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The links below will show the passenger manifest that includes Maria Rota. According to the first page of
the manifest, she sailed from Naples, Italy on 3 September 1913 aboard the ship SS Stampalia. The ship arrived
at the Port of Philadelphia, PA on 17 September 1913 after a 14 day voyage. The manifest says she is 21 years old, single, cannot
read or write, speaks Italian, is from the town of Pedace, and that the name of her nearest relative in her home town is her
father Pasquale.
The second page says her final destination is Denver, Colorado, that she does not have a ticket to her final destination,
she paid for the voyage herself, she had $20 in cash, she had never been to the US before, and that she is going to join a
friend Luisa (last name unreadable) in Denver.
I was a little confused because the family story has always been that she arrived at Ellis Island and that she remembered
the Statue of Liberty. This could not be possible if she arrived at the Port of Philadelphia. After researching
the ship she arrived on, I discovered that it did actually arrive in New York on 16 September, but continued on to Philadelphia
and docked on 17 September. It is possible that Ellis Island was too busy to accept her ship and was diverted to Philadelphia.
So the family story was right - she probably saw the Statue of Liberty when her ship first arrived in New York.
***Click here to see page 1 of Manifest***
***Click here to see page 2 of Manifest***
***Click here to see a photo of the SS Stampalia***
Below is a description of the SS Stampalia:
The Stampalia was built in 1909 by Cantieri
Navale Riuniti at Spezia, Italy for La Veloce. She was a 8999 ton vessel, 476ft x 56ft., two funnels, two masts, twin screw,
speed 16 knots. She had accommodation for 100 1st and 2,400 3rd class passengers. She originally sailed between Genoa, Palermo,
Naples and New York. In 1911 she was altered to carry 30 1st, 220 2nd, and 2,400 3rd class passengers and sailed between Genoa,
Naples and NY. In 1912 she was renamed "Stampalia" and continued on the same service until 17.8.1916 when she was torpedoed
and sunk in the Aegean Sea by the German submarine UB-47. [Posted to the Emigration-Ships Mailing List by Ted Finch - 12 July
1997]
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