Month: August 2015

So women’s rights in the US were different by state. The western states granted voting earlier than national rights, with Colorado and Idaho getting votes…

Children in the late 1800s and early 1900s often worked, and also traveled alone. My great-grandmother from Ireland traveled as a 9 year old accompanied…

In my book I have a minor character returned to the old country for not passing the assessments of new immigrants (which by the way…

Turns out that maybe my great grandfather wasn’t an illegal alien. My mother says that a cousin found that he entered through Texas. She wonders…

Here is the Ellis Island record of my Great Grandmother, Marie Bertot Begus. She is record 19: 18 year old servant from ‘Sostany’ Slovenia which…

I found writing the novel ‘Longing for Home’ much more than a way to explore the experiences of my ancestors. The immigrant experience is one…

I had the opportunity almost 20 years ago to visit Ellis Island. It made me think about the incredible bravery of my great grandmother Mary…