SS Silesia Passenger Lists 1883
The Steamship SS Silesia of the Hamburg-American Line, 1869-1887. | GGA Image ID # 1d1d03ae9c
Silesia (1869) Hamburg-American Line.
Built by Caird & Co., Ltd., Greenock, Scotland. Tonnage: 3,156.
Dimensions: 341' x 40'. Single-screw, 13 knots. Inverted type engines. Re-engined with compounds. Two masts and one funnel. Iron hull.
Launched, April 14, 1869. Maiden voyage: Hamburg-Havre-New York, June 22, 1869.
Renamed: (a) Pacifica (1887) British, (b) Citta di Napoli (1888) Italian, (c) Montevideo (1891) Italian.
Sister ships: Holsatia and Westphalia.
All Digitized Passenger Lists For the SS Silesia Available at the GG Archives. Listing Includes Date Voyage Began, Steamship Line, Vessel, Passenger Class and Route.
1883-11-04 SS Silesia Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Hamburg Amerika Linie / Hamburg American Line (HAPAG)
- Class of Passengers: Cabin and Steerage
- Date of Departure: 4 November 1883
- Route: Hamburg to New York
- Commander: Captain Heinrich H. Barends
Passenger Lists contained in the GG Archives collection represent the souvenir list provided to the passengers of each cabin class (and other classes). Many of these souvenir passenger lists have disappeared over the years. Our collection contains a sampling of what was originally produced and printed by the steamship lines.
From a published return we learn that in 1874 the company's ships Silesia, Frisia, Westphalia, Thuringia, Pommerania, Holsatia, Hammonia and Cimbria, all running to New York, made an average time of 11 days 12 hours from Southampton, the Silesia making the shortest in 9 days 21 hours 56 minutes.
Eastwards the average was only 10 days and 31 minutes, the Frisia making the shortest in 9 days 7 hours and 6 minutes.
Southampton is about 300 knots farther from New York than Queenstown. In April, 1875, the Eagle Line, running in opposition to New York, succumbed, and its five ships were absorbed by the Hamburg- American Company.
⚠️ About Accuracy in Historical Records Research Tip
Context. The GG Archives presents passenger lists as faithfully as possible to the original documents. While OCR is generally accurate, portions of these collections—especially image captions and some transcriptions—are typed by hand and may include typographical or spelling variations. The original manifests themselves also contained clerical inconsistencies (names recorded phonetically, mid-voyage corrections, etc.).
What this means for your research:
- Search variant spellings of names (e.g., “Schmidt/Schmitt/Smith,” “Giuseppe/Joseph”).
- Cross-reference with immigration cards, passport applications, naturalization files, city directories, and newspapers.
- Treat manifests as primary sources with historical quirks—use them alongside corroborating records.
- For place names, consider historical borders and language variants (e.g., Danzig/Gdańsk, Trieste/Trst).
How to cite. When quoting a name from a manifest, consider adding [sic] for obvious misspellings and include a note such as “spelling as printed in original passenger list.”
Need help? If you spot a likely transcription error in captions, feel free to contact us with the page URL and a brief note—we love community input. 🙏
Curator’s Note
For over 25 years, I've been dedicated to a unique mission: tracking down, curating, preserving, scanning, and transcribing historical materials. These materials, carefully researched, organized, and enriched with context, live on here at the GG Archives. Each passenger list isn't just posted — it's a testament to our commitment to helping you see the people and stories behind the names.
It hasn't always been easy. In the early years, I wasn't sure the site would survive, and I often paid the hosting bills out of my own pocket. But I never built this site for the money — I built it because I love history and believe it's worth preserving. It's a labor of love that I've dedicated myself to, and I'm committed to keeping it going.
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