Most Jews wanted to leave Eastern Europe in the nineteenth and
early twentieth centuries in order to escape the many
hardships that confronted them on a daily basis. Many young
men and women desired to pull themselves out of poverty and to
create a life that they thought was possible in countries such
as the United States and other countries around the world.
Others wanted desperately to avoid the draft and conscription
(remember the Russo-Japanese War) into their country's army.
Many wanted to join family members who had already immigrated,
or perhaps they simply wished to fulfill whatever dreams they
had for a better life. Unfortunately, their emigration often
caused a lifelong separation from the family they left behind,
especially their aging parents, many of whom grew habituated
to where they were living and their traditional way of life,
and would not leave.
Those who wished to emigrate most
often would have to cross over foreign borders in order to get to one of the
major ports in northern Europe. Trying to get to these ports was risky business.
Often border guards would have to be bribed so they would look the other way.
Agents might have had to be hired to sneak the emigrant across the various
borders.
Once at the port, they would have to bide their time until it
was time to board their ship, most likely destined for some port in the United
States. Some decided to board whatever ship they could, regardless of their
preferred destination, just to be know that they were on their way to leading a
new life somewhere else.
More than seventy percent of immigrants that would make the United States
their new home came in through Castle Garden and later through Ellis Island. At
Ellis Island there would hopefully be someone who would meet them there.
Before that, they would have to pass through a myriad of inspection stations in
order for the inspectors to determine whether they should be admitted to the
U.S. or denied entry.
In this part of the Museum, it will be an ongoing mission to provide information
about how our families managed to emigrate and immigrate. Hopefully, when taken
as a whole, it will eventually paint a picture of the troubles and travail that
our ancestors had to deal with in order to become denizens of the United States,
and perhaps even citizens.
If you have a story about the experience that your family had during their
emigration/immigration and wish to share it with others, please contact the
Museum at
postmaster@museumoffamilyhistory.com.
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