Yvonne asked to start this thread again, so....this is how it started. A snowy day with not much to do, I went into the site Ellis Island.com. I found my Dad's records. They showed a picture of the ship that he came in on. Sept. 27th, 1910. He was 14 years old. His Father came here first with another son, and every time he made some money he sent for another one of his family. I found it so moving that he was only 14 and came here all alone. I though of how scared he must have been, not speaking any English, and not knowing if anyone would be there waiting for him.
On the manifest, they asked questions like: How old are you...14....how much money do you have...$20.....who gave you this money...my Mother...who will you be staying with ....my Father. etc.
They even had his health records. I found my Mom too. She was 6 months old, when she and her family came here, and moved on the same block that my Dad lived on, and came from the same town In Italy. My Dad used to baby sit her, because he was 14 years older than she was. They fell in love and got married. He worked in a factory, and did gardening on the side. He never got help from anyone, and yet, we owned our own home. He was so proud of that, and now I now why. He fought in WW 1, and was so proud that they allowed him to fight for this country. After seeing this, now I can appreciate the man that he was ....so kind, so appreciative of all that he had, and so proud of his home and his yard that he worked endlessly at making it so beautiful. So proud that we never had to buy fruit or vegetables because he grew everything himself.
One thing I forgot to tell in the last thread. He smuggled in a little piece of a root of a grape vine that he had in his yard in Italy. I never knew this, until my sister told me. I do remember a big grape vine in our yard, that he used to make wine with a neighbor, and we always had grapes on our table too.
This was a wonderful and moving find, and if anyone has relatives that came from another country, please look up the records on EllisIsland.com. You won't be sorry. Seeing the manifest, the ship, and questions that he answered, were one of the most moving experiences for me.
On the manifest, they asked questions like: How old are you...14....how much money do you have...$20.....who gave you this money...my Mother...who will you be staying with ....my Father. etc.
They even had his health records. I found my Mom too. She was 6 months old, when she and her family came here, and moved on the same block that my Dad lived on, and came from the same town In Italy. My Dad used to baby sit her, because he was 14 years older than she was. They fell in love and got married. He worked in a factory, and did gardening on the side. He never got help from anyone, and yet, we owned our own home. He was so proud of that, and now I now why. He fought in WW 1, and was so proud that they allowed him to fight for this country. After seeing this, now I can appreciate the man that he was ....so kind, so appreciative of all that he had, and so proud of his home and his yard that he worked endlessly at making it so beautiful. So proud that we never had to buy fruit or vegetables because he grew everything himself.
One thing I forgot to tell in the last thread. He smuggled in a little piece of a root of a grape vine that he had in his yard in Italy. I never knew this, until my sister told me. I do remember a big grape vine in our yard, that he used to make wine with a neighbor, and we always had grapes on our table too.
This was a wonderful and moving find, and if anyone has relatives that came from another country, please look up the records on EllisIsland.com. You won't be sorry. Seeing the manifest, the ship, and questions that he answered, were one of the most moving experiences for me.
) but I went to Ellis Island last summer and it was incredibly interesting. I can post pictures if anyone is interested. (anything to keep me from doing my work! 
