ethiopia: 1901-05-18 (First & Second Cabin)
• Furnessia: 1883-06-30 (Saloon); 1883-12-07 (Saloon); 1888-07-19 (Saloon); 1888-08-23 (Saloon); 1893-03-16 (Second, six-panel); 1895-06-08 (Second); 1900-07-12 (Second); 1901-05-30 (Second); 1904-07-02 (Saloon); 1904-08-25 (Saloon); 1910-06-18 (Second)
• Transylvania: 1926-01-30 (Clark’s 62-day Mediterranean cruise, “Souvenir List of Members”); 1927-09-03 (Saloon & Second); 1936-09-11 (Cabin & Tourist)

Passenger List Publication

• Issuing body: Anchor Line (Henderson Brothers; later Anchor Line (1935) Ltd.); several lists co-branded or advertised Cunard cruises.
• Production & printing: color lithography and letterpress; frequent credits to Andrew Reid & Co. (Newcastle); Horn & Connell (Glasgow); McCorquodale & Co. (Glasgow & London); A. Trani (Naples); J. A. Lowell & Co. (Boston); some issues marked “Printed in U.S.” with production codes.
• Standard inclusions: route/date header; captain & senior officers; class-segregated passenger rosters; “Information for Passengers”; fleet lists/services; wireless tariffs; sailing schedules; offices & agencies; track chart/log (occasionally completed).

Use of Passenger List Records

These records support:

• Genealogy & family history: confirm transatlantic travel for individuals and family groups; correlate hometowns, travel companions, and tour affiliations; contextualize migrations via intermediate ports (Moville, Belfast, Londonderry, Queenstown/Cobh, etc.).
• Maritime & business history: study Anchor Line operations, fleet composition, seasonality, pricing, and the evolution of onboard services and communications (Marconi/wireless).
• Social & cultural history: track movements of clergy, religious sisters, academics, physicians, judges, and military officers; examine organized travel (e.g., Students Travel Club, Clark’s Excursions/National Tours).
• Design & print history: analyze lithographic cover art, house style, and printer imprints; compare iconography (national flags, bridges/monuments, historic sailing ships) across decades.
• Education: primary sources for classroom work on immigration, technology at sea, tourism, and transatlantic networks.

Collection Strengths & Research Notes

• Depth across decades: continuous Anchor Line coverage from the 1880s through the 1930s, capturing the shift from saloon/second-cabin to tourist travel and the rise of student/youth group crossings.
• Annotated copies: several lists carry contemporary markings (e.g., dashes/checkmarks, addresses, occupation notes, track entries), offering first-person context beyond a clean imprint.
• Visual richness: extensive illustrated/embossed covers and maps/track charts; many examples of house advertising (cruises, global services).
• Condition considerations: a minority show scrapbook extraction, detached covers, or water staining; however, text remains legible and suitable for transcription/analysis.

Arrangement & Access

• Call/Box: GGA-PL-MISC-01
• Items: MB01–MB52 (arranged in the donor’s sequence; effectively grouped by ship and date).
• Provenance: Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives (GG Archives); select items carry named estate provenance (e.g., Patricia J. Moll; Ruth Kehoe Collection).

Preferred Citation

Anchor Line Passenger Lists, 1883–1938 (GGA-PL-MISC-01, MB[##]). Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives (GG Archives). [Ship], [Voyage Date], [Route], [Class].

(Example)

GGA-PL-MISC-01, MB13. Anchor Line, TSS California, Passenger List, 14 September 1929, Glasgow–Boston & New York via Belfast, Cabin & Tourist. Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives.

Related & Complementary Materials

Cunard/Anchor promotional brochures and cruise booklets in GG Archives.
Allied lines & ports collections for correlation (e.g., United States Lines, Cunard, Allan Line), especially for interline travelers appearing in advertisements within these lists.

Rights & Reproduction

Materials are held by the Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives. Please cite the collection as above when reproducing images or transcriptions. Usage for publication may require permission; inquire with GG Archives for high-resolution scans and licensing.

Summary

This curated set of Anchor Line lists is an unusually broad, well-documented run that illuminates who traveled, how ships were marketed, and how transatlantic travel evolved from the 1880s to the eve of World War II. Beyond the rosters themselves, the imprint lines, cover art, schedules, and passenger-service pages provide rich primary evidence for scholars, students, genealogists, and maritime enthusiasts alike.