On Saturday, June 5, 2004, at 1 PM, the Greater Astoria Historical Society is pleased to present "The General Slocum Disaster of 1904 and Its Impact on the German-Americans"
This lecture is part of our community's 100th Anniversary of the General Slocum disaster.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, German immigrants comprised the single largest ethnic group in the United States. Their largest concentration was in New York City. By 1910, this thriving community had nearly disappeared. The catalyst of change was an infamous excursion boat, the General Slocum. Discover the fascinating facts of how the sinking of this boat in New York's East River would change the face of New York City and then fade from memory in a few decades. But the General Slocum has shaped how America thinks even today, learn how modern and relevant the outcomes of this disaster are to our daily lives.
Karen Lamberton is a member of the Genealogical Society of Rockland County, the German Genealogy Group, and the Chicago Genealogy Society lectures on a variety of topics in genealogy and local history.
Karen states, "I started working this four years ago as an outgrowth of my discovery that I am a descendant of the disaster. My extended family had 14 people aboard and the husband of one of the passengers was a policeman that came to the rescue. My book is from the perspective of a genealogist and descendant.
"I have located and gathered the stories from about 100 families of victims, survivors, rescuers, those who missed the boat, etc. As I worked with these folks, they were so interested (as was I) in all the things that surrounded the disaster: were the Germans really poor? What was their life like? Who got medals and for what? Who were the crewmen on the rescue boats, nurses, doctors, etc.?
"I just kept following the thread, through the inquest and trials, the federal commission and changes in legislation.
Finally, I made an every-name listing for everyone that I can document on the General Slocum and families that did not go. My research also includes information on where they lived, sometimes their occupations, and others (friends, relatives) that were aboard with the family."
