Fearless Females: An Immigration Story

Women's History Month Fearless Females blog prompt: Do you know the immigration story of one or more female ancestors? Do you have any passenger lists, passports, or other documentation? Interesting family stories?

"Back in the day" when finding an immigration record meant that you needed, if I remember correctly, at least three out of five pieces of information about an immigrant family to submit a request to the National Archives, I remember that "bingo" moment when My Uncle Salvatore Abbate provided the missing details. Well, actually, all the details were missing for me. Uncle Salvatore remembered the port they departed from in Sicily, the name of the ship, and the month and year he arrived at Ellis Island, with his mother and siblings.

I carefully completed the application that I had picked up while visiting Washington D.C. and mailed it, yep, snail mail! (Does anyone use that slang anymore? Oops, my age is showing!) Anyway, after months of waiting and pretty much forgetting about ever hearing back, one day, a nice, fat envelope arrived from the Archives. I still remember standing at the mailbox and doing the "happy dance" clutching that envelope in my hands!

The Abbate side of my family is the only one for which I have documentation of the point of entry into the United States and any documentation of their existence in their original "home land." I may be only 1/4 Sicilian but I am certainly proud of the brave family that risked it all for a better life in America.

One of my favorite blog posts is this one, Benvenuti Nella Terra d'America, in which I tell the story of my great grandmother and her children and their voyage to America. Enjoy!