In October 1904, Anna Sudek, aged 24, and her younger sister Julia, aged 21, embarked on a voyage from Bremen, Germany to the United States aboard the Kronprinz Wilhelm . Originally from Mielec, Poland, they identified as Austrian and Polish nationals. Their destination was New York City, where they were to be received by their cousin, Julia Soja, residing at 30 Canal Street. The journey marked their hopeful pursuit of new opportunities in America, reflecting a common narrative of immigration during that era.

After attending a training by Elizabeth Williams Gomel, CG, I developed a habit of meticulously reviewing the detained passenger lists, often located at the end of the passenger logs. To my surprise, I discovered that Anna and her sister Julia had been detained upon their arrival.

The discovery that Anna and Julia were met by their cousin Julia Katzmarski upon their detention adds another dimension to their immigration story. Despite being temporarily detained, they found support from family upon arrival in New York City. Julia Katzmarski, residing at 44 Rutger Street, welcomed them, reflecting the importance of familial ties in navigating the challenges of immigration.

Further insight from the 1905 New York Census reveals that Julia Katzmarski lived with her husband, Martin, and their five children. This context provides a glimpse into the stable home environment that Anna and Julia were received into, offering them a foundation as they settled into their new life in America.

Often we start researching our family tree with our parents and then grandparents. You may be drawn to one side more than the other, this was my case. I didn’t know much about my paternal side since my grandmother died when my dad was in his teens.

I first started with getting her birth certificate. I located the certificate number on FamilySearch and ordered it from the New York Archives…. then the waiting began. I finally received it and was more intrigued.

This birth certificate has soooo much information that could be overlooked. My grandmother was born in the city of New York, her birth name, her adopted name, Her mother’s name and address, her birth father’s name and address, their age, both parents birthplace, how many births Anna (my great grandmother) had and also who the doctor was. It also included the adoptive father’s name.

With this information I could go in many different directions but I knew Anna Sudek was her mother’s maiden name and she was her biological mother through DNA.

So many questions…..My next research objective was: When did Anna Sudek immigrate to the United States? What was the story behind the adoption?

Follow my blog for the next installment of The Beginning Genealogist. Through my journey I found much more than strange adoptions and records. I found new family.