Sunday, December 10, 2006

Macario Bernardo

I came across a breakthrough on my Ruffing line. I was searching Ancestry's ships lists and came upon a ship record for the RMS Empress of Russia. A Canadian ship that sailed from Manila, Philippine Islands to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The ship left Manila on April 30th 1920 and arrived in Vancouver on May 24th 1920. It is a List of United States Citizens. Macario Bernardo and I'm assuming his brother Ricardo Bernardo (since there birth dates on the list are just a few years apart) are listed. Thier residence is listed as 37 Broadway New York, NY. But the age match my Macario Bernardo who is my grandmother's step father. (At least that is what she told us. They have the same last name however she told us that she had been adopted by him when he married my great grandmother.) He is listed as Single on the list which means he had not met my great-grandmother yet. I wonder how he got to Detroit from either New York or Canada. And he is listed on a US Citizen passenger list so I'm assuming he may have gone back to visit some family in the Philippine's. Maybe driven cross country and stopped in Detroit to work at an Auto Factory. (The 1930 census states he worked as a Laborer in an Auto Factory). That also explains why I can't find him on a 1920 U.S. Census. Maybe he is on a Canadian Census. Hmmm...the plot thickens!! I've scanned the Passenger List here. Enjoy! (Click on the image below for the enlarged document!!)