Asturian-American Migration Forum

Hello

Before I build my search argument for an Ellis Island Search, I woul like some thoughts about which ports a person may have left from Candas about 1914-1915 heading for Cuba.

Would the choices be based upon:

1. Price?

2. Proximity to Condas?

3. No choice....only choice is to leave from ??

My Avelina Alonso, left 1914-1915 with her Aunt to travel to Cuba to work as a Domestic and ultimately arrive in USA some time later.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Paul Dickinson

Hi Paul,
For the people going to Cuba from Candás the natural port of exit used to be the port of Gijón (less than 15 miles distance), which had a busy commercial traffic with Havana. However, people stopped travelling in schooners and clippers the moment passenger steam boats came on the scene.
Given the year you mention, my guess would be either the port of Santander or the port of La Coruña, both had a regular steamer line with Havana . Candás lies just about smack in the middle of both, but by sailing from La Coruña (closer to America) they would avoid 2 or 3 extra days at sea.

Cheers
Terechu

One of the routes from Asturias to Spain was to leave from La Coruña and travel to Liverpool, and from there to Ellis Island. I don't know about Cuba, but since your relatives and mine were good friends and yours left Asturias later than mine, it is possible that they went to Liverpool and then to Havana. I would check the records of the White Star Line, which is the shipping company that my grandparents used to come to the US. They may have had ships from Liverpool to Havana.

Bob Martinez

Hi

My thanks to Terechu and Bob for the responses.

How will I benefit by using the "Quote" and "Poll" features?

Paul D

Hi, Paul,

You've got to be extra careful with "poll". One definition of "poll" is to cut the hair or horns or branches off something, like "polling a steer." (That's a bad joke!)

For help on Polls and Quotes, take a look at at this new post in the Need Help? section of the forum:
http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtop ... =2059#2059

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Hola, Paul,

Tienes que tener mucho cuidado "con "poll". Una definición de "poll" es cortar el pelo o cuernos o ramas de algo, como "descornar un novillo" (¡Es un chiste tonto!)

Para saber más de las encuesta (Poll) y cotización (Quote), vete al mensaje nueva en la sección de ¿Necesita Ayuda?:
http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtop ... =2059#2059

Hello

I am still trying to find a record of Avelina Alonso's arrival in both Cuba and New Orleans.

I have utilized the searches related to Ellis Island and am convinced that she did not arrive in USA through Ellis Island during the time frame I desire. I did find a record of her family arriving at Ellis Island in 1922 but this is not the timeframe I am interested in.

1. Earlier (1914-1915), she traveled to Cuba. If she booked passage directly from Asturia to Cuba, might not there be records of her arrival in Cuba?

2. Again later, she arrived in New Orleans about 1917-1919. Would there be a record of her arrival in New Orleans? In this situation, I don't believe she left from Spain. She may well have entered from Cuba not Spain.

Finally, when I am finished pursuing this subjrct, how do I delete this topic. I don't wish to tie up this space needlessly.

Paul Dickinson

Hi Paul,

There is no need to delete the topic. Who knows, it may be of interest to someone in the future, or a new member who has the information you are seeking (or can add new information to what you have then found out) may discover it.

Bob Martinez

Terechu

l would like to contact the Steamship Companies that booked passage from both Santander and La Coruna to Cuba. Hopefully, they would have Passenger Lists that I may be able to search for Avelina.

Secondly, what is the chance there would be a record in Cuba of the arrival of such vessels that I may also be able to utilize?

Paul

Hi Paul,
We've got a tough job here. I believe most of those shipping companies are no longer in business. However, below is a site by the Centro Asturiano de México, which describes pretty closely how the Asturian emigrants travelled to Cuba and on to Mexico, on board the following ships:

Alfonso XII, María Cristina, Lafayette, Habana, Magallanes, Marqués de Comillas, Guadalupe y Covadonga.

http://www.centroasturiano.com/Emigracion%20texto.html

The Centro Asturiano de México is the world's largest club of its kind and has magnificent archives. But I frankly don't know how to go about finding the passenger lists if we don't know the name of the vessel.

Then there is also the "Centro Asturiano de La Habana", which oddly enough is here in Gijón, because they left during the Castro Regime and refounded the club here. I don't know what became of their archives, though.

Maybe the best source would be Cuba's own immigration archives. Have you tried their immigration offices yet? Cubans are extremely helpful and are sure to help you any way they can.

Let me know how you want to proceed. I can contact the Centro Asturiano here of course and let you know what they tell me.

Cheers
Terechu

There is a database of passenger lists for arrivals in Cuba here:
www.cubagenweb.org

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Hay una base de datos de listas de pasajeros para llegadas en Cuba aquí:
www.cubagenweb.org