A Personal Story of Migration: No, You Can't Make this Stuff Up!

My great-great-grandfather migrated from Ireland as a young man. He had little money, absolutely no status in Ireland as he was a farm hand, and came over with only a few belongings as well as the pregnant daughter of the wealthy farmer he worked for. I guess you could say the angry father of the pregnant woman, as well as the embarrassment from her social community, was their push factor. I recall how much fun we had begging our grandmother to tell us this story of her grandparents international immigration over and over again!

No, you can't make this stuff up, but as much as we enjoyed the story, and how brave and romantic it sounded, our grandmother was always determined to be sure we understood the hard times her grandparents endured by making this choice. They left behind family that they would never see again, stepped off the ship weary and un-bathed on to new ground without any home or job to go to . From there they began to build a new life with responsibilities for not only themselves but for the child they delivered just a few months later, my great-grandfather.

Apparently it took some time for them to be accepted in their new home. Although he was a great worker, my great-great-grandfather's skills were that of a lower class laborer. The work he found was hard, long, and of little wage. Great-great-grandmother was not accustom to the lower class living and had to work also. She took in laundry for others to help. So not only was there a real change in their living conditions, but also their lifestyle and in her social standing.

They continued to work hard, raise their family, and contribute to a new chain of United States citizens who have, over the generations, migrated to the Midwest and remained. Over the generations, what began as a story of shame and flight has become a story of bravery and adventure. It is fun to tell and re-tell, but I think we must be careful that we don't water it down over the years as it is shared. My family's Irish blood becomes genetically thinner throughout the generations, but we can keep the stories of our origins thick with accurate storytelling to new generations.

Thanks for stopping by...
~~Teresa~~