Border Crossings

SS New York

Being an emigrant from Britain, I feel a certain connection with those in the family who have done likewise. I know of Peterkens who went to the United States, Australia and New Zealand in the nineteenth or around the turn of the twentieth centuries. This post takes a look at the families of 2xgreat uncles and aunts. A brother and a sister of my great grandmother, Mary Ann Peterken, both left Britain with their families, and this is part of their story. William Henry Peterken and his family ended up in the United States of America, while Maud Hunt (nee Peterken) and her family went to Canada and then settled in Australia.

We met William Henry Peterken previously (The Sound of Bow Bells), along with his siblings. In my early days of genealogy, before I had even begun to think of following him, I knew from my Nan Green that he had emigrated to the United States where he went into the hotel business. He returned to visit England quite a few times, and, on one of those occaisions, tried to persuade my great grandparentsTom and Madge Blacketer to emigrate to the United States. At the time the US economy was in much better shape than the British post-Great War economy. However, the Blacketers decided to stay put, and after the stock market crash of 1927, Tom was glad they had.

As previously reported, William Henry was born to Octavius and Amelia Peterken on 26 November 1876, and married Florence Elizabeth Groves in 1897. Following his records forward from here, I find the 1901 England Census for 249 Capworth Street, Leyton, Essex. His occupation is Commercial Clerk, and his household consists of himself (Age 24), Florence E (23, wife), William E D (3, son), Florence L (1, daughter) and Gustavus (27, brother, Commercial Clerk).

By 1910, we find his family living on 1025-27 Dakin Street, Chicago. His occupation is given as "Accountant, Hotel", and the family have the addition of a daughter, Winifred O, born in England about 1902. The family give their emigration year as 1907, which should be 1906, and, in fact, he traveled ahead of the others, as we will see later.

The census of 1920 finds them still in Chicago, now at 2071 Hunt Avenue, with the addition of Albert Edward born in Illinois about 1911. William ED (22) is working as a Clerk and Florence L (19) as a Stenographer. William Henry is still working as "Accountant-Hotel Line". In fact I have some evidence that he had moved around between the two censuses. First, a 1917 Draft Registration Card places him, his wife and his eldest son at the Hotel Hinton in Cleveland, Ohio. His stated occupation there is Hotel Auditor. The card includes the details that he is of medium build, medium height, gray eyes and brown hair. Second, US naturalization records have his declaration of intent to become a US citizen filed in 1915 in Ohio.

There is a second 1920 US Census record for William Henry Peterken. He is listed as a Lodger in the household of Louise Kelson at 145 West 143rd Street, Manhattan, and working as "hotel auditor". I would guess that this is most likely his true location on census night, and Florence had included him, though absent, on her Chicago census form.

The 1925 New York State Census and 1930 US Census place them at 121 West 179th Street. In 1930, William H (53) is now "Manager-Hotel", Florence E (52) is his wife, gives no occupation, but keeping their house is of course a full time job. The census records the value of the home at $40,000, which they owned by 1930. There is a website www.measuringworth.com on which one can calculate their home's value in present-day dollars. Depending on whether we are interested in standard of living, prestige or power, this value comes in at between $522,000 and $6,370,000. Also on the 1930 US Census, William ED (32) is an architect, Florence L (30), secretary at a brokerage firm, and Albert Ed (19), hotel clerk.

In 1940, they are residents/guests at the Hotel Empire in Manhattan. William Henry has been out of work for several weeks, and is looking for work as a hotel manager. This was in April. He found work that same year, as reported by the Iroquois Hotel's present day website:

"...the property was leased to the Iroquois Hotel Corporation, headed by William H Peterken, a distinguished man in the hotel industry who was known for his "splendid record in New York hoteldom".

The "splendid record" quotation coming from the Hotel Gazette for 27 July 1940. Thanks to Paul Peterken for drawing my attention to the above, and for a link to the match book below, showing W H Peterken as managing director of the Hotel Abbey 31st at 7th Avenue, New York City. The things we leave behind!

The picture above, from Greg Hunt in Australia, had been identified by my grandmother as William Henry Peterken. Aside from his arrival as immigrant in 1906, there are also passenger records showing that William Henry traveled to England with his son William Ernest in 1925, and with his wife, Florence, in 1929 and 1932. I have no further record of the parents. The records for the children are:

William Ernest D Peterken BMD Birth Index Mar1898 Camberwell 1d 861
His 1917 Draft Registration, also filed from the Hinton Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio, has date of birth 8 January 1898, and occupation of Architectural Draftsman. He naturalized as a US citizen 3 December 1925 in New York. The next record I have for him is his death in Miami, Florida 1951.

Florence Lilian Peterken BMD Birth Index Mar1900 W Ham 4a 386
She naturalized as a US citizen 3 June 1946 in New York, her name still Peterken, so presumably unmarried and still alive at that time.

Winifred Olive Peterken BMD Birth Index Mar1902 W Ham 4a 423
Westchester County, NY records show she married Paul M Sohl. She died in Brookhaven, NY, on 5 January 2004, just short of her 102nd birthday which would have been on 14 February. Her husband had died in 1982, aged 80. US records show that they had a son, Paul Sohl, 1939-2011.

Albert Edward Peterken Birth Certificate Cook County, Illinois 17 June 1910
He died 5 August 1970 in Westport, CT according to the Connecticut Death Index. Milford, CT City Directory has him as a Consultant Engineer in the 1950s. He and his wife Ramona had twins, a boy and a girl, still living. The daughter served as Lieutenant Governor of New York State in the 1990s, and you can find out more about her from wikipedia.

William Henry's family had traveled to the United States in two parts. Their arrival in the US links William Henry's family with that of his younger sister Maud, who became Maud Hunt shortly afterwards. Outward passengers from Britain has Ellis Island records have one William "K" Peterken, recorded as arriving on SS New York in 17 June 1906. The K appears to be a mistranscription for H. Originally written in the column of "whether joining friend or relative" is:
      "No", which has been replaced in scrawled handwriting with:
      "Friend H Melville 39 Pearl Street"

Did William H have a friend with such a name, or was he having a risky joke at the expense of an immigration official!

In September, immigration documents show Florence arriving with the children, and her sister-in-law, Maud, aboard SS St Paul. The purpose of their visit was to visit William H Peterken at Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Ill. as Husband, father or brother respectively.

The New York and the St Paul were both immigration ships owned by the American Line, making many Atlantic crossings. The SS New York (originally City of New York) is famous for being dragged from her moorings by the Titanic as the latter sailed from Southampton on her maiden voyage in 1912.

Again, through Nan Green, I had heard that Maud had married Fred Hunt in Canada. The records tell something of how this came about. When we were researching over ten years ago, Nan and I had the impression that her husband was Canadian, but this is not so. Here is the 1901 England Census (that is, before the marriage) at 68 Chobham Road, Stratford:
     Fannie Hunt Head Widow 48                                             Swindon, Wilts
     Nellie           Daur    S       25 Dressmaker                          Swindon, Wilts
     John             Son     S       23 Railway Coach Builder          Swindon, Wilts
     Frederick     Son     S       18 Railway Carriage Blacksmith  Swindon, Wilts
     Gilbert          Son     S      11                                              Stratford, Essex
     John P Davies Boarder     22 Railway Coach Builder          Swindon, Wilts

The most likely BMD Birth Index for Frederick is Frederick George Hunt Sep1882 Highwood 5a 28. There are several Frederick George Hunts born in Wiltshire 1882 to 1884, but only one in the Highwood registration district, which includes Swindon. Swindon is a railway town, and by this census they have moved to Stratford, where the men work for the Great Eastern Railway.

I have no direct record of Fred Hunt's journey to Canada, but his border crossing into the US, processed at Niagara Falls 14 September 1906 says he arrived Halifax, Nova Scotia 25 May 1906. The ship named is the SS Norseman, presumably for the transatlantic leg of his journey. His purpose in visiting the US is given as:
     "Going to friend W H Peterken 49 Wabash Avenue Chicago, Ill"

To summarize their comings and goings: In May, Fred Hunt arrives in Canada. In June, William Henry Peterken arrives in New York. In September, his wife Florence and their children, along with Maud Peterken, arrive in New York and proceed to Chicago. The same month Fred Hunt joins them in Chicago. Presumably Maud and Fred travelled back to Canada, where, according to Ontario, Canada, Marriages 1801-1928, they were married in Hamilton, Ontario on 6 October 1906:
     Fred'k Geo Hunt, Blacksmith, son of George Hunt and Fannie Bingham and
     Maud Peterken, daughter of Octavius Peterken and Amelia Babbidge

The 1911 Census of Canada at 295 Mary Street, Hamilton, Ontario has:
     Fred Hunt       Head       July 1892   28       Blacksmith
     Maud Hunt     Wife        Sep 1891   29
     Winifred Hunt Daughter Aug 1907     3                    
     Fred Hunt       Son         Oct 1910    7 mos
This Canadian census asks for month of birthday as well as age, a boon to genealogists! Curiously, their date of arrival is given as 1908, whereas they were definitely married in Canada in 1906.

Birth records for their children in Canada are:
     Winnifred Maud Hunt      Ontario Birth Records  3 August 1907
     Frederick Peterken Hunt  Ontario Birth Records 17 October 1910

According to records in the Hunt family, they returned to England. Maud and the children first. Then along with his brother's family, they emigrated to Australia, leaving Liverpool for Fremantle 21st May 1913 on board the SS Belgic of the White Star Line. This page from the passenger manifest has the entries for John and Mrs. M (Mabel) Hunt, and for Fredk and Maud Hunt and their three oldest children, Winifred, Fredk and 2-month-old Baby - presumably Olive. This puts a constraint on Maud's departure from Canada, since they must have conceived there around June the previous year. John's occupation is given as Coach Builder and Fred's as Blacksmith, matching their 1901 census return.

The BMD Birth Index has this record for the baby is:
     Olive E N Hunt Dec1912 W Ham 4a 66
Which is interesting because at two months old in May, I would have expected the birth registration to be in the June quarter, not December.
In Australia they had another son, Harold, born 1917, although ancestry.com doesn't have the birth record.
The year 1942 was especially tragic for the family, as both Fred and his son Frederick Peterken died. The Australia Death Index shows his death in the abstract:
     Frederick G Hunt Perth, Western Australia 1942 #1051

But a newspaper clipping of the coroner's inquest shows the human side of this tragedy. The Western Australian 19 July 1942 reported the case in some detail. On 8 May 1942, as a pedestrian, Fred had been struck by a car, carelessly driven by a US sailor, and died of multiple injuries.

Later the same year Frederick Peterken Hunt died in North Africa serving with the Royal Australian Artillery. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records the following for Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery:
HUNT Gnr. FREDERICK PETERKEN, WX4618 A.I.F. 2/7 Field Regt., Royal Australian Artillery. 19th November, 1942. Age 32. Son of Frederick George and Maud Peterken Hunt; husband of Beatrice Joy Hunt, of Cottesloe, Western Australia. 4.D.9.

In the 1950s, Maud visited her sister, Madge, in England. This would have been after 1953, when Tom died. Maud suggested that Madge emigrate to Australia. Of course, Madge chose to remain in England, which gave me the chance to meet her.

Maud died at the age of 87.
     Australia Death Index: Maud Hunt Perth, Western Australia 1968 #3689/1968

But I prefer to remember them in life. I just love this photo, apparently taken in Cape Town en route to Australia by Fred's brother John. From left to right, it shows Frederick George Hunt, Frederick Peterken Hunt, Maud Hunt with Olive on her lap, Winnifred Maud, and (standing) John's wife Mabel.