Today’s post is just a brief one to share an interesting discovery with you. I just learned that my third-great-grandfather Frank (“F. E.”) Gores traveled to England in 1930 with his second wife Gertrude.
Traveling with them on the six-day transatlantic return trip were Frank’s 64-year-old sister-in-law Mary Magdalena (Doffing) Gores, her youngest daughter Gertrude Josephine Gores (27), and her daughter Magdalena (“Lena”) Margaret Gores (38). The elder Magdalena’s husband and father of the two girls was F. E. Gores’ eldest brother Nicholas Paul Gores, who had passed away two and a half years prior on March 9, 1927.
While in England, they were all staying at the Royal Hotel in WC1 London. I haven’t been able to find a photo of the hotel, but I did find this fabulous photo of a London street taken in April 1930 that might help you visualize the London that Frank and his family saw.
Here’s some motion picture footage of London street scenes, also shot in 1930:
When they were done visiting London, they departed from Southampton, England, on July 9, 1930, as documented by the departing passenger list below:
The Bremen was a new German-made ship, having been launched on August 16, 1928. She ran the Bremen-Southampton-New York route and set the record for fastest Atlantic crossing on her maiden voyage. She could accommodate 600 first class passengers, 500 second class passengers, 300 tourist class passengers, and 600 third class passengers in addition to crew and cargo.
They arrived at the Port of New York six days later on July 14, 1930, as documented by the passenger arrival list shown below:
That’s all I’ve got on their London trip at the moment. I’m guessing that one or more family members out there has more historical evidence of their trip, perhaps without even knowing it. I imagine that Frank and Gertrude must have taken photos of their trip, written letters home, brought home souvenirs, and who knows what else. Do you have old Gores photos, letters, or other memorabilia? If so, please let me know. I’d be happy to get them scanned, photographed, and/or documented to preserve them for future generations.