First known HAL Sailing...

[Cinder Again]

Just in the weird coincidence category, I got a bound book of Irish family history for Christmas. My family was from County Mayo in Ireland. (Some of my history, I already knew, thanks to Barb B (IflyRC5's better half) who is into genealogy.

Anyway, on April 14, 1923 one of my relatives, William Meenehan sailed from New York, bound for the British Isles on the Volendam! I wondered if anyone else knows of an earlier HAL Trip by a family member?

[innlady1]

I don't know of any of mine that did, Kathi. The ones I know of came from Sweden on the White Star Line. About 10 years ago, I spent every waking moment studying genealogy...so I put it away when our 1st grandchild was born!

Have a great cruise. We will be on the Ryndam this year...but have done the itinerary you're doing on the Noordam twice, in '09 and in '10, and it's fabulous. Love the Noordam!

[cmdchiefthom]

HAL's history goes back 140 years and as a company it made a ton of bucks moving immigrants for Holland to New York in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I'm sure there are plenty of cruisers on these boards who will jump in on this thread.;)

[whogo]

My great-grandparents sailed round trip on Holland America with their three children for their grand tour of Europe in 1902. Cruise Critic members helped identify the ship as the Noordam in this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1502227&highlight=noordam

[sail7seas]

We learned at Noordam's Christening In New York that HAL carried more Immigrants from Europe to U.S. than any other ship company.

 

There are bound to many CC'ers whose relative came to U.S. on HAL's early ships. Many Canadians can probably also trace an ancestor to having crossed the Atlantic in HAL ship.

 

[Willem Ruys]

it was HAMBURG AMERICAN LINE, which along with usually rival and then partner then rival then partner NORTH GERMAN LLOYD, both of which had immense fleets, carried many, many more immigrants than Holland America Line, and if not for the two German giants, which were the largest steamship company (Hamburg American) and one of the largest (North German Lloyd), supplying cash and guarantees in 1902 Holland America would have been swallowed up by JP Morgan's International Mercantile Marine, which, among others, bought Britain's White Star Line.

 

Don 't blame me for their misinforming you. They don't know. I know because among my other unifnished projects is a so far 3,400 page manuscript "PRIZES OF WAR" The 109 German Merchant Ships Seized by the USA April 6, 1917.

[sail7seas]

deleted

[DeepWaterMariner]

Long ago on one of our early HAL cruises (1973 on the Statendam) we met an elderly Dutch immigrant who had come to America on HAL in the 1910's. At the time it seemed as if we were listening to living history. Like the time we had a table mate who had been to the "Hitler" Olympics in 1936, but that's another story.

[erin_cruisers]

Just in the weird coincidence category, I got a bound book of Irish family history for Christmas. My family was from County Mayo in Ireland. (Some of my history, I already knew, thanks to Barb B (IflyRC5's better half) who is into genealogy.

Anyway, on April 14, 1923 one of my relatives, William Meenehan sailed from New York, bound for the British Isles on the Volendam! I wondered if anyone else knows of an earlier HAL Trip by a family member?

 

You have us beat.

My DW & her family came to Canada from Holland in 1954, on HAL (but she doesn't remember which one)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Members of my family sailed on the White Star Line.