Today is clearly the most exciting day of my life. I’m the first person to ever to register at Ellis Island on entering the United States of America, and Col. Weber gave me a $10 gold coin! That’s the first U.S. coin I’ve ever seen and far more money than I’ve ever owned! I will keep it always! Colonel Weber even gave a little welcoming speech.
Tomorrow is my 15th birthday and New Years Day! My two little brothers and I left Queenstown on the S.S. Nevada twelve days ago. Today we were brought from the steamship to Ellis Island by a barge, the John E. Moore. It was really exciting! There were two other steamships waiting to unload passengers today, too. Horns and whistles were blowing. From the barge, we ran down a plank and were quickly escorted up some large stairs into a big building, and an important looking man was waiting to register us. He talks kind of funny. After we were registered, we boarded the ferryboat Brinkerhoff and were taken to the Barge Office in New York City.
It’s exciting, yet kind of scary. I’m anxious to see my mom and my brothers are, too. I don’t expect New York City to be very much like the County of Cork in Ireland, but Mom’s letters reassure me that we’ll adjust in a hurry. And a lot of other Irish people are coming to America all the time.
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This week’s writing challenge: write on the theme of Ireland and heritage.
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Comments: 53
No, the closest I've been is eastern Norway.
In the summer of 1998, I started doing genealogy work and spent some time in Cobh doing research. It was only then that I learned my great grandparents sailed from Moville and not Cobh. During the summer of 1999 I went back to Ireland and traveled to Inishhowen....and found (through the help of quite a few people) relatives. What was really strange was the Devlin's had a family bible that had my great grandfather's name....but after the name, all it said was "Believed to have gone to America". Obviously, neither one of my great grandparents communicated with back home once they left.
Thanks, Bob. I'm glad that my simple narrative brought out your interesting story.
Apparently the efficiency in registering passengers when they entered the building on Ellis Island was a dramatic improvement from when they went directly to the barge office.
Well done!!
My Irish ancestor Richard Frances Longville Pead was shanghaied. Although he was studying for the priesthood, he stepped into a portside bar and woke up aboard a ship bound for Boston. He jumped ship and made his way to Saint John , New Brunswick.
A pleasure to read!!
Thanks, Lawrence.