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ANTWERP – RED
STAR LINE
“
Do You Know This Girl” Win a Trip to Antwerp Contest*
Two
and a half million European immigrants sailed from Antwerp in Flanders
Belgium
in the mid 1800’s to the start of the First
World War, arriving in North America. The Red Star Line which has a
long heritage of carrying emigrants from the European Continent to
America is offering a contest to win a trip to Belgium and a visit
to the Red Star Line Museum which opens in 2013, plus a $1000 shopping
spree. The campaign called “Do You Know This Girl” starts
with a photo of a young girl who steamed from Antwerp in 1905 and arrived
at Ellis Island. Contests participants sign up and follow the clues
to the girl’s identity, with the winner chosen from the first
who uncover who she is. She put on your genealogy sleuth deerstalker
caps and start researching.
Famous designer
Diane Von Furstenberg is serving as the “Godmother” of
the project, launching the campaign surrounded by paintings of fellow
Belgian, surrealist artist Rene Magritte (see Magritte
Museum Brussels)
and drawings of her famous fashion creations. She was join by Philip
Heylen,
the Vice-Mayor of Antwerp, the city to host the new museum of the Red
Star shipping line. A lifesize cut-out photograph of the girl to be
identified will be making appearances around Antwerp and on Ellis Island
to promote the contest. Though, actually just to make matters a bit
confusing the girl herself came through St. John’s Canada, as
did some of my own ancestors, rather than Ellis Island. So maybe I
should take a closer look.
The photo identifies the girl only as Young Galacian immigrant holding
an evelpe of the Red Star Line, Saint John, NB, May 1905. The source
is the archives of the Canadia Employment and Immigration Board. The
enter the contest and get the clues you need to follow the entries at
the red Star Line Museum Blog.
*Contest has ended. But still interesting information to be found at the Red Star Line Museum.
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