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Born in Ireland
: Being born into a strict family had been hard. It’s May 15th, 1878, and Ireland had been one of the most productive countries in the world. All my parents really dreamed of was for me and my brother to gain a job. A job, where we would accumulate a lot of money and be able to provide for our families. I’ve always been really good with sewing; when I was little my mother had taught me at the age of 7, now that I’ve grown,(September 19th, 1896) sewing would probably be one of the many things or -
Goodbye Ireland, hello America!
: Today, (January, 24th, 1898) my daughter, Evelyn and I are traveling to America to succeed into a better, more successful life. There I will buy some land with the leftover money from my job back in Ireland and try to find a job that provides Seam stressing. The ship can only take so many people, so we’re riding the ship with two other families; the Connelly’s and the McLaughlin’s. I start to imagine what life may become of us. Back in Ireland, my job had been to work as a maid in a very, rich -
We are here!
(February 2nd, 1898) The captain says we’ll be seeing Ellis Island soon. The ride to America has caused Evelyn to become more and more prone to sea sickness. She’s been throwing up this horrible vile and she hasn’t eaten very much in weeks. You can almost see her bones; her skins stick to the bone as if it were a barnacle attached to a rock. It’s starting to worry me knowing that she could die if she doesn’t get the food sooner or later. I gave up all of the food that was for me, so that she cou -
We are here!
: The extremely loud horn on the ship goes off. It’s February 5th, 1898 and we have just arrived in America. We pick up all of our things and make our way out into our beautiful, thriving, new life. The sky is as blue as can be and tsunamis of skyscrapers scattering the city. I hear and see all kinds of new things that we had never seen in Ireland. Compared to Ireland, America is absolutely way more different than there. Evelyn is amazed at how many cars are driving through the streets. I’m exci -
Finding a home and a job
: May 18th, 1899 I’ve finally found a home for me and Evelyn to live in! It’s a small apartment that’s located in the center slums of New York City. The apartment has only one bedroom and a very tiny kitchen. The owner says that we might have to share a room with another man, whose wife had just died of natural causes. The man does not have a job, so he has no money to pay any of the bills. I also have found job! The business provides the ability to sew and work with many other women. The buildi -
Certified citizens now.
: It’s been two years and I am now a certified citizen of America. It is now July 21st, 1901 and Evelyn is now grown into her teenage years and is able to attend school. She tells me that the children at her school have been treating her unfairly. They’ve been calling her rude and unnecessary names. I guess that’s what comes with the territory, once you move from one country to another. I started my new job today as a Seamstress. It’s actually very complicated; you have to learn the safety regul -
Revolting hotels and cluttered halls!
Since I don’t have enough money to buy food yet I’ve been stealing from the market up the street. August 15th, 1910, my daughter and I are becoming more and more unsanitary. It’s cluttered in the building we live in; there is currently 10 other families living in the same apartment room as us. I can’t believe how dirty the rooms have gotten, because of the people and animals living there. There’s rats running throughout the cupboards and there had been animal feces everywhere I turn. -
ShirtWaist Fire!
March 25th, 1911 THERE’S BEEN A FIRE IN THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST BUILDING! The fire had been started by an unknown circumstance. There had been no way out of the building; many of the women had stayed in the building and were killed by all the smoke and fire that circled the rooms. Only a couple of women had survived along with me. I’m so blessed to be alive, if I wouldn’t have lived through the great fire; my daughter may have had to remain alone during the rest of her life. -
New life
The business had been burned down and hasn’t yet been replenished, but on the bright side I have found a new, more successful job. This job also contains the ability sew and is better and safer than the other job I had at the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory. Now that Evelyn is old enough to get her own job, she is now working in her own restaurant that is located on the other side of the city. She currently has her own family and is married to an American, and has two sons and a daughter.
