Ever wonder what happened to the emigrant passengers who were not admitted when they arrived in America?  I did.  Especially after discovering some of my relatives were debarred . . . and sent back to . . . where? And what happened to them?  Did they ever get to America?

As a child I remembered that my grandparents took summer trips from Chicago to visit her relatives who lived in Minnesota.  When I became the family genealogist, after retiring, I wanted to find when these relatives arrived in America.  My grandparents were long deceased and little family knowledge existed about their journeys to America.

My paternal grandmother, Lena, married my dad’s father, Ben MILLER (MELAMED) in Russia in 1913. Her maiden name was listed as CHARGO (SHARGORODSKY) on her Naturalization Application (Form A-2214) .  See extract below.  Note that she lists her father’s name: Sam Rubin CHARGO (in Russia – Shargorodsky).

 

In 1995 I began my family history research project with a goal of finding the immigration records of my CHARGO (SHARGORODSKY) family relatives.

Here is the story of how I was able to discover my CHARGO family member’s US arrival information and documents and solve the mystery of what happened to debarred passengers.

Knowing that my grandfather, Benjamin MILLER (Berel MELAMED) arrived August 1914 with his cousin Hyman CHARGO (Chiam Lieb SHARGORODSKY) because I had their arrival manifest cards and manifests, my search began by looking for any SHARGORODSKY who arrived in the US and were enroute to Minnesota.  Hyman CHARGO’s final destination was St. Paul, MN where his brother Ben CHARGO lived:  Destination  listed on the manifest was St. Paul, MN, 248 State Street. Ben CHARGO arrived in 1914 according to the 1920 census.

When I discovered a 1913 manifest from the port of Galveston, Texas for three SHARGORODSKY’s I thought they might be my great grandfather Sam (Srul) and his sons, my grand uncles, Ben (Berko) and Harry (Hersch); Srul was debarred (not admitted). Could Hyman’s brother Ben be the Ben SHARGORODSKY who arrived in 1913 enroute to St. Paul, Minnesota?  Hyman’s 1917 WWI draft registration listed his address as 162 State Street, St. Paul.

 

So I asked my two Uncles if any Chargo relatives had ever arrived from South America. Their answer was NO, NEVER!

 

 

From 1920 and 1930 census information and passenger manifest data I knew information about my grandmothers parents and their siblings:
Ruben ‘Sam’ DOB 1865  (Srul)  Arrival 1918
his wife Tillie (Tillia) DOB 1864 arrived 1924, and their 6 children:
Ben (Berko)    DOB 1894 Arrival 1914
Harry (Hersch) DOB 1895 Arrival 1913
Hyman (Chiam Lieb) DOB 1893 Arrival 1914
Morris (Moise)  DOB 1908 Arrival 1924
Ester (Ester)  DOB 1897  Arrival 1924.
Freida (Freda) DOB est1900 Debarred 1924
Rose  DOB set 1900 Debarred 1924

Years passed and my brick wall on how my grandmother’s family arrived in America and settled in Minnesota remained a mystery.  In 2006 I decided to restart my search based on what I had learned through documents discovered during the ten years since beginning this research journey/mystery.  I reread the Galveston passenger manifest and in reviewing all the entries the manifest indicating that in 1913 Srul could be Sam and two of his sons could have been BEN (Berko) and Hersch. Their father Sam (Srul) was refused entry and I had a new brick wall.

In 1913 Sam (Srul Schargoroski on the ship manifest), age 48, arrived in Galveston, TX from Bremen, Germany with his sons Ben (Berko) and Harry (Hersch). They probably came to Galveston as part of a program for getting Jews to America; read about the historical background of why Jews came to Galveston.

However, Sam was DEBARRED (Not Admitted) to the U.S. while his sons Ben and Harry were admitted. It is not know why Sam was refused entry. Sam was sent back to Bremen, Germany, and from there he made his way to South America and eventually returned to America via Ellis Island in 1916; his name on the manifest was Ruben CHARGO.  Recall that my grandmother noted her father’s name was Sam Rubin CHARGO. It is not known when Sam departed Galveston, TX returning to Bremen, Germany.

Not knowing how to trace a person who was not admitted when they arrived, in 2006 I emailed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States.  Below is my original email to them, and their reply.  The short answer was that debarred individuals could have been returned to any country, but usually  to “the country from whence the came.” Some were able to eventually get admitted to the United States in later years.  However, few port records remain.  Their reply led to my eventual discovery of the passenger manifest for my grandmother’s father’s Sam Ruben CHARGO’s.  Searching all ports of entry for my great grandfather Sam based on both SHARGORODSKY and CHARGO surnames and the 1917 arrival date listed on the 1920 census I found his passenger manifest and Ellis Island arrival in 1916.  This confirmed that Sam left Galveston, Texas in 1913 and was sent back to Bremen, Germany, the ship’s port of origin, and he subsequently sailed to Argentina before continuing to America from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Ellis Island in 1916.

1913 Galveston, Texas Passenger Manifest Data:
Srul (Sam) age 48 Est DOB 1865
Berko (Ben) age 20 Est DOB 1893
Hersch (Hersch) age 16 Est DOB 1889
Wife/Mother: Tylia (Tillie), Living in Rusaki, Kiev, Russia.
All were enroute to Myron SHERPER, 236 Lowry Bldg
NOTE: Myron SHERPER was a physician who worked at 336 Lowry Bldg in St. Paul, MN. (WWI Draft Registration Card).

 

 

While in South America he was a member of the Baron de Hirsch relocation program which was located at the small town of Carlos Caseras, near Buenos Aires, Argentina. View maps of Carlos Caseras Sam lived in Argentina for 3 more years before departing again for America in 1916. His wife, Tillie, arrived in America in 1924, at Ellis Island from Southampton, England.

Sam arrived permanently in America in 1916.  Ruben CHARGO arrived at Ellis Island, from Argentina, in 1916 at age 51. His occupation on the ship manifest was listed as farm laborer.  He was enroute to his son Hyman, 164 E. Garfield Ave, St. Paul, Minnesota.

 

 

 

According to the ship manifest he lived for more than a year in the Jewish farming colony of Carlos Casares, before leaving for America.  (Read about this Jewish agriculture settlement in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina).

—–Original Message—–

Email March 2006
TO: USCIS History Office

Greetings,

I am doing family genealogy (circa 1913) and have a question concerning DEBARRED passengers. My understanding is that DEBARRED immigrants were not admitted to the US.

My questions:

1. How can I find where they went after debarment? E.g. Debarred from Galveston, TX. When and where (what country) did the individual go? I can’t find any departure information. Perhaps I just don’t know where to look for them.

2. Are there any records of the person’s debarrment action? Any extent files that can be viewed?

Sincerely,

Ron Miller

FROM: USCIS History Office

Thank you for writing the USCIS History Office. You are correct that debarred passengers were denied entry into the US. By law, they were to be returned to “the country from whence the came.” The shipping company was responsible for the cost of returning debarred passengers. So, for example, if the passenger boarded the ship in Bremen, Germany, he/she should have been returned to Bremen. Things could get complicated, though, because emigrants often boarded ships in countries other than their home country. So, a Russian emigrant who boarded a ship in Germany may have been returned to Germany, but German officials may not have accepted him/her. The emigrant then could have been sent from Germany to Russia or another port to which the emigrant agreed to travel. Also, if the ship returning from Galveston stopped at another port on its way back to Germany (in South America, for example), the emigrant may have left the ship there and tried to enter the US again at a later date. As you can see, it is often difficult to track emigrants who were denied entry at US ports.

As for records of the case, it is unlikely that they still exist. Port records have been destroyed. The only cases for which records still exist are those that were appealed to the main office in Washington DC. Records of these cases are now in the National Archives in DC.

If you have more information that you are willing to provide to us, our office may be able to help you determine if the USCIS hold any records related to this case. A ship name, date of arrival, and passenger information (name, date of birth, country of origin) would help us most.

Sincerely,

USCIS History Office

Below is a recap of the CHARGO family immigration data and status of my research.  Some brick walls continue. I am still searching for the Bremen to Galveston manifest for Sam CHARGO and his son’s 1913 transit.  And I’m searching for the Europe (Bremen?) to Argentina manifest for Ruben ‘Sam’ CHARGO estimated 1913-1914.  I continue searching for the US arrival records for Freda and Rose.  Their brother Morris related that they arrived on the same ship, the Pittsburgh January 1924, with their mother and three sisters; I can find no record on the passenger manifest of the three sisters.  However, I discovered Ester’s arrival on the ship Olympic February 27, 1924 which listed her sister Freida as Ester’s nearest relative living in Europe.  A Chargo relative related to me that during conversations with Morris – he said that one of his sisters had eye problems and was prevented from entering the country as an immigrant (glaucoma). The other sister returned with her so that she would not be alone.  Perhaps the real story is that Freida or Rose had the eye problem and was prevented from leaving Europe and the other sister stayed with her.  This would explain why there is no manifest entry showing either sister being debarred.  Why Morris in his memoir interview stated that the sisters arrived with him and his mother on the same ship may represent his easy way of explaining a more complex story.

Ruben ‘Sam’ CHARGO (SHARGORODSKY) DOB 1865  (Srul) 1913 Galveston/1916 Ellis Island;
his wife Tillie (Tillia) nee WEISBERG DOB 1864 1924 Ellis Island.
Their six children:
Ben (Berko)    DOB 1894 1913 Galveston
Harry (Hersch) DOB 1895 1913 Galveston
Hyman (Chiam Lieb) DOB 1893 1914 Canada
Morris (Moise)  DOB 1908 1924 Ellis Island
Ester (Esther)  DOB 1897  Admitted 1924
Rose                  DOB est1900  Prevented for medical reasons, or refused to depart, Europe.
Freida (Freida) DOB est1900  Prevented for medical reasons, or refused to depart Europe. Both sisters died during WWII at the 1941 Babi Yar Nazi massacre near Kiev, Ukraine (formerly Russia).