I'm a creature of habit. Maybe it's age, but I get comfort
from the familiar. I'm not a total fuddy-duddy, but nobody is going to confuse
me with a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants adventurer. Me and Amelia Earhart would
never be confused.
Which is why I am all the more grateful to my grandparents
Mendel, Michael, and Eva, none of whom were born in this country and all of
whom had the courage and independent spirit that brought them here (Rachel, my other
grandmother, was born in the U.S.).
I've been thinking about all the remarkable immigrants who, over the
last three centuries, ventured to this land because it offered hope for a better life. As we approach
the Fourth of July holiday, let me take a moment to get sentimental, patriotic,
and thankful, all in one blog. I can be as critical as the next person about
the failures of our society. Do we have problems in this great nation of ours? You
bet. Can we do better? Definitely, but as Winston Churchill said, "…democracy
is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."
My grandparents left Russia
and Lithuania
So while I may be a bit of a stick in the mud, I'm eternally
grateful and humbled that I come from a proud line of pioneers.
Please share your American story…and God Bless this great
nation of ours.
Marian, the Northern half of Evelyn David
Brianna Sullivan Mysteries - e-book series
I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Undying Love in Lottawatah- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
A Haunting in Lottawatah - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Lottawatah Twister - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Missing in Lottawatah - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Good Grief in Lottawatah - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Book 1 - I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries (includes the first four Brianna e-books)
Book 2 - A Haunting in Lottawatah (includes the 5th, 6th, and 7th Brianna e-books)
Murder Off the Books Kindle - Nook - Smashwords - Trade Paperback
Murder Takes the Cake Kindle - Nook - Smashwords - Trade Paperback
Riley Come Home (short story)- Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Moonlighting at the Mall (short story) - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
Romances
Love Lessons - Kindle - Nook - Smashwords
I feel the same way about my beloved grandparents. I don't have a lot of backstory on my paternal grandparents' journey but do know that my mother's mother, Maga, journeyed here as an 18-year-old, never to see her parents again. I can't even imagine. She worked in a variety of service jobs and eventually became something of a real estate maven, owning buildings in fashionable parts of Brooklyn before they became fashionable. All with a sixth-grade education. Amazing. Thanks for the story of your grandparents, Evelyn. Maggie
ReplyDeleteThanks for the story of your grandparents, Marian! I enjoyed reading about your family's extra helping of courage and persistence.
ReplyDeleteMy big family story is of forced migration. My great-great grandmother was forced from ancestral lands in North Carolina on a march across half a continent to Oklahoma in winter. Thousands died. It was called the Trail of Tears. So many immigrants who came from places like Lithuania or Russia were in similar situations, forced from their homes, fleeing cruel pogroms.
Maggie, your grandma Maga sounds like such a remarkable woman!
Here's to this country. May it live up to its ideals!
My Grandfather George Masterson left his wife and three sons behind in Northern England while he came to the U.S. to a place for them. He was determined his boys would never go to work in the mines. When he was able, he brought them to Boston. They had two more sons here. My dad was the youngest born across the pond.
ReplyDeleteMy mum-in-law was torn from her home in Poland when she was sixteen by Nazi troops and transported to a forced labor farm in Germany. She met her future husband there and they had their only child, my husband, right at the end of the war. She never went back to Poland, nor saw any of her family again. After living in refugee camps for five year, they secured a sponsor and came to the states. My husband still remembers his first glimpse of Lady Liberty in NY habor.
A land of freedom and opportunity. May we always be so.
So many different yet "American" stories. Thanks to all for sharing. Today's post was written by the Northern half of Evelyn David. My history is one of dirt poor Irish ancestors in Tennessee and their move to Texas and Oklahoma for a new life in the west. My great grandmother was half Choctaw. Happy 4th of July to all of us!
ReplyDeleteRhonda - aka The Southern Half of Evelyn David
Most of my ancestors came to America in the late 1600s. John Crabtree was a bugler in the War of 1812, married is 12 year old sweetheart, and together they moved from place to place, twice to Brownsville, TX and then crossed Mexico with a passel of kids (8 to 18) and caught a paddle wheeler in Matzatlan, swam ashore in Monterey, eventually settling in Springville on a land grant from President Grant. Springville is where I live today.
ReplyDeleteThat last was from me, Marilyn Meredith.
ReplyDelete