It must have been something to approach Canada’s East Coast by steamship on March 8, 1928 — to sail from Europe across the ocean towards a rugged coastline before spotting a lighthouse and then cargo terminals that would mark the beginning of a new life.
Fifty-four men, women and children — hailing from Holland, Romania, Russia, Germany, Lithuania, Finland and Greece — would disembark from the Nieuw Amsterdam on this historic day.
They would be the very first of nearly one million people to arrive in Canada by ship via Nova Scotia’s Pier 21 between 1928 and 1971.
“I can tell you that these first arrivals were likely feeling a full range of emotions — from exhilaration about getting on with a new life to anxiety about the state of their luggage to a profound sense of loss, having left friends and family in their countries of origin,” says historian Steven Schwinghamer who, with co-author Jan Raska, recently wrote Pier 21: A History (co-published by their employer, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, along with the Canadian Museum of History and the University of Ottawa Press.)
From this legendary ocean immigration facility in Halifax — where passengers walked the ship’s gangway directly into the second story of a brick-clad cargo shed — these 54 newcomers boarded trains that promptly whisked them west to Montreal where some would stay, with the rest travelling onwards from Quebec to Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
But how their lives would unfold remains a mystery, which is why the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is asking Canadians for help.
Cara MacDonald, the museum’s Librarian and Genealogical Research Manager, says the publication of Pier 21: A History started her thinking about the museum’s “firsts.”
“Firsts are momentous occasions. Think of it: We all remember our first job, the first time we rode a bike, our first home,” she explains. “As an immigration port, the most significant first would be the first arrival. The arrival of this ship — the Nieuw Amsterdam — was our first major event.”
While MacDonald says she has many cherished relationships with people who share history with Pier 21, the museum has not had contact with anyone connected to the 54 immigrants who arrived on the Holland America Line steamship ninety-three years ago.
“I’ve published the list of these passengers on my blog,” she says, “and I encourage people to have a look. Do you know someone with any of these names? Do you see your own name on this manifest?”
If anyone reading this story has information about these “First Families of Pier 21,” MacDonald encourages them to reach out to museum staff in an email (sfhc@pier21.ca).
“I’m a puzzle person. I love this stuff,” says MacDonald, who has more than 10 years of genealogical experience. “I love that this project is a way of engaging with people across the country, if even just to get them thinking about their own origin stories.”
This March also marks the 50th anniversary of the closing of Canada’s famous “front door,” which shut down as an ocean immigration facility in 1971 and was eventually named a National Historic Site of Canada.
In 2011 — after, over the years, housing the Nova Scotia Nautical Institute, artist studios and an interpretive centre operated by The Pier 21 Society — the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 was born.
Located at this storied site, the new national museum would soon become the vibrant hub for Canada’s immigration story — past and present — that we know today.
Photo credit details:
1. Photograph of a family walking down a ramp at Pier 21, July 1965. Canadian Museum of Immigration Collection (DI2013.1362.377)
2. Aerial view of Pier 20 and Pier 21. Canadian Museum of Immigration Collection (DI2013.1205.1)
3. Dutch immigrants in the new assembly area at Pier 21, 1928–1930. Source: Library and Archives Canada, c-036146
4. Photograph of baby Silvana Barbieri at Pier 21, July 6 1965. Canadian Museum of Immigration Collection (DI2013.1362.9)
5. Photograph of passengers waving goodbye from SS Ryndam, October 29 1952. Canadian Museum of Immigration Collection (R2015.100.1)
6. Pier 21: A History — Photo of book cover courtesy the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
This post was powered by The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. For our earlier collaboration with Pier 21, check out Hey Canada, where are you from?
Founded by two Canucks on the loose in a big country, Toque & Canoe is an award-winning Canadian travel blog. Feel free to follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
Nancy Peirce commented:
How do I find out when my great grandparents arrived in Canada? My parents and grandparents have passed away. My father arrived in 1912 by ship. My mother was born in Saskatchewan so I know her birth place.
Jennifer Sutherland commented:
Hello Nancy,
Please reach out to the team at the Scotiabank Family History Centre at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 at sfhc@pier21.ca with the information you have and your questions. Arrival records are public for 1912 so they should be able to help you learn more.
Jennifer
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toque & canoe commented:
Thanks Jennifer for sharing this email!
Margo Pfeiff commented:
That’s a very interesting project. Bringing those people’s lives to life would make great stories and personalize the immigration issue in the present day. What a great Canadian puzzle.
toque & canoe commented:
Yah! We’re having lots of fun with this. Cheers Margo!
Margo Pfeiff commented:
Also Kim, both my parents arrived at Pier 21 in 1952 and 1954. I remember them talking about how excited, frightened and life-changing it was to walk off their ship and onto Canadian soil for the first time. They are both in their 90s now and talk about it like it was yesterday. What a great story. A great idea!
toque & canoe commented:
So interesting! We can’t believe how many people have a connection to this pier. They say 1 in 5 Canadians! We’re loving this project. Huge engagement on FB from Canadians everywhere!
Jennifer Bruce commented:
I don’t, unfortunately have information available about the 1928 immigrants.
I only know how my family and I felt in December 1966, we emigrated from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. Our ship was the S.S. Franconia, out of South Hampton. It was an adventure for my parents…12 year old sister, 9 year old brother and myself at age 7 and a half.
We were awed by the size of our ship, the land ahead of us and the idea of leaving our relatives behind.
Wow. We are doing ok. Rob and Carol are both married to great people and have grandchildren. I am happy being single and a caregiver.
Jennifer Bruce
toque & canoe commented:
Hi Jennifer. Thanks for sharing your wonderful story!
Carolyn Hall commented:
My grandmother arrived alone from Galacia in august of that year. But not the first of firsts.
Carolyn Hall
toque & canoe commented:
Thanks for your comment Carolyn. Incredible stories to be told from this era, for sure!
Sandra Goldsmith commented:
There is a family named Burgess in Camrose AB. They own a funeral home there.
Sandra Goldsmith commented:
There is a family named Burgess in Camrose AB. They own a funeral home there.
Jennifer Foster commented:
The links to the passenger list and the blog are broken. 🙁
toque & canoe commented:
Please try again Jennifer. We just tried and they are working. Here is the passenger list url if you want to cut and paste: https://pier21.ca/sites/default/files/blog-images/CaraFirstFamiliesBlog-EN.pdf
Linda Dulmage -Gordon commented:
Did all passenger ships stop first at Halifax before going on to Quebec City or Montreal with new arrivals to Canada ?
toque & canoe commented:
Hi Linda. If you reach out to the museum, they have the resources to answer any questions you have! Please email sfhc@pier21.ca Cheers for your questions! T&C
David Clements commented:
My grandmother and her children arrived in Halifax in 1927 on the ship Transylvania. If Pier 21 did not open until 1928, where did it dock and where did they clear immigration? There are dozens of descendants but not part of the story you are looking for.
toque & canoe commented:
Hi David – the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 handles questions from all periods of time. Please reach out to them at sfhc@pier21.ca They should be able to help you. They’re an excellent resource! T&C
Ernie Thiessen commented:
My Mom and Dad, Jacob and Ann Thiessen arrived by ship to the East coast in the 1920s. Also my older sister, Mary. She was a baby. The were Refugees from Russia. I am not sure just when they landed in Canada, as they had to stay in Germany and England for a while. Mom and Dad passed away . Dad in the 1970s. Mom in the 1980s. My three bros and Sister have also passed away.
toque & canoe commented:
Thanks for sharing your story, Ernie. This has been such an interesting project. T&C