KINGofBLEH
November 10th, 2001, 07:03 PM
With all of the news about illegal aliens and suspected terrorists in the US, I thought it might be appropriate to balance those reports with some interesting and possibly inspiring stories about our ancestors (or ourselves) emigrating to the US from other lands. Since almost all US citizens are the descendents of immigrants, many folks have such stories of perserverence and persistence in the name of freedom and prosperity in their pasts. If you know of such a story, please post here.
I shall start with mine. My grandfather on my father's side was originally from Naples, Italy. Following WWI he left Italy and lived in Argentina for a number of years. During the Great Depression, he left Argentina and came to the New York City where he lived and held many odd jobs including a stint as a winemaker.
My great-grandfather on my mother's side came to New York from Ireland in 1895. He joined the army shortly after becoming a citizen. He is a decorated veteran of the Spanish-American War in Cuba. After he left the military he became a NYC police officer where became a seargent before retiring. To this day our family has retained all of his emigration papers, war medals and the flag from his funeral (complete with 48 stars - he died in 1920).
With all of the bad press immigrants have been getting in the news lately, I still believe there are people in the world who long from the freedom and lifestyle enjoyed by Americans.
I shall start with mine. My grandfather on my father's side was originally from Naples, Italy. Following WWI he left Italy and lived in Argentina for a number of years. During the Great Depression, he left Argentina and came to the New York City where he lived and held many odd jobs including a stint as a winemaker.
My great-grandfather on my mother's side came to New York from Ireland in 1895. He joined the army shortly after becoming a citizen. He is a decorated veteran of the Spanish-American War in Cuba. After he left the military he became a NYC police officer where became a seargent before retiring. To this day our family has retained all of his emigration papers, war medals and the flag from his funeral (complete with 48 stars - he died in 1920).
With all of the bad press immigrants have been getting in the news lately, I still believe there are people in the world who long from the freedom and lifestyle enjoyed by Americans.