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Immigration timeline
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First Encounters (cotinued)
soon replaced by surprise and resentment when he grabbed the jewels and ran. Luckily my eldest son, Rico, ran after him and talked the dastardly man and retrieved our jewels from the thief. My wife was livid and full of sorrow and it took a while for her to calm down. I am coming to a hard realization that America may not be what I had originally thought it to be. -
Goodbye Italy, Hello America!
Because of the high taxes and sterile land, my family and I are forced to leave our homeland to go to America. My family is on the verge of poverty. We are bringing few cloths and just our family jewels to sell once in America. I hope to go west and buy new farm land. I am optimistic that my sons will have a better life in the west than any life they would have had in Italy. -
First Encounters
I am sad to say that my family has encountered one of the atrocities that so many had warned us against. Once arriving in New York coming off Ellis island we were greeting by a young American lad who said he could give us a hearty deal for our jewels. My family and I were elated to find someone who was so kind In this unfamiliar place. All of our elation was soon replaced by surprise and resentment when he grabbed the jewels and ran. Luckily my eldest son, Rico, ran after him and talked the dast -
Glimpse At The Future (continued)
fabric factory. The man warned us to not end up like him and his family. This encounter makes me wonder if leaving Italy was the right thing. -
Glimpse At The Future
My family and I are staying at an inn in the middle of town until we can get a train to California. Today we met a Family who was from Ireland who had a similar plan to ours. The man said that a year ago he and his wife and two daughters come to America and were conned out of their money. He has a job working for an attorney and his wife and daughters work at a fabric factory. The man warned us to not end up like him and his family. This encounter makes me wonder if leaving Italy was the right -
Goodbye Son
We are leaving New York and going west today. The train leaves in seven hours and my younger son Pablo has decided he wants to stay. He says that he does not want to be a farmer; he wants to become a business man. Of course I am disappointed that he will not be joining us on our trip but I hope he is successful. My wife, at first, was upset and refused to let him go, but I talked to her explaining that we came to America to be happy and if staying in New York is what he wants we should not stand -
Goodbye Son (continued)
to let him go, but I talked to her explaining that we came to America to be happy and if staying in New York is what he wants we should not stand in his way. I have no doubt that he will strive in New York, I am just concerned about how the rest of us will fair in the coming year. -
New Hope
I have started asking myself lately why I decided to move the family west. I find that reminding myself helps me remember the reasoning behind the whole idea. The west has supple and bountiful land that my family and I wish to start a crop farm on. The west is also full of people who want what we want, a fresh start. I find comfort in telling myself this over and over again on our way west. -
Exclusion
As we make our way west I can only be grateful that the prejudice against us is not too great. I have learned of the Chinese Exclusion Act. I feel remorseful for the Chinese who cannot come to America. I hear the harsh words said opposing the race and it saddens me. As well as sorrow for the race I feel a great relief that Italians, though still detested by many, are sparred the disgrace of being rejected completely. Learning of this act makes me more cautious when speaking. I tell my family to -
Exclusion (conclusion)
are sparred the disgrace of being rejected completely. Learning of this act makes me more cautious when speaking. I tell my family to try to soften our speaking so that our Accents are not that different. I thought that we could share our culture with the Americans but it is apparent they do not want to share. -
Arrival
Today we arrived in eastern California. As I stepped off the train I was awarded by the smell of fresh air. But my good mood was put to an abrupt end as soon as I stepped into the land office. After waiting in line for over an hour I finally got to talk to one of the men in charge. I asked him how much 60 acres of land would cost and was astounded by how little the price was. I continued and asked how much he thought it would cost to buy the farming supplies necessary to run a respective farm; -
Arrival (continued)
when he announced the price my heart dropped. It was more than we could afford. So tomorrow Rico and I are going to apply for mining jobs. Tonight we are staying at a small inn. I hope that we can make enough money and soon. My family is losing and hope and I hate to see them like this. -
A Fresh Reminder Of Home
Today Is marks the first month my family and I have been in the west. Today we went a family we just arrived at the inn we have been occupying. They too are from Italy. It is a nice treat to meet people who share the same culture as us. I find comfort in the way they talk, their accents familiar and homely. They came to America because their youngest son had gotten sick and died. Wanting to leave their home, which held painful memories, they decided to come to America. Hearing their stories -
A Fresh Reminder Of Home (continued)
had gotten sick and died. Wanting to leave their home, which held painful memories, they decided to come to America. Hearing their stories reminds me that there are others who too are trying to make it in America. -
Restart
Today I can proudly announce we have purchased our land and are going to buy the farming supplies we need. The land is fertile and perfect for crops. We plan to have rows upon rows of trees bearing many fruits, along with vegetables growing in long lines across the land. Though it may take a while to get started I have hope for our family. It has been almost four months since we first landed in California and I am overwhelmed with shear happiness that our wait is over and we can finally restart. -
The Price And Rewards Of Freedom
Looking back on the painful and hard memories my family and I experienced over the year I can only think to myself that it was worth the reward. Pablo has kept in touch with the family and sends us frequent letters. He owns a small law firm, which he is planning on expanding very soon. Once he makes enough money he hopes to visit us at the farm. It took us a month to get everything organized, but now the farm is doing well. We are not rich, but can sustain fine and are happy. In the beginning of -
The Price And Rewards Of Freedom (continued)
month to get everything organized, but now the farm is doing well. We are not rich, but can sustain fine and are happy. In the beginning of this adventure I had doubts about our future; My limits were pushed and there were times when I even regretted leaving Italy. But now I am so glad that we, my family and I, continued on through the hard times and found our happy ending.
