Ship Manifests
These ship manifests document the Grunwald family's journey from Germany to New York, and then to Los Angeles, in 1939. Their emigration marked the culmination of a long and fraught period marked by bureaucratic obstacles, hidden valuables, and blackmail. Ernest Grunwald recounts the story of this voyage, which left his father with a nervous rash and his mother a nervous stomach, in his "The Life and Graphic Arts Collection of Fred Grunwald."
Hamburg to New York
As this manifest shows, Fred, Gertrude, Ernest, and Lotte Grunwald (then Grunewald) boarded the SS President Roosevelt in Hamburg, Germany on February 15, 1939, en route to the United States. They arrived in New York eleven days later, on February 26, 1939. The form shows that the family would be joining Fred's niece, Ilse Wistinetski, in Great Neck, Long Island, but Los Angeles is listed as their final destination.
Download this ship manifest [PDF, 2 pp, 2.4MB]
New York to Los Angeles
On March 4, 1939, less than a week after their arrival in New York, the Grunwalds embarked for California on a cruise ship, listed here as the SS City of Los Angeles. The trip lasted more than two weeks, arriving in the Grunwalds' new home on March 20, 1939. A friend of Fred's, Dr. Henry K. Kahn, is named as the family's local contact.
Download this ship manifest [PDF, 2 pp, 840KB]