While searching through passenger manifests, I came across a few that puzzled me. They were for women who had been detained, and in the detained column, there were notations stating “to husband” or “to father.” What were the women detained for, and what did the “to X” notation mean? I asked Teh Google, and Teh Google directed me to the Manifest Markings website.
What a wonderful resource! In the section on alien detentions, it explains that unattended women entering the US had to have someone who would take responsibility for them. It could be a cousin, a father, a husband, or one of the various immigrant aid societies. Sometimes, the woman was released directly into that person’s custody, but other times, a telegram would be sent to the custodian, a reply received, and the woman would be released to go meet him. Customs officials just needed to know that there was someone who would take responsibility for the woman.
An annotation of “to Tel” or “to Tel $” meant that the passenger was detained because they arrived in the US without a ticket through to their final destination. The notation meant that a friend or family member had been sent a telegram requesting money, and the passenger would be detained until funds arrived. I haven’t any idea what happened if there was no one to send funds, or if the funds weren’t available. Did the passenger just get set loose at the port of entry? Or were they sent back home? Or was the shipping company held financially responsible?
red paper boat 