Family Lore

In a letter to Norma (Kirmse) Rauh, Helen (Kirmse) wrote:

I was just a kid when Dad would tell stories about his father, Julius Kirmse, leaving Germany.  There were very few of these stories so suppose I listened maybe more than most kids that age would. There is one which seems so vivid in my mind but I really hate to repeat it as don’t know if that’s how it happened.  But that would explain why you cannot find Julius’s name on a ship passenger list. Supposedly he came over on the ship as a stow-away. At one time he hid behind or under a woman’s dress when the ship’s Captain came around. It was a serious offense if he were caught so he prefered to not have that told again.

Information Source

Letter to Norma (Kirmse) Rauh, From Helen (Kirmse) Hacker 10 Sep 1990

In a letter to Dale Kirmse, Helen (Kirmse) Hacker wrote:

From what my Dad told me, Julius came over as a stow-away. When the steward of the ship came to check the passengers this lady hid him under the long skirt of her dress until he left. Apparently they (this couple) did have pity for the boy Julius.

Information Source

Helen Hacker email sent to Dale Kirmse: Monday, May 26, 2003.

Kosmos Passenger Manifest

However, as will be shown in the next chapter, from an a examination of the Kosmos Passenger Manifest, Julius was not a stow-away. See Chapter: Kosmos Passenger Manifest Observations.

See Chapter: Leaving Home for another version of the stow-away story.