The travail for immigrants wasn’t limited to the journey and Ellis Island processing. They could still be exploited and/or treated harshly before reaching their final destination as this 1910 report to the Presidential Commission on Immigration reveals. “At Ellis Island, the inspection by the doctors and the officers of the Immigration Service was quickly completed. … More True Immigrant Tales: After Ellis Island
[This is Part 2 of American journal Broughton Brandenburg’s account of a 1903 steamship voyage with immigrants in steerage, taken from his book, Imported Americans.] “. . . In mid-afternoon. . . when we reached the slip at Ellis Island we merely tied up, for there were many barge-loads ahead of us, and we waited our … More True Immigrant Tales: Waiting Without Food and Water
[Louis Adamic was a prominent Slovene-American writer who migrated to America in December 1913 at age 15.] “Now and then I glanced at the noisy, picturesque, garlicky crowd on the steerage deck; people of perhaps a dozen nationalities milling around the capstans and steam-hissing winches, pushing toward the rails straining and stretching, … More True Immigrant Tales: “I Was Weak in the Knees”
[A Czech immigrant woman tells of her journey from Prague to Rotterdam and then in steerage to America in 1920.] “Three days and three nights were spent riding in local trains from Prague to Rotterdam. At Oldenzaal, four stations distant from Rotterdam, all our baggage was taken from without an explanation why this was done. … More True Immigrant Tales: “We All Stood There Naked”
[This is another in a series of firsthand accounts from my immigrant oral histories collection] “Like many more immigrants like myself, I came to this country to seek a living, because living over there [in Tipperary, Ireland] was very, very poor. Work was scarce and hard. I worked on a farm. I would get up … More True Immigrant Tales_11: From Tipperary in 1920
[This is a continuation of last week’s blog, which you may want to read first. Jordan’s story comes from my oral history collection.] “When we were taken to Ellis Island, naturally, there were hundreds of us and we were led, almost like sheep, here and there, and we didn’t know where we were going. Each … More True Immigrant Tales_10: Jordan’s Adventures Continue
[This is another true story from my immigrant oral histories collection.] “I was born in 1900 and grew up on the island of Rhodes in Greece. I had heard about the great life in America from others who had been there and I wanted to go. It was wartime though, and we couldn’t travel because … More True Immigrant Tales_9: Jordan’s Journey
[If you didn’t read last week’s post, I suggest you do so first, as this is a continuation of Helen’s immigrant experience. This is a true story, told in her own words. This material comes from my research for my historical novel about Ellis Island in the 1890s, Guardians of the Gate, and its sequel, … More True Immigrant Tales_8:Hunger in the Ellis Island Cages
[From my immigrant oral histories collection during research for my historical novel, Guardians of the Gate, and its sequel, Defenders of Freedom. Helen sailed from Glascow, Scotland, in 1921. She was 14 and traveled with her mother and three brothers to rejoin her father who had left for America a year earlier.] “It may sound … More True Immigrant Stories_7: Scottish Teen in Steerage
[This is another true immigrant story from my oral history collection, gathered as part of my research for the historical novel, Guardians of the Gate, and its sequel, Defenders of Freedom. In 1925 at age 13, Heinz sailed alone from Bremen to live with his aunt and uncle in the United States. “We arrived on … More True Immigrant Stories_4: Young Teenager at Ellis Island
Vince Parrillo 