Tag

Ancestry

Europe, Travel, Travel Tips

Have You Ever Traveled to Meet Overseas Family? Part 2

Whether your family immigrated during colonial times like my wife’s or they immigrated in the 20th century like mine, we are all sons and daughters of people who came from someplace else.  Those of us with more recent ties to a first generation immigrant may feel a stronger pull to know that heritage.  We grew up in households where the culture of our families’ Old Country was as alive as American culture. …

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Blogging, Travel, United States

A Visit to Ellis Island and A Wake Up Call

I stood at the foot of the famed Registry Hall in Ellis Island’s Main Building and took myself back in time to the day my great-grandmother, Maria Fagnano, arrived.  The red clay colored floor before me was perfectly shined to museum quality and the white terra cotta ceiling tiles brought in much needed light and heat from the bright afternoon sun.  It was too pristine, too showcased.  What would it have been…

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