Voyage # 1: SS Heliopolis,
1907
During the years from 1907 to 1913, 6 vessels brought just
over 8,000 Spanish immigrants to Hawaii
on cargo ships fitted to accommodate passengers. The Board of Immigration had
chartered them from London,
they were steel screw, three-masted cargo steamers with two decks. The first
ship carrying Spanish immigrants left the port
of Malaga for Hawaii aboard the S.S. Heliopolis in March
1907. With the dream of a better life in their hearts, they left behind family,
property, and economic uncertainty to homestead in the new world.
The procedure for registering for a voyage was to be seated
by family and then by age. Listed adjacent to great grandfather Francisco
Cañada’s family were Juan Ortega Cañada, Josefa Exposito, and two little
children, perhaps a cousin and his family.
The voyage of the SS
Heliopolis began on March 3rd from Cardiff,
Wales and arrived in Malaga, Spain
on March 7th under Captain Ketley. When the Heliopolis first set sail there were 850
families registered making a total of 3,823 passengers. After its initial
departure from Spain on
March 8th, the Heliopolis returned to Spain, at which
time 1,574 immigrants disembarked. These people felt that the hygienic
facilities and food on the ship were not adequate. Our grandparents continued on the ship with its very dirty
and crowded conditions.
The ship again left the port of Malaga on March 10th
and sailed through the Straits of Gibraltar, heading west towards the Azores,
southwest toward Argentina, then down to Sandy Point, Straits of Magellan
(Punta Arenas, Chile for refueling) on April 4th. It continued
northwest across the Pacific Ocean arriving at Honolulu, Hawaii
on April 26th. When the ship went through the Strait
of Magellan, many people jumped ship as they were tired of the
conditions and lack of space.
As the voyage took place a full seven years before the
opening of the Panama Canal, ships had to make the long and treacherous route
via the Drake Passage and the Straits of Magellan near the southernmost tip of South America. The voyage took 47 days; on board were 608
men, 554 women, and 1084 children. The Heliopolis
was a steam Ship with the Century Shipping Co. Ltd.
Most of the Spanish families had planned to return to Spain
at the end of the contract. Our family intended to head to California from the beginning. California was reported
to have rolling hills, hot days and cool nights which were perfect for farming,
lots of land and the climate was the same as their homeland. When they arrived they found great fertile
farm land with lots of water for irrigation.
Here I have plotted an approximation of the routes for the
three known voyages of our family
Arrival in Hawaii, 1907
The first group of immigrants from the Spanish region of
Andalucía brought with them happy memories of Spain; they looked forward with
hope and faith about the promised future in a new and strange land. The
memories of their homeland mixed with the spirit of hope helped the passengers
as they endured rough seas, and cramped quarters as the realization of their
dream of a new life lay ahead. Many of the passengers had brought their
accordions and guitars which they played as others sang and danced to pass the
long days while on board, they also played cards, and formed new friendships.
Upon arrival in Hawaii,
doctors again examined everyone this time as a preventative measure against
exposing the native Hawaiian populations to the European diseases such as
mumps, measles and chicken pox.
As the passengers left the ship, they were separated, men
and boys from women and young children. During this brief separation, each
passenger went through a process that removed bugs from both themselves and
their belongings. Following this, they were taken to the immigration dining
room where families were reunited and fed a good meal. Gradually, the
unpleasant experience of being separated from their families and fumigated for
bugs faded; conversation and optimism again peaked.
Hawaii
truly was a paradise, rainfall and misty air kept the island green and
beautiful, there was fresh fruit all year long and work throughout the year.
11 comments:
My family name is Pino. My grandfather, Gabriel Pino, met and married Teresa Solis on the ship, Heliopolis en route to Hawaii. I do not know the exact date of their arrival but the local Spanish people here in the California Bay Area used to talk about "Iliopoli," which I'm now convinced was the Heliopolis. My uncle tells me that there was a lot of fear about the ship and many of them turned away from it even before it sailed. Rumors spread that (he said) that the farmers of Hawaii were going to enslave them. That rumor caused many to leave just after boarding. If you know anything about these passengers or about these events, I'd like to hear them. Best/// Anthony Pino, Newark, CA (formerly of Santa Clara)
At first glance, I did not see either Gabriel or Teresa on the manifest list.
My family name is Gusman. I just came across some paperwork from my grandfather, Francisco Guzman (Frank Gusman) which indicated that he arrived in Honolulu on April 27, 1907 on the Heliopolis. He was 5 years old when he came with his parents, Juan & Dolores. My relatives were from Malaga, Spain and eventually settled in San Leandro, CA. Since my grandfather died in 1958, I didn't know much about the crossing. I always assumed it was not under the most ideal conditions. Other passengers were Domingo Moreno & Juan Perez. Maybe our families knew one another on the ship. Could you see if they were on the manifest? Just curious to see if I can verify this information. Thank you.
found
2 Francisco Guzman's both over 25
2 Juan Guzman's both over 25
1 Dolores Guzman, age 13 from Coin (Malaga)
Francisco's mother would not be listed as a Guzman however, she would be listed as Dolores "fathers last name" "mothers last name"
DOMINGO MORENO REYES age 41 from ZAFARRAYA (GRANADA)
there were 2 people first name Juan
paternal surname Perez:
JUAN PEREZ MOLINA age 41 from
CHIRIVEL (ALMERIA)
JUAN PEREZ PONCE age 37 from
LUBRIN (ALMERIA)
sorry I could not be of more help
Thank you so much for information. Here are the names from the document I have: GGM Dolores Guzman Gonzalez approx. 25-27 yrs. GGF Juan Guzman Gonzalez approx. 32 yrs. GF Francisco Guzman Guzman approx. 5 yrs. Uncle Joseph Guzman Guzman approx. 7 yrs. The family was from Coin provence of Malaga, Spain. I would appreciate it if you could look once again to see if my relatives are on the manifest. Many thanks. Chrism
Thank you so much for information. Here are the names from the document I have: *GGM Dolores Guzman Gonzalez approx. 25-27 yrs. * GGF Juan Guzman Gonzalez approx. 32 yrs. *GF Francisco Guzman Guzman approx. 5 yrs. *Uncle Joseph Guzman Guzman approx. 7 yrs. The family was from the Coin province of Malaga, Spain. I would appreciate it if you could look once again to see if any of my relatives are on the manifest. Many thanks. Chrism
My family's name is Fernandez and I know they came from Granada, Spain. I was curious about whether they were aboard that ship. I only know the children's names but I'm not entirely sure if it was names given after they reached Hawai'i or before. I have Maryann, Margaret and William.
Shyanne K.
there are 25 people on the manifest with the last name of Fernandez some from Granada... the current list is exactly as the manifest, which means the father has his full name, but the children do not.
I highly doubt that these are their birth names, for instance William is probably Guillermo. Not sure about Maryann or Margaret but they were possibly Maria Ann and Margarette. Have you checked Ancestry.com for any information?
do you know how old they were when them immigrated? and do you know the Pueblo in Granada they are from
Through the hard work of Steven Alonzo, Cristóbal Navas Pérez and Patricia Steele, the index for the 1907 voyage of the S. S. Heliopolis that Robert Rodriguez and I (Julianne Hoppen) began a few years ago has finally been completed.
Check it out at
http://heliopolis-malaga.blogspot.com/2011/05/1907-heliopolis-index-from-pgs.html
My grandparents and cousins left Macotera, Salamanca to travel to Gilbratar in 1913. They had a 4yr old and a newborn. The baby died on board but Grandma pretended to succle her until they arrived in Hawaii. Had the ship's crew found out about the baby, they would have thrown her overboard. My grandparents worked in the sugar cane for 2-3 years, then came to the Monterey Bay area in 1915.
I sent a comment earlier today, but I was in a rush to get to work. My family's name is Boveda, later changed to Bobeda upon arrival to San Francisco on the Ship Siberia in April of 1915. They left Macotera, Salamanca to Gibraltar, then on to Hawaii to work in the sugar cane, 1913. My Grandparents boarded ship with 4 year old Virginia and newborn Anna Maria, who died during the voyage. My Grandmother pretended to nurse her because the crew would have thrown the body overboard had they found out. Upon arrival in Hawaii, a Portuguese woman assisted in the burial of the baby. Their work assignment was in Waipahu, Oahu. Our family settled in the Pajaro Valley, CA, as did other relatives and friends from Spain. We also have relatives by the names of Blasquez and Bautista in the San Leandro/Hayward area of CA.
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