The steamer General Slocum burned in New York’s East River in 1904 with great loss of life to the German-American community there.
Do you know the story of the steamboat General Slocum? Until September 11, 2001, it was New York City’s worst disaster.
The German-American community in Kleindeutschland – Little Germany – on New York’s Lower East Side chartered a large paddle boat steamer for a picnic excursion to Long Island’s North Shore to celebrate the end of Sunday school classes. June 15, 1904, was a Wednesday and most fathers went to work; the boat was full of women and children. Fire started in a forward storage cabin and the untrained crew couldn’t put it out with defective safety equipment. In a flood tide from behind while navigating Hell Gate – New York’s most treacherous channel – the captain made full speed towards beaches in the Bronx and North Brother Island. However, a headwind fanned the flames aft. In only a few moments, 1400 passengers faced death by fire or by drowning, as few could swim, especially dressed in their Sunday best.
Geneanet has created a collaborative family tree of all of the families aboard the Slocum that day. Help us honor the memory of those who died and their bereaved survivors, many of them injured, whose descendants want this largely forgotten event to be remembered. Visit our forum thread for more information.
View photos of the monument in All Faiths (formerly Lutheran) Cemetery, Middle Village, Queens.
If you are interested in participating in this project, please leave a comment below or visit our forum thread. Comments will be published, those requesting access will be answered by the project manager vie e-mail. Instructions for participating.
12/21/22
My wife’s late aunt and uncle (Else and Fritz Growald) died in the disaster. However, they were jewish kids from Manhattan and apparently unescorted by other family members. We wonder why they would be at a Christian Sunday School picnic? Also, their pictures were in the newspaper. There is no family memory of why they were onboard.
Answer from Geneanet: Yes, indeed there were a few Jewish and Irish or Italian Catholic passengers aboard the Slocum! These children or teenagers were friends of the Lutheran parishioners who lived on the same streets or even in the same tenements and were permitted by their parents to go on the trip with their friends’ families. In a few cases, local merchants purchased tickets which they distributed to customers.
The block where the Growald family lived at 56 East 7th St, one street over from St. Marks Church, was decimated by the disaster. Amelia Karle from that building was injured. Next door at 54 East 7th, the Italian DeLuccia family (whose father Luigi was a fruit & produce dealer like Emil Growald) lost three children that day. The Galewski family in the same building, parents and two children, all perished. The Grewe family also at 54 lost both children, and their mother was injured. Sophia Siegel from that building was newly married and pregnant when she died. Henry Gruning at 45 East 7th lost his wife, mother-in-law, and three children. The Firneisen family at 40 East 7th — a police sergeant, his wife and three children – survived, with all but son William hospitalized. Gerald Plunket of 74 East 7th died. Henry Frey at 84 East 7th St, not aboard, lost his wife and son; Augusta Kalb at the same address died; William Bandelow in the same building lost his wife and two children. Henry Manheimer at 86, working that day, lost his wife and son (but his daughter survived). Emily Walheim at 82 East 7th was injured. Minnie Licome across the street at 83 died. Emily Rothmann at 48 1/2 East 7th perished with her two children. The extended Mundle family at 11 East 7th lost several children. Christian Schoett at 98 East 7th St lost his wife and three children. Andrew Oettinger at 91 East 7th St lost his wife and four of his children. And Pastor Haas who lived at 64 East 7th lost his wife, daughter, and sister- and mother-in-law.
At Geneanet, we are studying how to build an interactive map showing where the victims’ families lived.
If you are on Facebook, there is a a group called General Slocum where descendants of the families share information and promote the remembrance of the disaster.
By 1904, many German-American families had already started leaving Kleindeutschland for better apartments uptown in Yorkville or in Brooklyn or New Jersey; many Jewish Eastern European families from the Lower East Side below Houston St started moving in as the neighborhood was better. After the Slocum disaster, most Germans left, rents dropped and the neighborhood became predominantly Eastern European until the 1950s. St. Marks Church became a synagogue, and the congregation generously erected a plaque in memory of the victims in 2004 for the centennial of the catastrophe.
8/11/22
Pastor George C. F. Haas, of St. Mark’s Lutheran Ch., Manhattan, his wife and one of his 2 children were aboard, and perished.
If you go to the Library of Congress, Chronicling America, go to New York, enter Haas, there are some articles on he and his family.
4/21/22
I can help on French lineages. Notably found some info about Louis Ansel’s ancestors (parents wedding, grand parents, …).
Answer from Geneanet: Thanks for your interest! We will set up General Slocum tree admin rights for you. Late last year a historian of the Ansel family in Alsace with a tree at Geneanet learned about Eugene Ansel and we put them in touch with a descendant in the US!
10/23/21
So sad. Very interesting. My husband was 100% German but ancestors came into Houston port. Our name is Olbrich, but I have found it spelled Albrech, Ulbrich and many other ways. His mother was a Simank, spelled Symmank, Symmang and other ways. I am about 100% not German but he was a wonderful husband, father, brother and everything. Just lost him last year. A good man.
10/12/21
I would be interested in learning more about this project and participating in it.
10/11/21
My relative, Edward Flanagan, is in your tree for the Slocum disaster. I have information regarding his parents, etc. Please let me know how I can add this information. Thank you.
10/10/21
well done.
10/10/21
Thanks for sharing the story of the ill-fated Slocum disaster, I had no knowledge of the lost ship and lives. My family heritage is French & Italian from southern Louisiana. Thanks for the offer to participate in your project, but I will decline the offer. LCM
10/9/21
I recently read of this in a interesting book titled The Vines by Shelley Nolden.
10/9/21
I would like to participate in this project.
10/9/21
Please tell me what you need and how I might be able to help
10/9/21
How would I help?
10/9/21
If I can help I will
10/9/21
I received an email invite to join this project. I am interested if I’m part of the tree, well my dna & ancestors I guess