All I know is that it will be different from my life before.
October 28, 1906
Dear Mother,
The journey to New York was long, and hard, and very uncomfortable. I had to sleep on a hard cot and I had to fish the leftovers from 1st and 2nd class out of the garbage. That was even better than the food that they gave us normally! Steerage is not fun. People around me were talking in different languages, like German, Gaelic, Italian, Russian, and Finnish. One uncomfortable moment was when it was the first night and no one was used to sleeping on a boat. Everyone was moving around and a lot of people were snoring. It was sooo annoying! I think that the most memorable thing that happened on the boat was when I first saw the Statue of Liberty. One night I was just lying awake on “my” cot and a girl who looked about my age and was from Ireland came up to me and said that she couldn’t sleep. I think that she thought that I was somebody else because she said, “Sorry!” After she called me, “Sadie.” Eventually we became very good friends. ANYway…when I got into New York Harbor, I was very…what should I say…OH! Bittersweet. That’s what I felt. ANYway, When I got into New York Harbor it was raining really hard! Like, so hard that I could barely see! I saw the Statue, but I almost couldn’t see.
Finally the boat arrived at Ellis Island. What I packed was: the quilt that you made me on my 1st birthday, my doll, Rosie, and most of my clothes in my favorite trunk. I also wore my Claddagh ring around my neck. I didn’t want it to fall off my finger. When I got off of the boat it was really crowded and everyone was pushing everyone. When I first saw the medical inspector I almost started crying because he looked so scary!!! And you know I hate doctors! The medical inspection was really odd. The doctor had this hook and he flipped my eyelid and checked to make sure that I didn’t have trachoma. And I was really glad that I didn’t. The people around in those few moments were moving around a lot, crying, and speaking different languages. I heard a lot of crying, yelling, talking, and many other sounds/noises like muffled crying, and if you can think of what nervousness sounds like, that’s what I heard. Ellis Island is smelly, it smells like poop, throw up, and urine all mixed together. and it looks nothing like our home town in Ireland.
Then I had to go through a million other inspections. The inspectors asked me a lot of questions. Questions like: How old are you? What is your name? Were you sick on the boat? Where are you from?And on and on and on. When the doctor gave me my mental test, these were the tests he gave me: intelligence, reading, writing, arithmetic, and explaining things. I wasn’t detained. I was very happy about that. I changed my money into American money, and then I went to the staircase of separation.
When I went to the staircase to separation, I got to head to the Lower East Side, on Orchard Street.
Mother, I hope that you are not ill anymore. I also hope that you are taking care of Peter. I’m really sad that you can’t come.
Sincerely,
Bridget (Amelia)
P.S. Sarah is doing well.
October 29, 1906
Dear GroBapa,
The journey across the Atlantic Ocean was very dangerous. Traveling in steerage was a disgrace! The food is terrible! Almost raw meat! Dry bread! What is this, Russia?! We packed water, GroBmama’s sausages, challah and rouladen potato dumplings. As you know, we got in a carriage for about 2 hours and then reached the train station. It took another 3 days to get to the seaport. After that, it took 14 days to reach America. Our food left over from the boat is … 2 slices of challah, one piece of sausage, one cinnamon bun and one water jug When I entered New York Harbor, what I first saw was the Statue of Liberty It filled me with joy inside and was heartwarming. It was heartwarming because Lady Liberty is so powerful with her silent lips. When we reached the dock, the weather was sunny and beautiful outside. Then I told my big sister about the nice boy I met on the trip. He was 10. He even brought me a pail of extra water when I was thirsty. The sleeping accommodations were awful! There were bunk beds stacked three high and you were very lucky to get the bottom because on the bottom, there was a blanket. A good moment for me on the boat was… on the first night, my sisters and I saw a beautiful sunset with colors of dark blue, lavender purple and a bright, beautiful, sizzling sunset orange.
At Ellis Island, they spoke Russian, German, English, Swedish and many other languages. We carried pillowcases full of clothes and our prized possessions. As we were going down the line it took 5 hours until we were examined. The examinations were legal exam, and eye exam; the eye exams were the worst! They stuck a button hook in your eye and flipped it upside down! It was so awful! Ellis Island smelled like people. Some smelled like fish, some smelled like a warm, cozy home, some smelled like an outhouse and some smelled stinky for various reasons I don’t know of. I heard people screaming and murmuring.
But that wasn’t all! The legal inspections were about mind and body. We had to put together a puzzle, provide our home country name, and answer questions about our money and political life. For those who didn’t pass the test, they would have to go through a more thorough exam.
Thankfully, we weren’t detained. We all made it through inspection and did very well answering all of the questions. A nice man named Augustus F. Sherman took a photo of me and my sisters. My sisters are
Milly, who is 12 and Emma, who is 7. Then, we came to three staircases: the right one led to the south and west, the middle led to the detained section, and the left staircase led to New York City and the north. We walked down the left stairwell, and were very anxious and excited to get to NYC!
We slept at Ellis Island for one night and then took a ferry to New York City and joined Father! The city sights were amazing! Vendors selling fresh fruit, candy shops on every corner, it was outstanding! It was crowded, so I held tight to Tilly’s hand. Once we were at the tenement on Orchard street, father showed me my bedroom that I shared with my 2 sisters. My bed was made with one small feather cushion on top and a large hay cushion on the bottom, with a bed frame almost like a wooden crate. “It’s lovely!” I said, when I got a good look at the bed.
NYC may not be like my home in Germany, but it was enough.
See you in 2 months!!
Love,
Helga (Cali)
October 29, 1906
Dear mother and father,
Today I arrived at Ellis Island with my sister. The journey to America was not pleasant. It was very rocky in steerage. I got sick a lot and I was by myself so no one could help me. I met a lot of people during this trip. They were mostly from Italy but some were from Spain. They mostly spoke Italian but some spoke Spanish. But they would not help me when I was sick because I could make them sick. Each day they would give us a small bowl of soup which was lukewarm. We also had stringy beef and boiled potatoes. It tasted like not the best food. We slept on wooden beds with blankets that you would have to bring yourself. One uncomfortable moment was when I had to go to the bathroom with no door and people watching. That was embarrassing. The only good moment on the boat is when I saw the Statue of Liberty. We also enjoyed learning a few new English words. It made me feel like I’m in freedom because seeing the statue makes me feel welcomed. I didn’t mind leaving my old life behind. When I was coming into the harbor the water was calm so I was relaxed.
Arriving at Ellis Island was my dream come true. I gathered all my clothes and my teddy, I brought some food and a pillow. When I saw the medical inspectors I was nervous because they had a button hook. When I got to the front of the line and they stuck a button hook in my eye, it felt really bad. I see people suffering like me. I hear screaming from everywhere. Ellis Island looked like a hotel but it was an immigration station. It smelled like a lot of old people.
In the legal inspection they asked me what my full name was. They asked me my age so I told them. They also asked me where I was from and I said Italy. They asked for my birthday and I said the truth. They asked who I was coming to and I said no one. They asked who paid for the ticket. I said dad and mom. I took the intelligence test. They asked me to count backwards from 30 to 1. I had to complete a puzzle with wooden pieces of different shapes into a pegboard. I was also asked to read a paragraph. They showed me eight pictures and I had to pick the happy ones and the unhappy ones. They asked me to match up similar ones into groups of 2. I was asked to explain the picture.
I was detained because I didn’t pass all the mental tests. I failed the puzzle that they made me do. I was never good at doing puzzles but my mom was always really good at them. During the waiting time I was sleeping on the floor. Then I heard a bell ring so that woke me up. Someone came to me and said, “Come. Augustus Sherman is going to take your picture.” So I opened my bag and pulled out my nicest clothes so I could look nice soI get un detained. Then I met up with my sister and we went to the stairs of separation. My sister said, “Let’s go to Manhattan. It’s the smartest decision.” I said, ”Let’s go !” My sister said, “No.” I said, “Yes. I heard you can become rich in no time because the streets are paved with gold. Let’s go there.” My sister said, ”Fine. They better be paved with gold,. Then we decided to live on Orchard Street.
Now I think we will have a great life in America. From home I miss my house, my yard and my bed.
Sincerely from your son and your daughter,
Cyrus and Sofia
(BY Charlie)
October 28,1906
Dear grandfather,
Traveling in steerage was very distressing. There were about 900 people on the boat. People were from France, Ireland, Germany, Russia, Austria, Japan, Serbia, Armenia, and Greece.The food was very bad. Everything was rotten and smelly and disgusting. The food in the second class garbage was better. There was one big room for steerage ladies and one for men. Children slept with their mothers. “It was all a brand-new experience,” my mother said. One time proving it was uncomfortable was when I was so hot and figured out there were no fans. My favorite part was when we went up to second class and these people were so full and had so much food left that they gave it to us. Another very fun time was when I made a new friend, Luise. She is from France and is about my age. We have had many fun and new experiences together.
When I first entered America and Ellis Island, I saw the Statue of Liberty. She is beautiful. You must come see her, no matter how old you are. I felt super excited for this new world. Even though it was pouring rain.
Once we reached Ellis Island, I instantly felt a wave of relief and accomplishment, because we had survived the 14- day boat trip. Ellis Island looked like an enormous island with a big building that I assumed was the building we were tested at. It smelled of worn out clothes. I was carrying my Italian photos, Cielia the teddy bear, all my traditional clothing, and pottery they don’t have in America.
When I first saw those medical inspectors, I got worried. What if I have that disease called trachoma? What if I wasn’t sick, but they thought I was? I ended up passing. It was very painful, though. Some people in front of me were having a fight if their child had trachoma or not and that was what got people worried. I heard the sounds of people going down stairs that were apparently the stairs of separation and sounds of victory from people who passed tests. We had to go through a physical inspection, one inspection that asked us if we could read and write, and one about mental issues. The legal inspectors asked us if we have worked before, if we had a train ticket, and if we had 25 dollars or more. The mental tests included solving this puzzle that had us put shapes into a rectangle and telling them what the shapes and letters were. I passed all the tests. If someone didn’t pass a test, they got detained. I did not get detained and the rest of my family didn’t either.
When we were waiting in line, this guy named Augustus Sherman took our photos so we took out our special clothes, my purple skirt, the headband that mom loves, my favorite shirt that matches my socks, and my black leggings. It took a long time. I ended up not smiling. At the end of the inspections, we went down the stairs of separation. If you went down the middle, you were detained. If you went down the left, you were going upstate. If you went down the right, you were taking the train . I went down the right, because we are staying on Mulberry Street.
I feel excited for my future experiences because my mother has told me I have so many new things to try out and so many new people to meet! I certainly miss the smell of flowers as I go outside, the calling of all the animals, And your funny laugh, but most importantly, I miss you!
Sincerely,
Victoria Capricuso
P.S. Please visit sometime. I really miss you!
Found by Chloe Stone INC.®
Reprinted with permission.
Sold in Canada, New Jersey, New York.
Oct 29, 1906
Hi Dad I hope you are good in Berlin,
I made it over in steerage. It was not the best ride of my life. It was very smelly and there were no baths. People were sick with all types of illnesses and the food was terrible. The Statue of Liberty was interesting though. One great moment I had on the boat was when I saw the Statue of Liberty. On the boat I did not sleep one bit. The beds were really bad and uncomfortable especially the anxiety about not getting through Ellis Island. When I first entered the New York Harbor I was so happy to be there and was ready to start a new life.
As I walked in the great hall we were greeted with by these inspectors who put button hooks under our eyes to check if we had trachoma. It is a good thing you did not come. Next we went through legal inspection and I passed barely. Some of the most amazing things that I had witnessed was that there were so many different people speaking different languages. When I went to Ellis Island I brought some of your candles, clothes, chess, picture of you and Mom and me and brother.
I have already spoken about the food on the boat but when I got to America the food was great. For breakfast was eggs, bread, butter, coffee, milk, and sometimes some fruit. For dinner we had soup, beef stew, vegetables and potatoes.
It was a beautiful sight and I felt so many different emotions. I made one friend, surprisingly it was a steamship officer his name was Max. He said that I could stay at his place since he was getting off work for the next 2 months.
When I first saw those medical inspectors I was a little nervous of what they might find. But I was lucky they did not find anything. All the people around me were getting through. I sighed in relief. I heard so many different things like people speaking different languages, it was hard to understand what was going on. There was the joy of people getting across. Ellis Island smelled like food, and sometimes throw up But it mostly smelled really good like Mom’s perfume. Sorry I had to mention Mom. Speaking of mom how is she?
Some other tests I had to go through were the legal and mental tests. During the legal inspections I was asked for name, how much money I had, if I was staying with friends. After the legal test we went over to the mental test. There must have been 100 people over there because it was crowded. Soon I got through to the mental test they made me do a puzzle. They asked if I was sick on the boat and then I made it through. There were a few people who were detained. Luckily I was not. There was a guy I heard named Augustus Sherman who was taking photos of other people but I did not get my picture taken. There was one last thing I had to do before I left Ellis Island it was going through the staircase of Separation as you know before I left I was going to stay with Max in manhattan so I went to go through going to Manhattan. Also tell brother “I miss playing war games with him in Berlin.
So I can tell my future will be good by opening a candle shop in NYC and bringing Miller history into America. I will miss you Mom and brother. I wish you the best in the future Dad I love you.
Sincerely,
your son,
Felix (Cooper)
PS I miss you over here
Dear Grandpa
I just arrived at Ellis island with Dad, we stayed in a place on a boat called steerage. There were people from all around the world on the boat. I came to America because of wars that were coming near my home. People spoke Irish, French, Japanese, on the boat. I heard somebody crying and say, “I can’t believe I got to America!” The food on the boat was not the best, but at least we got food. I passed my time by writing letters home. Sleeping arrangements were bad. We slept on triple decker beds and the room smelled like rotten eggs mixed with human waste. One very uncomfortable moment was when there was a huge storm. The ship was flooded with water. I thought the boat would sink and I would never get to America. One of the best moments was when I first saw the Statue of Liberty from the boat. It was one of the best moments in my life because I knew I had gotten to America. The weather was foggy with a little bit of mist. It felt SO good to get to New York because I knew I was closer to a fresh start.
When I got to Ellis Island I got off the boat and went to the medical station. The inspectors were big and a little scary. The inspection was creepy because they lifted my eyelid up with a metal hook. I brought a lot of clothes, a picture of our family, blankets, and everything that has to do with somebody in our family. People were yelling, crying, and jumping up and down. Ellis Island was the best thing I ever saw. Inside Ellis Island was so crowded I could barely move. It smelled like a fresh start. One of the other tests I had to do were the mental test. The inspectors asked what my name is, where I was from, and if me or my parents ever went to jail. For the mental test they had me solve a puzzle and they watched me walk up stairs to see if you had a vacant look or if I had trouble walking. Luckily I did not get detained. As I walked to the stairs of separation I saw people crying and smiling. When I walked down the left staircase I realized that it takes you to Manhattan. I got on a boat when I came out of the stairs of separation. The boat took me to Manhattan. I decided to live in a tenement that has 2 bedrooms on Mulberry Street with dad. America is awesome! There are so many things to see like the Statue of Liberty and all of the different houses.
I feel good about this because I hear people saying how many places there are to work at and how safe it is. I really miss the rest of the family. I hope you and the family are safe and come to live here.
I miss you guys so much
Sincerely,
Abner Rapp
(Emmett)
October 29,1906
Dear Emma,
This morning we landed at Ellis Island. The whole time we were on the boat it rocked back and forth like it wanted to knock us off. So many different people were on the boat.There were also many languages spoken. One day I was on the deck of the ship and the waves were rough and I was leaning on the railing looking at the ocean and I slipped. I was dangling off the railing, holding on for dear life. Luckily, some crew members and people on the dock helped me get back up onto the deck.
We packed a handful of things like my dresses, petticoats, hats, dolls, shoes, all my Mother’s wardrobe, socks, corsets, gloves, and books. Thank you for taking care of our dog Gracie since we could not bring her. I miss her very much and hope she’s well. Papa and Mama said we could get a dog once we move back in with Papa and Scott.
The day we got to Ellis Island we passed The Statue of Liberty. I started tearing up because I was so happy. Me and Mama get to see Papa and Scott again after many weeks. Everyone was cheering and crying tears of joy when we passed Liberty Island. It was kind of hard to see because of the fog and the people crowding around me but I somehow was able to. We docked and went into the building. People were standing in a big line waiting to get their eyes checked. Me and Mama passed the eye exam but the exam was very uncomfortable.They stuck a metal tool to lift up my eyelid and I felt like saying stop but I knew that I couldn’t. We walked up the stairs to the great hall. It was so shiny and golden it looked like it was really made of gold. Next was the mental exams which me and Mamma both passed. We had to do a puzzle in under two minutes and I did it in one minute and thirty three seconds and mama did it in a minute and a half. Then we had to go through the legal exams.The examiner was surprisingly friendly and when I answered all the questions and he said “Welcome to America”.Then it was Mama’s turn to go. I was scared she would not make it but in the end he said “Welcome to America”. I was so happy I could scream!
We are on a boat to a place in Manhattan called Battery Park. A couple of minutes ago a man told us about a new invention called the subway which is an underground train that takes you from City Hall to Harlem. How cool! It is a whole new world of trains! I truly cannot explain how happy I am to see NYC off in the distance.
I miss you very much and hope to see you soon,
Your Friend,
Alice (Gabby)
October 28, 1906
Dear Grandma,
I am at Ellis Island, I packed a pillow, clothes, money and bedsheets. Let me tell you about my trip over on steerage.
The travel in steerage was very bad, the food was terrible. It was so bad that I snuck up to first class to eat out of the garbage can! That was better than the food in steerage. I saw one of my fellow friends on the boat, he was actually my bunkmate. He knows German. I did not make any new friends. I brought a picture of the whole family to America. The weather was fairly bad but not as bad as a storm or a giant tidal wave, just rain. I felt cold on the ship. A good time on the boat was when my friend John and I played tag on deck. A bad time was when I accidentally fell overboard and the crew had to come and get me back on board.
When I landed at Ellis Island an inspector came up to us and instructed us to go to the registry room. Something that scared me was when they used a hook to pull my eyelid up. The medical inspection was very tense because I was anxious I would be sent back. The legal inspection was no sweat because I had a perfect track record so I knew I would pass. Almost all of the people wanted to settle in the lower east side of Manhattan because they heard that it had the biggest tenements. I was ecstatic when the ship entered the harbor. There were people greeting us and I imagined good jobs.
I was not detained, I spent my time waiting sleeping because I was tired. Also, I met this person named Augustus Sherman. He took my picture and said it will come in handy in 80 years for future children. I did not put anything special on for my photograph.
I feel good because I have a good future ahead of me. I miss your bangers and mash. It’s amazing!
Love,
Clayton! (Joshua)
October 28, 1906
Dear Grandmother,
The voyage to America was very scary. We had to go through a storm and the boat nearly capsized. It was very uncomfortable because I was in steerage. On the boat, I met a young man named Misha who came from Russia just like me. He left for the same reason that I left, the Pogroms. Misha slept above me in a bunk bed. He told me that we had to be examined. One day, on the deck, He said: “Did you hear about the Statue of Liberty?” He taught me all about the Statue of Liberty. For example, he said that the statue color was greenish – brown. Also, the food was disgusting, old and moldy. It tasted like that bad food at the restaurant back in Russia. After 14 days in steerage, we finally got to an island called Ellis Island but people called it The Island of Tears. When I got to New York, I saw the Statue, the Statue of Liberty, standing tall and proud. It was beautiful
The air smelled salty as I got off the boat. I packed the coat you knit me to remember you and a small trunk. I went inside a long, detailed building with many pretty designs where I was examined for diseases or mental problems. One of the diseases is trachoma which is a disease that makes you blind. They would lift your eyelid to see if you had trachoma. When I saw the Inspectors, I felt scared.
The medical inspection made me wonder if I was healthy. I saw a young man and woman screaming and crying who didn’t pass the inspections. The examiners would mark people with some sort of problem where they would put a chalk letter on your jacket. They did not do any chalk mark on me so I’m fine, I think. Waiting in line to be examined felt stressful and scary. When I got to the front of the line, they made me draw a diamond. My diamond wasn’t perfect, but it was okay. Eventually they said I passed because I had no diseases or mental problems. Another inspection they had me do was the legal inspection. They asked me questions like what my name was. They also asked me if I was alone. I passed after a while.
After that, they took me to a staircase called the staircase of separation. The staircase of separation was three staircases that took you to different places. One place was to take you to The New World. Another took you to the outside of New York. I obviously took the one to The New World. The staircase of separation was a large staircase unlike the small ones back in Russia. They let me leave Ellis Island and go to New York. My tenement is on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side. The trip was very tiring but short compared to the ship ride and I was very worried that something would go wrong. I was dropped off with many others on a dock called The New York Harbor. I think my journey is over for now but I will keep you updated.
Sincerely,
Danil Ivonov
( Jules)
Dear Grandparents,
First I want to tell you about the ship ride over to the U.S. First of all, there were so many people from so many different places speaking so many different languages. Second of all, the food like lukewarm soup, was horrible it smelled really bad, and it tasted like trash. The sleeping accommodations were terrible it was closed in, tiny, stinky and you could barely breathe. One really uncomfortable moment on the boat was on the second day I got really seasick and I threw up because I wasn’t used to being on a ship. One good moment on the ship was when I got to go on the deck and get my energy out. I did make a few friends, it was fun to play stuff with them such as marbles and to hang out with them. I hope to see them again soon. I feel uneasy as I enter N.Y. It’s a nice and sunny day so that helps a bit.
I’m sorry I’ve not written to you earlier. All my letters to you on the boat to America have been destroyed in some way. I have finally finished the long journey to the U.S. but I’m still filled with uncertainty. I have seen the truth about the U.S. I now know which rumours are true and which are fake like the one about streets being paved with gold. I felt a bit nervous when I saw the inspectors. The medical inspection both looked and felt weird. They lifted your eyelid up with a button hook. There were so many different people speaking so many different languages. A lot of them were shouting so it was super loud. There were so many smells my nose felt overloaded. “I have my clothes, blanket, and the toys I brought with me,” I heard a little girl say when her mother asked if the girl had what she packed. When the girl said this I thought to myself, hey that’s exactly what I packed.
Most of the tests on Ellis island were easy for me. There was a puzzle and a legal test. There were also two more tests where they checked your head for lice and your nails for a contagious disease called favus. Some of the questions on the legal test were “What’s your name? Where did you come from? Are you going to help support your family? ”.
I’m on a boat heading to New York City and then the East Side of Manhattan. I hope to go to a nice public school and I think I will live in a tenement. I’m very happy that I passed the tests.
Sincerely,
Adrien Weaver (Kinoti)
October 29, 1906
Dear Grandma,
I remember the boat ride going to Ellis Island. It was so foggy and wet. Mother, Eloise, Aunt Alice and I were all freezing on the floor of the ship. We were very crammed in, especially at night. It smelled awful on the boat. I hated steerage, but I met a girl my age. Her name was Vartanui Zarhui. She is from Armenia. She speaks French so I was lucky. I normally played with my marbles. I had 11 of them, they were all special to me. I had 1 red, 3 blue, 5 yellow, and 2 purple. I felt really nervous. I hated the food. I wanted to spit it out, but I was thankful for what I had. I ate some food I brought because I really did not like the food on the ship. All I had was: a pillow case, my quilt you made me when I was a young girl, food from home, some clothes, $25, a trunk, and my beautiful marbles. It was hard to decide what to pack.
As we entered the harbor, it was very cold and stormy. On the boat I loved seeing the Statue of Liberty’s crown through the fog for the first time. I felt so happy to be going to Ellis Island! At that time, I knew we were getting closer. I wondered if we would be split up. Then my stomach felt bad and I felt sick.
When I saw the medical inspector I felt like I was about to die, but I did not want to cry because my eyes would be blood-shot for the trachoma inspection. The inspection was scary. We are so sad Mom had trachoma and has to go back home. A lot of people were scared and overwhelmed about all the tests. When I went in I heard a lot of things like crying, muttering, people talking in all different languages, and people groaning. I smelled so many different people that had not showered in a few days. I literally almost died!!
The other tests were not as bad, but still nerve wracking. We had to go through the legal inspection and the mental test. In the legal inspection, they asked me, “What is your first and last name? Where are you coming from? How old are you? What job are you going to do? Do you have family members coming with you?” For the mental test, they made us do puzzles and match pictures of shapes together. They also had you read a paragraph and if you could not, they would have you look at a picture and tell them what’s going on. I felt really rushed and scared because it was one of the last tests. I was thinking about other things while I was doing it, but then I focused on the test. Luckily, I did not get detained. I heard that if you did, you might have to get your picture taken. There was something called the Stairway of Separation. The left side staircase leads you to Manhattan. The right side goes to get train tickets to places in the United States. I think the middle means you got detained. I went down the left side staircase and I’m going to live on Mulberry Street. Eloise and I want to be really good bakers like father was. We loved the challah bread he made us for Rosh Hashana.
Eloise, Aunt Alice and I miss you a lot. We are very sad that our Mother got trachoma and had to go back home. I think I’m going to have a pretty good life in America. I feel proud of myself for getting this far.
Sincerely,
Loise (Lucie)
October 29, 1906
Dear Gran Gran,
I wish you could have come with me and mother on this journey. Life is hard and I know the environment would not have been good for you, but I still wish you were with us.
The beds on the boat were so unbearable. I didn’t get a wink of sleep! There were triple decker beds. They were hard, and squeaky.
We ate the bread you made for us in the first hour. It was very tasty. However I wish we had saved it because the food on the boat was so bad. You have no idea. Just the thought of it makes me gag. It was slop, well at least for the people in steerage. It tasted like trash!
I made a friend named Charlotte. She has long blonde hair, rosy cheeks and green eyes. She was in the compartment next to us. She is very nice and is from Russia, just like us. It just so happens that Charlotte is going to live in the same neighborhood that I am.
When we entered New York Harbor, it was foggy. I felt an emotional pang of worry and excitement. At first I couldn’t see the Statue of Liberty, but when the fog cleared I saw her!! She was so pretty. I wish you were there.
On the journey I had bad moments and good. There was one really bad time on the boat when I was terribly seasick. My favorite moment was meeting Charlotte, the girl I mentioned earlier.
There were many kinds of people on the boat. There were rich, poor and middle class people. There were people from everywhere, and so many languages spoken on the boat, including Russian, German and Scandinavian
The arrival at Ellis Island was rough. I packed the scarf you gave me. It was needed considering all the harsh weather. It helped me stay warm. It is like a blanket of love. I also brought the doll you made me, Jess. I packed my sweater and 3 of my favorite shirts, 2 pairs of pants and 1 pair of shoes. That may not sound like a lot but remember we had to sell most of our possessions. In addition we wore many layers so we didn’t have to carry them. We had bundles and bags, tubs and more.
After getting off the boat they led us to the Great Hall where we had an inspection. When the medical inspectors were seen, there were murmurs throughout the crowd then the noise turned into a roar. They were terrifying. No one knew if they would pass.
The medical inspection started at the top of a set of stairs where they checked your hands, throat, and scalp. The thing that really played with my nerves was the next inspection. There were all these men holding metal buttonhooks. They would use them to roll up your eyelids to see if you had trachoma. There was one girl on the floor, she was crying and crying, “ I won’t let them touch me! I won’t let them touch me!” In the end she passed. When it was my turn, I discovered how uncomfortable it really was. I heard a rumor that when you walked up the stairs for the first inspection they were already inspecting you! They were looking to see if you limped or had difficulty breathing.
There were two more inspections, the legal and mental tests. I only had to take the legal test, but mother had to take both. The legal inspection was less stress inducing. They asked questions like: What is your name? Where were you born? Where are you coming from? Where are you going? Do you have relatives in New York? You know, that sort of stuff. Mother said that in the mental exams she did puzzles, math, explained what a certain picture meant to her, and read a paragraph.
Unfortunately, I was detained, but only for two hours. I had hurt my leg getting off the boat so I was limping. They wanted to inspect me further but when they came, I had had enough time to compose myself. While I was in detention, I saw Charlotte. I taught her our game How Many Circles? We also played other versions like How Many Squares? and How Many Rectangles? We played for a while, but then a man came up to us and asked to take our picture. His name was Augustus Sherman. I wore your scarf for the photo!
The Great Hall at Ellis Island was was really big. There were wooden walls and six American flags, three on each of the long sides. It smelled like sweat, most definitely because we, the steerage folk, hadn’t had showers on the boat. There were three staircases on one side of the main room. The right one led to the railroad ticket office, the middle to the detention room, and the left to the New York ferry. After I was released from detention, Mother and I took the left staircase because we are living on Hester Street. That friend I met on the boat, Charlotte, is living nearby on Canal Street!
I feel I will have a better life here, but to make it a perfect one you need to be here.
Anna Simone (Mia)
P.S. Charlotte and I found ten circles, forty-three squares and thirty-six rectangles!
October 26th 1906
To Grandma
I wish you could come with me on this adventure to New York. I miss you a lot. I miss you because you used to be with me a lot more than now.
I barely packed anything but the things I did pack were clothes, a toothbrush and a blanket. And I also brought that toy you got me for my birthday. I made a friend on the boat and I got lucky because he was going to the Lower East Side like me. Steerage was very BAD. It was in very poor condition. A passenger named Morris Schneider said “It was very unsanitary being in steerage.” I hated it because of the way you ate and slept. The way you slept was bad because the bed wasn’t soft at all. Mom came with me too. She didn’t like it a bit because she didn’t like how we slept or what we ate. I admit the food was really BAD!!! There were sick people on the ship and I think some people got sick from the boat ride. I didn’t want to get sick. My favorite part was going to the top deck. It was cold but fun. The weather wasn’t that good. The captain said it was 40-50 degrees so I went outside as much as I could but most of the time it was raining hard. Sometimes you could see a fish. I saw a lot of different fish. I wish you could be with me.
When I got to the harbor I was scared because there were a lot of people that spoke different languages that I didn’t know. Some of the languages were German, Dutch and Italian. I was surprised by how many different languages were spoken. I wonder how many people came from Russia?
The medical inspections were very bad because it took so long to be inspected and the inspectors weren’t nice at all. I heard people screaming and that scared me. The screaming scared me because I was going to do the same thing as them!!! I think the people were screaming because they were doing the eye inspections, which hurts a lot. The inspectors put the hook into your eyelid to turn it inside out. The inspectors gave me an inspection to see if I was sick or if I have any diseases. They also gave a test to see if I had any mental diseases. During the test, the inspector asked me to point at a page and tell him which faces are happy and sad. Mom and I got inspected. I passed which is good and mom passed too. I was relieved that I didn’t get detained or sent back to Russia.
I saw people who were getting their photo taken but the photographer didn’t take mine and I didn’t want him to. I am going to 79 Orchard Street in the Lower East Side. I think that this place is going to be better than Russia because we are free with our religious beliefs and we are able to be FREE!!!!!!!
From Izzie (Milo)
October 29, 2019
Dear Grandpa,
Hello! I have just arrived in the new world. I have just realized how silly it was to pack the things I packed. Here is a list: toy soldiers, a doll, a lamp, a pillow, and a mattress. The only reasonable things were the pillow and mattress. Can you believe that? And my parents brought all the stuff that we needed. They packed food that they thought we couldn’t get in America, such as pasta, crackers, and a few other things. But for some reason, they never thought to eat it on the way there. I wish I had thought of that.
I wish we had brought more money. My father said that you and Grandma would bring more money and we wouldn’t need that much. At first, I told him what I thought, but he didn’t change his mind. Don’t you think we should have brought all of it?
Now since I told you what I brought on the trip, I might as well tell what happened on the trip. The food was awful. I could barely remember that I was a human when I had to pick maggots and worms from my food then eat in a hot, uncomfortable, crowded room with almost 2 dozen people in there! There were no bathrooms, no lounges, and no dining rooms. It definitely wasn’t worth the money. The ocean sprayed in your face all the time, there were many people talking, and I barely got any sleep. But in our room, there was one happy person. Whenever we felt down, he would somehow cheer us up. He did this by telling stories from the war that he was in and I found them kind of interesting. On the boat, there were people speaking Russian, Mandarin, and of course, Italian.
I was surprised that so many people had problems in their home countries like me. Whatever reason brought people there, they all just wanted to start a new life. I was just so surprised by how many people wanted to come to America! The boat ride here was really the most shocking part of the whole journey. I can’t even believe that it is legal to treat people that way. Just think about it. You are purposely making people uncomfortable and sick. You could make better food. You could make the beds more comfortable. All of the conditions were optional to the crew. Although, I don’t know if they were the ones to blame or not. Whoever was to blame was really trying to spend as little money as possible. People barely got off the boat alive.
When our ship finally entered the harbor, I saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time. It was a beautiful sight. It was so big, and such a relief to know that we were being welcomed into the country. However, after not too long, there was a person treating us like animals by herding us into separate groups, and everyone was yelling and pushing; it was so crowded! People were gathering their things as they got up and I could hear so many different languages being spoken at once.
When we were inside the building and waiting in line to get inspected, I felt worried. I didn’t know if I was going to pass the inspections or not. I didn’t even know what the inspections were. It felt like a dozen people were trying to get past me. But to stay positive, I will say that I also felt hopeful because I might pass the tests. I might get to stay in America. Who knows?
When I was taking the exams, I realized that the first one was medical. First the medical examiner got this stick with a hook at the end and pulled up my eyelid. “Ouch!” I said. But then the doctor said a little “Okay” and then passed me on. Then they told me to walk up a set of stairs. This should be easy, I thought. And I passed. I later found out how important that moment was. They call those stairs, “the staircase of separation” because some families are separated from each other if they don’t pass the medical exams. Can you imagine coming all that way only to be taken from your family and forced to go back home? I certainly heard a lot of crying in that area.
Then, a guard passed me on to some sort of legal inspection. A different man in a very official looking uniform told me to step right up and then he started firing questions at me. “Where are you from? What is your name? What was your job before? How old are you? What are your parents’ jobs?” And the inspectors asked many other questions. I was so flabbergasted that I just said the first word that came to my mind for some of the questions. (I hoped that it didn’t affect whether I could go or not.)
After that, another man in a similar looking uniform was waiting for me. He wrote an X with a piece of chalk on my shoulder. The same man led me into a different room and gave me some math problems. Then, he made me count backwards from twenty five to one. And then, he told me to do a puzzle. He timed me on it. It wasn’t really made of anything interesting, just wood. It was pretty easy. Then, he asked me to read this paragraph. I don’t know if I got all the words right, but I hope I did. Then, he showed me this photograph of about eight or nine faces. He told me to point to the happy and unhappy ones. Then, they said something in English that I didn’t understand.
Back when I was waiting in line, I met another kid about my age. He started talking to me. He was talking in a different language, so I didn’t know what he was saying. But it was made clear that we were both hoping to settle in Manhattan. Even though we didn’t understand each other, we still seemed to have a lot in common. For example, he mentioned something sounding like “orange” and, that is my favorite color, and maybe that was his too. But, I can’t be sure, for he was from somewhere else and spoke a different language. I didn’t know why, but I just felt that we had some stuff in common and could be friends once we settle in the new world. It was something about the sound of the words and the way he said them.
Luckily, I passed the inspection! But America isn’t what I thought it was. The streets are not paved in gold, and the cost of everything was more expensive than I thought it was. And it is a little bit dirty to be honest. But, there is no war, everybody is nice to each other, and it is better than before.
My parents have me taking English lessons. I can’t say much in the language, but I know the basics. Learning a new language is harder than I thought. I feel like learning Italian just happened. And I didn’t know I went through this already to learn it. Well, at least my teacher is nice and also patient. English is such a complicated language.
Well, you should be excited to come! There are wonderful things about this country and it will be an adventure!
Love,
Francesco
(Noah)
October 28, 1906
Dear Grandparents,
I miss you so much! There were so many people on the boat! Some of the passengers were from China, Russia and Poland. They spoke so many languages! By the way, the food was terrible! They basically gave us slop. It was so bad that I saw some people sneak into first class and take their food from the garbage. And you would not believe the sleeping conditions. They were the worst! We were all squished together. And someone was snoring so loud, I couldn’t hear myself think. The boat was okay, though there was one time I got really sick on the boat and barfed. But there were also good moments like when I met this kid who was so nice named Kai. He’s from Japan like me. When we entered the harbor, I was so nervous! But at the same time, I was so excited because my family and I are getting a new opportunity/fresh start. When we entered the harbor, the weather was perfect! It was such a beautiful, warm, cozy day.
When we arrived at Ellis Island, I started to remember all the stuff I packed. I packed pillows, books, sheets, quills, toys and all the special antiques you gave me when I was little.When we were walking to the line exiting the boat, I saw the medical inspectors. I was really scared because they had button hooks in their hands. (Button hooks are used for lifting your eyelid to see if you had a disease called trachoma.) Medical inspectors are doctors who check the body to make sure it’s healthy. Some people around us looked really happy. I think they were really happy because they had a chance to start a new life, just like me! I also heard so many different sounds around me. People were talking in different languages; they were making jokes, crying and screaming with excitement. I also heard a five year old say“I am excited to meet my father.”Ellis Island looked so beautiful. There was this big building and short grass. At first, Ellis Island smelled good. At one point, it smelled like flowers, but later it smelled like a factory and then it started raining. Yuck!
When we arrived we had to pass the legal inspectors. They asked so many questions. The basics were where are you from, did you have a job and if so what was it. They also wanted to know if you had a criminal record and if so, why, your age, and more stuff like that. There were also questions that were hard to answer like how much money do you have and many more questions. There were also the mental tests. One test was a puzzle. If you had a brain problem and acted strange, you were asked to do a puzzle. This puzzle was to see if you could do it to make sure that you didn’t have any problems. Even if you didn’t finish it, it didn’t mean you had to go back to your home country. I’m so happy that I wasn’t chosen. If I was, I would have been so nervous wondering if I was going to pass or not. When we were walking, we saw a lot of people being detained. My family and I were not, though I kind of wanted to be because there was this man named Augustus Sherman who was taking pictures of the detained people. When we were walking out of Ellis Island there were these three stairways. On the right you would go to the railroad ticket office. The left brought you to ferry to Manhattan. And the middle brought you to a detention room. My family and I are going to live in the West Village.
I miss you guys so much!!! One day you should come to New York. I promise we will come and visit some day soon. Love you!
Sincerely, Neo Nakamata (Owen Bernstein)
October 28, 1906
Dear Grandma and Grandpa
I miss you. How is France? On the journey to America, There were a lot of different people with different skin tones, odd clothes and tons of different languages like Spanish, Hebrew, Polish ,Italian, Hungarian, Irish, German.Being on the boat was okay. It smelled like fish and salt on the boat. Also ,the food was horrible, we barely got any, just scraps. The sleeping arrangements were . I heard someone say, “These conditions are horrible!” One uncomfortable moment on the boat was pooping in the bucket. One comfortable moment on the boat was sitting with my friends and family, On the boat I made 2 friends their names are Bridget and Louie. They were very nice. It was a cold and cloudy day when we arrived at Ellis island. When we first arrived at Ellis Island I was in shock I was excited and worried. I was excited because I was starting a new life and worried because there are inspections and I might not pass them.
We tried to pack as much things from our home as we could. In my trunk I carried clothes, my favorite blanket and a picture of our family. When I first saw the medical inspectors, I was really scared because they looked mean and very intimidating. During the mental exam the inspectors stuck a hook in my eye to check for an eye disease called Trachoma. The person in line after us got the disease and had to be sent back to their home country. I heard a lot of talking and I heard crying. Ellis Island looks like a dazzling and big building and it smells like fish and salt because we were right near the harbor.
I had to go through a mental exam and a legal exam. During the mental exams, the inspectors asked me questions about my health, my full name, date of birth and things like that. For the legal exam they asked me if I had been in jail before or if my parents had been in jail before and things like that. I was not detained. Augustus Sherman took my picture. I took my special fan you guys gave me and I used it in the photo. For the last test there were 3 staircases and 2 of them were good and one of them was bad. The left one you would get to live in manhattan and the right side you would get a train ticket. Our family took the correct side and we got to go on a ferry to Manhattan !!!!!!!! I am going to live on Delancey Street. I hope to make a better life on Delancey. I will miss you!!!!
Love, Scarlett (Olivia)
Found by Olivia Weil INC.@
Reprinted with permission.
October 29,1906
Dear Mom,
I just immigrated from Austria to the United States of America. When I was packing for the long trip I mostly brought things that my family gave me like photos of people who are important to me and things from my hometown of Salzburg. Traveling in steerage was not so fun because it made me feel sad that people were having fun in 1st class, but we were stuck in steerage and eating horrible food. All night I heard people complaining about how terrible it smelled. People were getting seasick. I also overheard someone saying that the food was so bad that they “snuck upstairs to take food from the garbage cans.” When I first entered the New York harbor I was very surprised about how large the Statue of Liberty was because we don’t have big statues back home. On the boat ride to the New York harbor the weather was pretty crazy. Sometimes it would be hailing and sometimes it would be raining so hard that the boat flooded. When one of those was not happening it was a relief. There was one good moment on the boat ride, and that was when I made a friend. His name was Janek and he was from Poland. He had a thick accent. It was not always easy for us to communicate because we were from different countries. The sleeping accommodations were that you have no air conditioning and there are narrow beds that are stacked three high.
Once we landed at Ellis Island, I was very surprised about how many people were there. It looked like a sea of people. I heard many different languages that people were speaking. My least favorite part of the inspection was the medical examination. It was so frightening. I was worried that I wouldn’t pass the tests and have to go back to my home land. The worst part was the eyelid check. They put a weird tool in your eye and looked for Trachoma, a horrible disease that is very rare and will get you sent back to your home country.
There were other inspections that you had to go through too on Ellis Island. Mental tests were given to make sure you were not crazy. The inspectors would watch you go up the stairs and if you struggled they detained you. Luckily, I passed all the tests and I was allowed to take the left staircase to the ferry. There were also legal inspections where they asked me a bunch of questions to see if I could land in america. I was so happy that I wasn’t detained and wouldn’t have to go back to my home country.
I miss the good food back home, especially the Wiener Schnitzel, but I am excited to be here. I’m also feeling nervous about finding a job and trying to have a better life here. I’m going to use the advice I was given back home in Austria and hope for the best.
Sincerely,
Oskar
October 28, 1906
Dear Granny,
The journey in steerage was horrible. I packed a pillow, an apple and the quilt you made for me. l packed fruits, toiletries and water in a big brown suitcase. Because l had to pass through a storm and a tornado, it was very cold outside. I was also cold because I was sailing on the Atlantic Ocean. Since l am a kid I found many kids to play with. One of my best friends I found was named Otto Ve Otto and he spoke German because he’s from Germany. The was food bad because it was either dry or soggy. An uncomfortable part of the boat ride was sleeping because the qualities of the beds were very low. A good moment on the boat was finding out that the weather would be good for entering the harbor. l felt happy entering the harbor because I thought that l made the right decision by coming to America.
When I arrived at Ellis Island I was ushered off of the boat and sent to an eye doctor. l felt scared when l saw the doctors because they looked mean. In the inspection doctors had to lift your eyelids to make sure that you didn’t have trachoma because if you did, you would go blind. Some people got chalk marked E’s on their backs which meant that you needed further eye tests. l heard babies and children crying. Ellis Island looked like a huge chunk of land and smelled like fish because of the harbor.
l had to go through rough legal inspections.
Legal inspectors asked me “can you read and write ?” and “where did your dad work ?” and lots of other personal questions. One of the tests I had to take was a puzzle to see if l had a mental disability. There were three staircases, the middle one went nowhere, the case on the right went to railroad ticket office and the left went to a ferry New York. l went to Lower Manhattan near Mulberry Street.
l think that l made the right decision by coming to America because no one is treating me poorly.
I miss you very much.
Love you granny, XOXO
Jean Martin (Ryan)
October 29, 1906
Dear Grandma,
The journey on the boat was hard because I was in steerage, so I had to eat terrible food, and stay in this cramped very stinky compartment.
There were many other people on the boat. Some spoke French like me, but most spoke foreign languages. The other passengers also were wearing different clothing, some of them were wearing odd caps on their heads.
The food in steerage was terrible! It was served with a great big pot, and was dumped onto old plates that we were given. At night we had to sleep on the most uncomfortable beds in the world. They didn’t have blankets there, but that was fine because it was already so hot in steerage. One day it was very wavy, and I got very seasick. That was a very horrible day for me. Actually that was the worst day I had on the steamship. There were also good times, like when it was a nice day I went on the top of the ship and met a person my age. She had brought a game and she taught me how to play . We became friends. My friend’s name was Adrien, and she was very kind to me. She also explained her game quite well in French.
When the boat arrived in NY harbor I felt overjoyed. I especially felt that when I saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time. The statue looked magnificent, even in the fog we had that day. It was overcast when the steamship entered NY harbor. Even though it was over cast, I thought it was one of the best days of my life.
When I got off the boat I was carrying all the things I had packed. Those things were some clothes, my doll, and a book. After I arrived at Ellis Island, I did not expect to see so many immigrants waiting on the dock. When I arrived at the Great Hall, the first thing I saw were the medical inspectors lifting the immigrant’s eyelids. I felt terrified. I was thinking that would happen to me?! The medical exam wasn’t great because they lifted your eyelid, which was very uncomfortable. It was like someone peeling away your eyelid. I saw some other immigrants being tested in the Great Hall, but most of them were waiting in line or sitting on benches. The Great Hall was very loud and full of people speaking different languages and babies crying. It was very spectacular to see all the different types of people speaking their own languages. Ellis Island looked huge, and the building on top of Ellis Island was also huge. There were also trees on the island. Ellis Island smelled a lot like salt and fish.
There were two other types of tests after the medical exam, the mental exam and the legal inspection I had to take both of those tests. First I took the legal exam. The legal inspectors asked me a few questions like, “What is your name? What is you nationality?’’ The third test was a mental exam. An examiner gave me a puzzle and I tried to figure it out. The examiner also showed me faces for the test and asked me to pick the four happy and unhappy. I was temporarily detained because I had to wait for my father to come and get me from Manhattan and bring me back with him. My photo was taken by some man I didn’t know while I was waiting for my father.
I know that I am going to Manhattan, but I didn’t know where in Manhattan. Only my dad knows where I am going. I am unsure of what the future will be like. All I know is that it will be different from my life before. I miss the rest of my family that couldn’t come, I especially miss you.
Sincerely,
Lorraine (Sabina)
October 28th, 1906
Dear Grammy,
How are you doing? I miss you so much!!! We have finally arrived in America! The journey was very hard. Being in steerage was not fun. I didn’t like it one bit. The food was so bad. It tasted like trash and believe me, trash tastes TERRIBLE. I made a friend on the boat too. His name is David. He’s just like me. He really likes to run around and he’s smart. He’s from Russia. Some of the other passengers were from Poland, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, and Spain. There were a lot of other languages being spoken on the boat. Two of the nights on the journey I didn’t get any sleep. It was not fun at all. Speaking of sleep, the beds were so hard. I actually think that was the reason I didn’t get any sleep those 2 nights. There was also a big storm one time. I was really scared. Our ship almost capsized! I heard my big brother say to our roommate “We are floundering!!!!!”
When we got into the harbor, it was raining, but nobody noticed because everybody was so excited and happy. I feel like I’m going to have a lot better life here. When we got to the dock, everybody was so tired from the experience that some people just fell asleep right then and there. When we got to Ellis Island, they checked our suitcases. I packed a pillow, my nice clothes, my regular clothes, and my toy soldiers. They let us go through. Then my brother and I went to the cafeteria. The food was a little better. They served beef stew with potatoes and stewed prunes.
The journey was not done yet. There was the medical inspection. There were so many questions and people poking and prodding. That was NOT fun. There were two doctors, and they were not nice. They were scary. They put a metal hook in my eye. They were looking for a blinding disease called trachoma. Then, they made me walk and watched me do it. They were looking to see if I had any trouble walking or breathing. I heard people talking in lots of different languages. Some were crying because they were worried they would be separated from their families. It was cold outside, but hot and stuffy inside. It smelled like potatoes, but at least it smelled better than when we were in steerage.
There were still more inspections to pass. The waiting in between was boring. I waited 3 hours just to do a really easy mental puzzle. You just had to find a happy face and a sad face. There were also different things to match up. You would have to match the pattern with the same exact one. Then there was the legal inspection. You would tell the inspectors the information that was on your manifest and if your answers didn’t match up with what was on the manifest, you could be detained. My answers matched up though, so I was fine. During the legal inspection, something funny happened. The interpreter kept messing up my answers when he told them to the inspector in English. I passed anyway. I didn’t know until my brother told me afterwards. He speaks a little English. Finally, after my brother and I both passed the inspection, we could move on to the next area. I was so glad that both of us passed. Then we went down these big stairs. We were going to New York so we went down the left side of them. Before we went down the stairs, they searched our bags again. When they were looking at the items we packed in our bags, my toy soldiers fell out and one of them broke. I was really upset, and it took a while for me to get over it. My dad lives on Hester Street, but hopefully he will meet us when we get off the ferry to Manhattan because we don’t know where we’re going.
I miss you a lot, but I’m glad I made this decision because I really want a new life.
Your Loving Grandson,
Danko (Sam)
October 29 1906
Dear Grandma and Grandpa,
I wish you could be here, but not feel the anxiety that I have of leaving Armenia and coming to America. Aram , didn’t make it to Ellis island. My favorite part of the boat ride was watching seagulls fly by. Well, one morning I heard a loud rumble that got louder and louder so I quickly got dressed and I saw people of all different denominations putting crosses up and praying with their shawls. It was an amazing sight to see. On the boat, I made three friends that are older than me. Everybody speaks a different language, my friends are British. We don’t want to get detained, so we act like we are a family. Oh and speaking of family, I saw a picture of Zabel. She got so big, it must have been the delicious food she was eating. On the boat the beds were so horrible.- it was just a leather sheet that we slept on. The boat was very cold I almost wanted to stay in my steerage room but that was much worse, so I used my poncho that grandma made me to cover my legs. I sat on the ground and knit. The food such as, stewed liver with potatoes and black bread, was so horrid that I had to eat chewed pieces of gum from under the table.
Everyone seemed to be yelling, or maybe not because a lot of people spoke in different languages like French and Russian. I just arrived at Ellis Island and it is so beautiful. When I was on the boat ONLY first and second class got to go straight to Manhattan, but I saw a couple people try to sneak through.
There is this feeling that I never had before where I just pause life and am amazed at the same time, I just forget about all of the bad things and stare at … the most stupendous island ever . . Ellis Island (tears). I have been through so many different parts of getting here and what I finally realize is that I am really here and I just can’t believe I made it this far to an island that looks great and sounds great.
I wish that I could have brought the most precious people with me to my new life that I am starting so they could see my maturity as I grow. I brought my least favorite pillow sack with a lot of pictures of you.
The legal inspection was kind of personal but I still shared my information so I would not be detained. At the legal inspection the people who asked me all of my information asked where I came from, was I with anybody and did I have a job and how old I was.The medical inspection was so overwhelming and I almost fainted when they tested my eyes. The mental tests were mysterious because everything was so awkward. One more thing I guess you probably knew, but I didn’t get detained, I guess not having trachoma really paid off.
The staircase I took was the one on the left, where the ferry to Mott street was.Mott street is kind of nice.
I miss you with my whole heart and I will wish every night for you to be here. Tell Zabel I love her, after all she is my sister.
Your most loving granddaughter ,
Vartanoui Zaroui (Violet)
P.S. My job is to go to markets and get food for the kitchen.
October 28,1906
Dear George,
Right before I went to the U.S.A, I packed a blanket and my most important belongings, such as my favorite stuffie. What I also brought are my special belongings that remind me of my home country. The steerage part on the boat was awful. We got bad beds and food, bad everything. But one good part of the boat was that I also got to hang out with my family. I played tag and I almost got lost and I was really scared but I ended up finding them. Also I met someone who is going to the same place as me in NYC. First seeing the Statue of Liberty was amazing. Ellis Island was beautiful. And the smell was pretty weird. I didn’t really like the smell it sort of smelled salty and oceany.
When my ship first entered the harbor I was so happy I was crying. And I was happy I was at my new home and it brought in so many happy and sad emotions. And everybody was like this. The weather was beautiful coming off from a cold ocean but when I got to Ellis Island I felt a lot of anxiety. What surprised me was to hear all these different languages that I could not understand like Yiddish and German. I was very nervous about the examination, but I ended up getting through and I felt wonderful. The sounds I heard from the people around me were kids crying because they did not pass or they did not want to do the inspection.
Well when I first saw the medical inspectors I started to get really anxious because I obviously did not want to be sent back. What the medical examiners were looking for was if you had any illnesses or diseases.The medical inspection was crazy. lt triggered a lot of nerves but in the end we all passed. The tests they gave us were to see if you had mental issues, diseases, illnesses and anything that’s contagious. And I was not detained because I did not have any of those illnesses and neither did my family. During the legal examination I was a little less worried knowing I got through the last one. All the other people felt the same as me but some did not pass and it got out of control. I heard a lot of happy and sad emotions. The legal inspectors asked me twenty to thirty questions like my name, place of birth, and where I was coming from and going.
Ellis Island is pretty nice but Manhattan looks beautiful and it smells just like any other place. When leaving Ellis Island there was a staircase of separation. That’s the one I took left was Manhattan right was other states the middles were detained. I am going to live on the Lower East Side on Mulberry Street.
George l hope to see you again. I am starting a new life. l will miss you.
FROM GIANNIS (Wally)
