The GG Archives is a privately held archive containing materials related to genealogy,[1] military history, and other historical ephemera dating from the mid-1800s through 2000. The site hosts over 7,000 static web pages and 20,000 images.[2] The collections are composed of artificial collections[3][4] of historial materials in twelve topical areas.
Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the GG Archives provides free access to historical ephemera, articles, and photographs on specific topics, with a primary focus on genealogy-related materials.[5] These resources are intended for genealogists, historians, teachers,[6][7] and researchers, covering historical periods primarily from the 1880s through the 1950s.
The site contains original steamship passage tickets or contracts, primarily for transatlantic voyages, between 1854 and 1956. These primary source documents provide valuable insights for illustrating family histories and are also used as educational resources K–12 students studying history and social studies.[11]
Known for their passenger lists collections, the site also provides detailed information and images related to ships in the "Immigrant Ships" section under "Ocean Travel."
Primary source materials can be found throughout the Archives' Immigration section [12] (covering US and Canadian immigration). These include passenger lists[13][14] and immigrant inspection cards, which are often used as educational tools in various academic settings and topics.[15][16]
The collections also include materials on vintage fashions, culinary history,[17] and historical articles on various topics, including a Q&A on the World War I draft.[18]
Major collections
Based on their top navigation links, the Archives' major collections include:
Immigration:[19][20] This collection focuses on US immigration through primary and other sources[21] The Archives document the immigrant experience[22] with essential records, articles,[23] and information on mass migration[24] of immigrants[25] from primarily European countries to North America.[26] Included are immigrant documents,[27] steamship passage tickets[28][29] records related to Ellis Island and Castle Garden immigrant stations, immigration laws,[30] materials on steerage.[31]Ocean Travel: This section explores daily life aboard steamships[32] from the 1870s through the 1950s, using historical articles illustrated with photographs and period imagery. It features extensive materials related to the Cunard Line,[33] vintage ocean liner menus, RMS Titanic collections, historical steamship lines, biographies of sea captains', ports of call, and promotional materials such as travel brochures and Student Third Class Association (STCA)[34] materials.
Military Archives:[35] While primarily focused on the United States Navy, this collection also includes significant materials on World War I[36][37] and the US Army. A notable portion consists of US Naval Training Center graduation yearbooks, particularly from Great Lakes[38] and San Diego.
Epicurean:[39] This collection covers historical culinary topics, including food, desserts, cooking methods, family recipes, vintage ads (epicurean), and historical wedding feasts
Vintage Fashions 1880s - 1930s[40] This section highlights period clothing styles for women, teenagers, and children, particularly in relation to steamship travel and luxury accommodations.
Entertainment During the Steamship Era:[41] This category features Brochures, flyers, images, and articles on entertainment aboard ocean liners. A portion of the collection also focuses on early 20th-century motion picture production.
Library:[42] A diverse collection of books, primarily covering reference materials, genealogy, maritime history, and military topics.
Other notable collections:[43] This section includes materials on the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919, and biographical collections related to Dr. Edward Jenner[44] and Thomas A. Edison, as well as the Bangor Punta Archives.
Collection highlights
The World War One Draft – Photograph documenting the first draft lottery of 1917.
Immigrant ID Tag[45] Identification tag from the Holland-America Line's TSS Rijndam, dated 26 September 1923[46]
King George Letter – Letter addressed to soldiers of the United States, April 1918[47]
Black Ball Line Passage Ticket - Ticket for Mr. Nicholas Fish on the packet ship Yorkshire, 1859.[48] See Black Ball Line.
World War I Booklet – "Where Do We Go from Here? This is the Real Dope", by William Brown Meloney, issued to discharged soldiers.
White Star Line Brochure - "The Famous Big 4 of the New York Liverpool Service"[49]
Painting of the first cowpox vaccination – Depiction of Dr. Edward Jenner administering the vaccination, by Georges Gaston Melinque.
↑"How to Trace Your Immigrant Ancestors"(PDF). National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2020-05-26. Includes references to historical documents, photographs, and passenger lists from 1800s-1954.
↑Boelter, Mimi. "Voyage of Hope, Voyage of Tears"(PDF). Massachusetts Department of Education. Retrieved 2020-05-25. Referenced in a Grade 7 English Language Arts test.
↑"Resources on Michigan". Bernheimer's International Society. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-26. GG Archives described as a private historical archive with collections on immigration, military history, ocean travel, and social history."]
↑Blight, RGN, MSc, Ph.D., Karin Johansson (February 2019). "Migration and Mental Health". Center for Psychiatry, Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine, Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London. Retrieved 2020-06-02. Presentation included materials from GG Archives.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑"Genealogy Odds and Ends: Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives"(PDF). Venturing Into Our Past: The Newsletter of the Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County (JGSCV). September 2017. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
↑Mitchell, Robert E. (2019). Human Geographies Within the Pale of Settlement: Order and Disorder During the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. pp.243–244. References Jewish migration from Bremen and Hamburg to North America.
↑Borsi, Flora (May 2017). "The Forgotten Dream". Retrieved 2020-06-01. Uses Ellis Island photographs in a modern-day photographic study.
↑Tibert, Diane Lynn (31 December 2016). "Column: Exploring Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives". Roots to the Past: Atlantic Canada's Genealogy Hub. Retrieved 2020-05-30. Resource for researching Canadian and US immigrant records.
↑Verbrugen, Frances Augusta Ramos (3 December 2018). "Representations of Immigrants in Young Adult Literature". Dissertations and Thesis. Paper 4652. Portland State University. Retrieved 2020-06-02. Extensive discussion of steerage conditions.
↑"The Cunard Line: A Transatlantic Legend"(PDF). Outlook: Aerospace History, Art Innovation, Travel, Jet Aviation. pp.44–49. Retrieved 2020-06-02. Included materials from this site.
↑Pietsch, Tamson (January 2019). "Commercial Travel and College Culture: The 1920s Transatlantic Student Market and the Foundations of Mass Tourism". Diplomatic History. 43 (1). Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations: 83–106. doi:10.1093/dh/dhy059. The STCA collection was used extensively throughout this article.
↑Vlachou, Maria (2019). "Where Do We Go From Here? This is the Real Dope: The Déjà Vus of an Increasingly Illiberal World"(PDF). Museums, Borders and European Responsibility – One Hundred Years after the First World War, ICOM Deutschland e. V. pp.104–105+. Retrieved 2020-06-02. World War I brochure by William Brown Meloney of the same title used to illustrate how succinct the booklet was, and could that style be used today.
↑"Vintage Fashions 1880s - 1930s". GG Archives. Retrieved 2020-05-29. Women's, Teen's, and Children's Clothing Styles on Board the Steamships and While Travelling in Style and Comfort.
↑"Books in the Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives Library". Retrieved 2020-05-29. Large collection of books in a number of topical sections that provide an excellent reference for the researcher and genealogist.
↑"Historical Ephemera Archives 1880s - 1950s". GG Archives. Retrieved 2020-05-29. A review of their many topical navigational links on the left gutter revealed some interesting topics – the WPA and Influenza Pandemic were from the era of steamships and ocean liners. The Bangor Punta Archives pertained to a defunct corporation circa 1964-1984 that had an interesting existence (2 US Supreme Court decisions), and as a conglomerate, owned some well-known companies such as Smith & Wesson, Piper Aircraft, Starcraft, and several powerboats and yacht/sailboat manufactures.
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