JOPLIN, Mo. —
If an ancestor immigrated to America via Ellis Island, do a free search of the passenger list that is available at www.ellisisland.org.
More than 25 million arrival records are online. At that website, one can learn the name of the ship on which an ancestor traveled, the person’s home country and former community of residence, the port of departure, the person’s birth date , and the date of the trip.
A few days ago, I visited with Pauline, a lady whose grandmother Eva emigrated to America from Germany during World War II. Eva and her brother passed through Ellis Island.
Pauline gave me a new insight into the immigration records of people who escaped from areas that were in the midst of violence. The details they provided to the staff at the port of departure and the port of arrival were often not true. Those emigrants were reluctant to give any info that might hurt their loved ones who remained behind in the violent area.
Pauline’s mother Eva was one of eight children in a Jewish family who lived in Germany in the 1940s. Knowing that her children were in grave danger, Eva’s mother sneaked the children, one and two at a time, onto ships bound for America.
In case one of her children might be caught, the mother took steps to protect the other siblings and the rest of the family who had yet to escape. She gave her children new first names and last names, and she told them to give the name of a different hometown, and to use a different age and date of birth.
Eva and a brother escaped on a ship bound for New York, and the two kept in touch with each other after their arrival. They were never able to locate any of their siblings, however. Their mother and most relatives were unable to escape and were murdered at Auschwitz.
Because Eva’s memories were so traumatic, she never told her descendants about her family in Germany and her original name and birth date , nor did she tell them about the area where she once lived or the names of any of her relatives who were left behind.
Pauline learned about the change in name and birth date when she was a teenager. Eva had given her a birthday gift. Pauline then asked, “Granny Eva, when is your birthday?”
Eva replied, “I really don’t remember.” She then briefly told her why her mother had changed all the info.
“All that I told them on the ship and at Ellis Island were lies to protect my family,” she said.
Eva used the false info for the rest of her life. When she was a young woman, she married a fellow who survived Auschwitz.
With a family history like Pauline’s, a researcher may never be able to break through this brick wall, unless he or she is fortunate to know of cousins who could provide helpful details. DNA testing might help, too.
Suggestions or queries? Send to Frankie Meyer, P.O. Box 731, Joplin, MO 64801, or contact: frankiemeyer@yahoo.com.
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