I made some discoveries on my Genealogy the other day. I know my Grandmother Pratt (Janet Young Bell) died back in October of 1913 when my father was only a young lad. He was born in 1903. After his mother's death, his father, Alexander Pratt (Pratt Brothers Electrical - Edinburgh) thought a trip would do them both good.
They'd planned to visit some relatives in the States, Dad remembered that Boston was one destination they made as well as New York, where they landed. I have no clue as to these relatives. Dad only told me 'cousins' and couldn't recall any names. And there were a LOT of Pratt's and affiliate lines running around. :)
So on the 11th of July, 1914, they boarded the S.S.Aquitania at Liverpool . They arrived in New York on the 17th of July 1914. Now they were only there a short time because WWI broke out for the British on the 4th of August, 1914. The day after Germany declared war on France.
Dad and Grandpa Pratt were hustled back [by staff from the British Embassy] to England literally in the dead of night! I've not been able to find exactly which ship was their return voyage nor an exact timeframe, but my Dad once told me it was the S.S. Mauretania, one of the sister ships to the Lusitania which was later sunk. Very little info on ship's manifests from New York to England on any of the Cunard Line ships.. I'm finding before and after WWI, but nothing during the timeline in which I'm looking. I'm still searching, though. :)
More searching to do over the next couple of weeks, will post again when anything new pops up.
Marge
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