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Myla BAKER's 1928 U.S. Passport

On October 29, 1999, I bought a U.S. Passport in an antique store in New Braunfels, Texas for $25.00. It was issued to Myla Baker on June 19th, 1928. There is a lot of information in this little book, but I seem to come up with many questions. Who was Myla BAKER? She is not related to me.

Summer 2001 update: I asked a friend of mine if he could tell me the countries visited and any thing else about the passport. He surprised me with page by page notes and a report. Thank you, RW!

August 2002 update: I received an email from CK of Germany who translated and explained many of the stamps plus cleared up an error or two in the translations. Thank you too, CK!

October 2006 update: I received an email from PP saying the Gunter Hotel "is still in existence on Houston Street and is currently owned by the Sheraton Company." It does seem a bit odd that I never included this tidbit of information. It is the Sheraton Gunter Hotel. So, PP, thanks for pointing out this oversight.

Attention all prop masters for "Cabaret" and "Anything Goes": After two emailed requests for the exact description of this 1928 U.S. passport for a prop in a theatre production, I decided to publish the information online. Let me know if it is useful.

Inside front cover - On the inside front cover, Ms. Baker listed her United States address as Gunter Hotel, in San Antonio, Texas, and her foreign address as "American Express Paris France." Under "In case of death or accident notify," she listed T. B. Baker, also at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio. T. B. Baker was Theodore Brasher Baker, Myla Baker's brother.
From RW: A woman named Myla Baker, born 17 Sep 1879, in Washington, Iowa, 5 foot 4 inches tall, brown hair and brown eyes, resided in the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. Possibly her parents either owned or operated that hotel. The Hotel Gunter was located at the corner of St. Mary's and Houston Streets in downtown San Antonio. The hotel still exists but with a different name. It was common, and still is, to list the American Express as a point of contact. It is likely that she had no relatives in Europe. At the top on page 1, Myla wrote "French, Austrian, Hungary, Czecho Slovakia". This may have been places where she could speak the language since she wrote "French" and "Austrian" instead of "France" and "Austria." She did not list German, which she most likely spoke and would need in Austria.
Page 2 - This page has some extremely interesting information in that Ms. Baker is not accompanied by a spouse nor is she with minor children. A woman traveling by herself? I like her already.
From RW: Myla probably was not married and had no children. She was sufficiently wealthy enough to afford such a trip or maybe her parents were.
Page 4 - Ms. Baker's photograph shows her wearing a hat known as a cloche.
From RW: She probably was well educated and spoke several languages. She was well-groomed and stylish. When Myla was 48 years old, she applied for and was granted passport number 598602 by the U.S. State Department.
Page 7 - There are two dates on this page: June 24, 1929 and June 25, 1929. I am not a language expert, but it looks like German to me.
From CK: In German: "Nr._____ Gebuhr: _____ Dauer (handwritten) Ein- und Wiederausreise Sichtvermerk für Myla Baker gut zur mehrmaligen Einreise nach und Wiederausreise aus Deutschland über jede amtlich zugelassene Grenzstelle über die Grenzstelle ---- Gültig für 1 Jahr vom Beginn des Tages nach dem ersten Grenzubertritte, jedoch nicht über den 24.Juni 1939 hinaus. Reisezweck Besuch Galveston, den 25.Juni 1929 Deutsches Konsulat" In English: "No. _____ Fee: _____" (That visa was free (why ... ?)) "Dauer..." means "long-during", so it was an "multiple entry visa" which is not short-term-valid. "Entry-and Exit-Visa for Myla Baker good for multiple entry and re-exit from Germany at every official border checkpoint at the checkpoint ..." (This option was not used.) "Valid for one year, starting with the day after the first entry, but not over Jun 24th, 1939." So she could have used the visa for ten years, but as she entered, it was valid for one year.
From RW: In 1929, she traveled to Galveston, Texas. She proceeded to the German Consulate where she obtained a travel Visa dated 25 Jun 1929. She obtained a Visa from the British Consulate the same day. Shortly thereafter, she traveled, either by train from San Antonio or by ship from Galveston, to New York. She visited Consulates there and obtained Visas for Czechoslovakia, France, and Spain.
Page 8 - English: "British Consulate Galveston No. 469A June 25, 1929 Special Transit Visa For the United Kingdom to Germany (signed) Acting British Consul"
From RW: The two green stamps indicate that she paid for the Visa. She probably entered England at Plymouth on 13 Jul 1929. Myla sailed then, most likely to England, where she remained for a couple of weeks, then crossed the border into Holland, after obtaining a Visa at the border. That Visa was valid for only eight days, after which, she went to Czechoslovakia.
Page 9 - Most of the words stamped on this page are faint. I can make out what looks like "do Republiky Caskoslovenske" and "VSTUPNI VISUM" which is "Entry Visa" in Czech. Just below that are two dates. June is "cerven" in Czech and July is "cervenec" so I guess one of these dates is "19 June 1930." The stamp at the bottom has what looks like yet another date, ("31.VII.1929") but what country used Roman numerals in a date? From RW: I can't make out some of this page, but it is a Visa from the Czech Consulate for which she paid one dollar. The Visa was obtained in New York. She entered the country on 31 Jul 1929. It is not clear how long she stayed in Czechoslovakia. There is no indication that she traveled in Germany but it is almost certain that she did, at least on her way to Hungary, where she visited a while. After leaving Hungary, Myla traveled, probably through Germany again, as she had no Visa for Austria. She entered Switzerland at St. Margrethen on 8 Aug 29.
From CK: Actually, the exit stamp is over the entry stamp, the exit is July 31st, 1929, and the only one I can read from the entry stamp is the number "28" upside down. So she probably entered Czechoslovakia on July 28th and exited on the 31st. The town names which are at the bottom of the stamps are not readable.
Page 10 - This page has a little purple stamp and there are missing letters. It looks like "Uffisio P.S. Domedossola - 12 AGO 1929 - ???TRATA - ?PING."
From CK: "DOMODOSSOLA" is a northern Italian town at the Swiss border. "Entrata" means "entry" in Italian. So she entered northern Italy by train on 12 Aug 1929.
Page 11 - This page clearly has the word "France" twice, "Cherbourg" and two more dates: "JUL 1 - 1929" and 14 Sep 1929".
From RW: This is a travel Visa from the French Consulate in New York, issued on 1 Jul 1929. While I can't make out the stamp at the top of the page, it no doubt is a border crossing stamp. Myla departed Europe by ship at Cherbourg, France on 14 Sep 1929. She then probably continued her travels across Switzerland and Southern France to Spain, where she stayed a few days before returning to France, to Cherbourg where she boarded a ship for her return trip to the United States.
From CK: "VISA DE TRANSIT avec faculte de sejour QUINZE JOURS a compter de l'entree en France. New York, le JUL 1, 1929" (Transit visa with a possibility of stay for 15 days, counting upon entry of France. New York, Jul, 1st, 1929) And the fee stamp of $ 1 point something below). In the upper right corner, is a round stamp, with a date upside down: August, 26th, 1929. And the city mentioned there is "Menton". That is a town at the Italian border, close to Monaco and next to Ventemiglia (Italy) on the Riviera. (I have driven over that border in '98, but there is no checkpoint anymore - that is unified Europe ... ;-)
Page 12 - Some of the stamped words on this page are "Nederland" and "Doorlaatpost te ROOSENDAAL".
From RW: Myla probably obtained this Visa at the Netherlands border when she came there from England. Her entry was on 31 Jul 1929 and the Visa was good for eight days and unlimited crossings of the border. The unlimited crossings was authorized by the red stamp.
From CK: On the upper half of page 12 is an Austrian stamp. The red stamp is a visa as it says "Österreichische Sichtvermerk-Marke für mehrmalige Einreise" (Austrian Visa Revenue stamp for multiple entry) and there is the entry stamp "Oest. Grenz-krontrollstelle" (Austrian border checkpoint) with the date 31 JUL 1929. The Dutch stamps (lower half of page 12) are from Roosendaal, which is a city north of Antwerpen, at the Belgish-Dutch border. It is a transit visa for eight days. The date on the stamp is not readable, but the first number is a "1" and the second has a round top as in a 2, 3, 6, 8 or 9. The "J" of July is visible. As she entered Britain on 13th, it would be later that week, to have time for sightseeing in London. ;-)
Page 13 - One of the stamps clearly reads New York, N. Y. and "Royal Hungarian Consulate General".
From RW: This is a travel Visa from the Hungarian Consulate in New York, issued on 1 Jul 1929. She entered Hungary on 3 Aug 1929 and departed the country on 5 Aug 1929.
From CK: She traveled through Austria on July 31st, but not through Holland, as the Dutch stamp has a "1" as first number. Must be some day in July, on her way through Holland to Germany, as the visa is just for traveling though for a maximum of 8 days. As for the Hungarian visa and stamps on page 13: She entered at Budapest on August 3rd and exited at Györ on August 5th. The entry in St. Margrethen to Switzerland is a town between St. Gallen (Swiss) and Bregenz (Austrian), very close to the Lake of Constance, so she came from Hungary on 5th of August, probably by steamer on the Danube, which is a nice tourist trip, even in the 21st century, but she could have used the train as well, and went on through Austria in its whole east-west stretch to Switzerland.
Page 14 - The stamp on this page is very readable, even if not crystal clear: "SCHWEIZ" "E - 8 AUG 29", and "ST. MARGRETHEN".
From RW: Myla had no Visa for entry into Switzerland, but she obviously did cross into Switzerland at St. Margrethen on 8 Aug 1929.
From CK: There are there no German entry and exit stamps in an American passport of the 1920's? This seems very unusual. Plus, it would have made the time line so much easier to recreate.
Page 15 - One of the stamps says "CONSOLADO GENERAL DE ESPANA EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS - NUEVA YORK". The date is "2 de Julio 1929". Apparently the stamp on page 14 was not allowed to dry and is smeared on this page.
From RW: She was issued a travel Visa by the Spanish Consulate in New York on 2 Jul 1929.
Page 32 - The date of the stamp looks like 26 or 28 "AGO" 1929. Probably August.
From RW: I can't make out what this is from the writing, but it is most surely a border crossing stamp.

Time Line:

17 Sep 1879 - Myla Baker's birth - page 5
19 Jun 1928 - Passport issued - page 2
25 Jun 1929 - Received German Visa in Galveston, Texas - page 7
25 Jun 1929 - Received British Visa in Galveston, Texas - page 8
1 Jul 1929 - Received French Visa in New York, New York - page 11
1 Jul 1929 - Received Hungarian Visa in New York, New York - page 13
2 Jul 1929 - Received Spanish Visa in New York, New York - page 15
13 Jul 1929 - Entered England at Plymouth - page 8
1? Jul 1929 - Received Netherlands Visa - page 12
1? Jul 1929 - Entered Netherlands at _____ - page 12
28 Jul 1929 - Entered Czechoslovakia at _____ - page 9
31 Jul 1929 - Exited Czechoslovakia at ______ - page 9
31 Jul 1929 - Received Austrian Visa - page 12
31 Jul 1929 - Entered Austria at ______ - page 12
3 Aug 1929 - Entered Hungary at Budapest - page 13
5 Aug 1929 - Departed Hungary at Györ - page 13
8 Aug 1929 - Entered Switzerland at St. Margrethen - page 14
12 Aug 1929 - Entered Italy at Domodossola - page 10
26 Aug 1929 - Entered France at Menton - page 11
26 (or 28) Aug 1929 - Unknown - page 32
14 Sep 1929 - Departed France and Europe at Cherbourg, France - page 11
19 Jun? 1930 - Czech Visa expires? - page 9
31 Dec 1931 - Hungarian Visa expires? - page 13
25 Jun 1930 - German Visa expires - page 7

Webmistress: There seems to be a few conflicts in some of this, but I can not resolve them. Fascinating bit of history though. I take all responsibility for any mistakes in the time line, translations, or correlating the information from RW and CK. Their time was all volunteered and I thank them very much.

Last updated on June 10, 2008

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Myla BAKER's 1928 U.S. Passport

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