Name

HIS/125

Immigration Experience

In the early 1900’s my father, mother, brother, two sisters and I immigrated to the United States from Ireland. We are the O’Farrell family and this is our story. My family and I at the age of 17 left Ireland in hopes of bettering our life and to make a future for myself. Our families are farmers and we had just lost our land. There was another Potato Famine like the one in the 1800’s, where people were starving, getting sick and not being able to make money to get what we needed. With no way to feed our families and no stability we sought a better opportunity elsewhere. As time passed things only got worse in Ireland and the conditions were horrible, many of us including our neighbors were trying to move to America.

We first took a boat across the Atlantic Ocean. It seemed like it took forever and it was no luxurious ride by no means! We were miserable and there was a certain stench that burned our noses. Our beds were way down in the bottom of the boat. There were bunks here, one on top of the other, they were everywhere! There were so many people I felt like we were a stack of potato sacks. There was no room to actually get comfortable. One night there was this huge storm that rocked the boat back and forth making me sea sick. The rain would pour down like it would never stop. One person I heard saying the Captain thought we were going to sink. I had begun to get very scared. Eventually the storm passed and we continued on our journey.

We finally past the Statue OfLiberty and I knew we were nearing Ellis Island which was our next stop. When we got to Ellis Island, they put the gangplank down, and there was a man at the foot, and he was shouting, at the top of his voice, “Put your luggage here, and drop your luggage here.” He then directed men to go one direction and women and children go another. We then separated from our families in hope of seeing them later. New York Inspectors boarded the boat and gave each of us a medical exam. I felt very uncomfortable as the men made me strip off my clothes and look over my body for any signs of sickness. They asked many questions such as were we came from, what we did for a living and what are plans were once we reached America. I had caught a cold on board the ship and had to be detained until I was not sick anymore. I spent three days with other people, who also did not pass the exam, were very sick. We ate American food in the dining area and it wasn’t what I was used to, but filled my hunger. The milk was very good. Once my cold passed I was allowed shore to meet up with my father. About 10% of the people who were on board were sent back to Ireland because they were not healthy enough.

There were many families greeting each other with open arms and excited grins. The land was strange and unfamiliar, but we felt good at what lie ahead because we knew life would be better. Our family first settled in the city of Chicago. My father and I started working in a factory right away. We were not used to this because we had a potato farm back in Ireland. The people there looked down on us because we came from another part of the world. They did not want us in their city and often threatened us. We stayed to ourselves and the other people that were from Ireland working in the factory. We were able to afford a one bedroom apartment that fit all six of us. My father, four other workers and I stayed in the apartment. The apartment had many bugs and rodents. There was little room for everyone. We didn’t mind much because we were in a new area with better opportunities. We would send any extra money we had across the city back to my mother and siblings.

Not too long after starting at the factory we got word of a railroad company looking for workers to expand out West! My father, I and my whole family packed up and began our journey to move out West with our friends and work for the railroad. Once we saved up enough money we would get our own farm again. I had always dreamed of tending to the garden, sheep, cows and chickens again. It would be better than the four walls of the factory we worked at or the railroad. At the factory we worked from 6:00am to 6:00pm and sometimes we would have to stay longer. We are paid 73 cents a day and when there are five of us living together it’s not so bad. When we worked for the railroad the work hours to were very long as well and we had to work in good and bad weather, freezing cold and in the scorching heat. My father and I worked very hard so that we can have a better life, and if I ever meet anyone here in this city I want to make a better life for my future family.