Family Stories with Ginny: In 1910 Bertha Levy Bettendorf Immigrates to America

During the Autumn of 1910 Bertha Levy,

Wayne Bettendorf's paternal great-grandmother,

completed preparations for her immigration to America.

This was not the first time Bertha had crossed the Atlantic.

In 1907 she traveled 1st Class with her Uncle Samuel Werner, Aunt Camille,

and cousins Dolly (19), Bernard (16), and Charles (14).
Already American Citizens, they remained at their
New York City home two blocks north of Central Park

and Bertha (16) returned by herself.

In 1910 she would again travel alone, this time on the SS Cleveland,

one of the grand new ships advertised as a floating hotel.

Postcard of SS Cleveland

Bertha and her cousins had been born in Zempelburg, Poland

(and you can read more about that here).

Now a young woman of 19, she lived with her

mother Johanna in Berlin, Germany at 10 Lothringersh

and spent her days working as a Sales Clerk.

Berlin Store sometime between 1897 and 1910

As a Sales Clerk, Bertha would have been required

to present herself well. We know something about what she

looked like from fashion of the time. In both Europe and America

women wore their hair piled high in the Gibson style,

with extreme fullness shaped around the face.

Enormous hats were part of everyday life for some time still,

and one always wore gloves.

Everyday fashion for women in 1910

Grandson Wayne Bettendorf said,
"I have a recollection of her being relatively short."
From the ship manifest we know that Bertha

was 5'3" with brown eyes and black hair.

In such fashion Bertha made her way through the busy city streets of Berlin
to complete the many arrangements needed for her trip.

Notice the various forms of travel in this painting:
horse-drawn wagons and carriages, automobiles, buses, street cars, and of course walking.

Berlin Spittlemarkt by Paul Hoeniger, 1912

Of course there was her passage to book;
baggage to pack; a train ticket for transit from Berlin to Hamburg;
railway passage from New York to Ohio;
and documentation of good health from her doctor.

There was correspondence with the Werner family in New York

and with Uncle Frank Conners in Cincinnati, Ohio, her final destination.
There were also farewells to make, for this time Bertha planned to stay in America.

Notice those on board waving goodby as they lean over the rails
in this 1905 Stereograph by Underwood & Underwood, N.Y.

The Second Class accommodations that Bertha booked
were quite comfortable.

She had a spacious semi-private bedroom;

some had 2 berths, others 4 or 6.

Twenty thousand pieces of linen supplied the ship, with first and

second class berths changed daily.

This was far more comfortable than steerage where

forty to two hundred shared a room with narrow berths and walkways.

But when someone was seasick,

even the 2nd class rooms

seemed close.

This suite had an outside window that provided extra light.

Dining included menus, the elegance of china and table cloths,

and meals served by waiters.
A veritable market is stored in the ship's cavernous lower levels.
The amount of butter alone is astonishing: almost three tons.
One can only imagine the storage of oysters, partridges, pralines,
port, and champagne for first and second class passengers.
In steerage one dined simply and sat at wooden plank tables.
Each person brought their own

tin plate, bowl, cup, and utensils, and after meals

rinsed them in a common basin.

In the women's lounge one could read, chat, or play cards,

compose a telegram, or listen to someone play the piano.

It's interesting that the ship's rooms and furnishings

seem more contemporary than a century old.

In the afternoons musical ensembles, bands, and an orchestra
entertained throughout the ship.
Evenings included concerts, dances, and at least one ball.