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For
a period of time in the early twentieth century, more than 540,000
people lived within an area of one and a half square miles that was
then called the Lower East Side. Though the borders of this section
of Manhattan might have changed somewhat, upon strolling among many
of its historic streets, one can easily imagine that once their
streets were filled with such hustle and bustle. There were the many
pushcarts from which vendors sold their wares, the stores and shops
run by immigrants who had come from many parts of the world in order
to begin a new life, the denizens of the Lower East Side and others,
who would stroll along the avenues, perhaps pushing a baby carriage
or with a child in hand...There are so many images that may come to
mine, based on our own personal experiences, from what we've seen or
heard through film or books or television documentary.
Whichever the case, we
know that approximately seventy percent of immigrants who came to
America did so through Ellis Island, and that most of these stayed
in New York City on the Lower East Side. Upon their arrival,
they might have been met by family members who found them a place to
live; if they were fortunate, a job too. Life on the Lower East Side
was not easy for our family members who were part of this
experience, and we must be thankful to them as they strove to earn
enough of a living to ensure their own survival, the survival of
their children, and perhaps earned enough money to send for a family
member living in a country that they desperately wished to leave...more
to come..... |
The Lower East Side of Manhattan
Hester Street
cir 1900-1909
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