I recently found an entry on a ship's manifest in 1888 which I believe
is my grandfather, but the age given is 16. At the time of his arrival
he was married with a child and another on the way. His birth year is
usually given as 1864 or 1867 and his marriage year 1887.
What would be the benefit of claiming to be 16 when one was actually
over 21? Was there a cheaper fare, even if the person was traveling alone?
When he was naturalized in 1891 he said he was under 18 when he arrived
in the US.
I believe he lied on his naturalization certificate in order to become
a citizen before his wife arrived here in 1892. I have been told that
if one was under 18 when one arrived he did not have to fill out the
declaration of intention which would give awkward details such as the
fact he had not been here five years yet!
In the 1900 census he gave his age as 32.
Comments will be appreciated.
--
Paul Silverstone
New York
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