For me, there is a romance about crossing the Atlantic Ocean by ship, this is my third time. My paternal grandmother, crossed the Atlantic three times by ship. I pulled her diary out of my cabinet of treasures. She arrived in New York May 18, 1910 on the Majestic, went back to England in October of 1912 on the Lusitania, and then back to New York in August of 1913 on the Adriatic.
Why back and forth for her. Her father came to New York to work on subway tunnels and the family joined him. He then took a job in Mexico and sent the family back to live with family in London while he worked that job, and they re-joined him in New York when that contract was over. I asked her about sterrage and Ellis Island and was surprised by her answer. They traveled second class, above the water line in private cabins with meals in the dining room. Her father had arranged visas for them, so they didn't stop at Ellis Island, but went to the piers in Manhattan. Her passage was not first class like the movie Titanic, but much nicer than most immigrant classes.
There was something wistful about the way she and my great-grandmother talked about the crossing. Something that made me really want to do this.
So here I am on my third transAtlantic crossing by ship. Having known my grandmother and great-grandmother, it is special. I think they would be pleased that I have done this.
I am on a digital detox. This post was written ahead of time and scheduled to appear today. I have not missed posting at least once per day in over a decade. While on this detox, I will not have internet access many days, when I do have access it will be limited. Please continue to leave comments, but I may not reply to comments. I will read comments when I can. Normal service will resume in late May.
I enjoy learning of your family history.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky to have so much from a couple of lines
DeleteThe crossing the Atlantic by ship seems so romantic.
ReplyDeleteIt is peaceful
DeleteIt is peaceful
DeleteKeeping the family history alive.
ReplyDeleteImmortality is being remembered
DeleteYour grandmother must have been so shocked to read about the sinking of the Lusitania several years after she was on it.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Titanic
DeleteI wonder how different she would find your experience over hers all those years ago.
ReplyDeleteVery
DeleteVery
DeleteIt's great that you have those records to show when your grandmother and great-grandmother crossed. The Lusitania! Wow!
ReplyDeleteI have one of her early diaries, I would love to have the rest of them
DeleteYour grandmother and great-grandmother are smiling down on you.
ReplyDeleteI hope so
DeleteAll my past relatives was here before the civil war.
ReplyDelete3/4 of mine were, one line goes back to the Pilgrims
DeleteI really enjoyed this kind of “ramble” style those crossings and transitions are often what make a trip memorable, not just the destinations themselves. Moving from one place to another, seeing how landscapes and cultures change along the way, gives a real sense of journey. That’s exactly what I was looking for when I started thinking about a silk road trip. While searching for something that connects multiple places in a meaningful way, I came across silk road trip, and the idea to “Travel the Legendary Route Between East and West” really stuck with me. I decided to try it, and it suited me really well. The route felt natural, like each stop led smoothly into the next, and I didn’t have to worry about how to connect everything myself. It had that same flowing feeling your post describes like one continuous story rather than separate trips.
ReplyDeleteA retired judge I know did a silk road trip a year or so ago
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