For those of you who are too young to receive the AARP newsletter, I am passing on a link they featured where you can hear first person narratives. Once only accessible by visitors at Ellis Island, the website, Ancestry.com, has now posted 1,700 taped interviews with immigrants who went through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. Each interview lasts 30 - 40 minutes and discusses what the person remembers of their homeland, why they emigrated, what they remember of the trip, and what happened when they landed in the U.S. I logged on out of curiosity, and got hooked on each person's story, imagining them as a stranger walking down the street and peeking into their private history until they felt like an old aunt or uncle at the dinner table. Check it out.
www.ancestry.com/immigration
The stories are very interesting and I understand how you can get hooked. My dad came through Ellis Island in 1924 from Wales and often talked about the experience.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the address for people who may even find a relative or two.
I like that your are specializing in non-fiction. I specialize in World War II for kids, fiction and non fiction.
What a great resource. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDelete