Khushwinder (name changed for anonymity) was happy to talk about his life. He said “I am feeling like a celebrity doing this interview. Nobody has interviewed me before. I am feeling very special.” I was also happy to see him ready for this interview. Then I asked him how his family was and where he belonged from. He started talking ... Read More »
I am a fifth generation Japanese-Hawaiian child with not so many connections to my past. I had asked my mother who my family was and to my surprise, she told me about the history of both her side and my father’s side of my family. Like myself, she didn’t have any knowledge ... Read More »
Our family friend, Basil, is from the small South American country, Guyana. He was born in a county called Corentyne, which is Southeast of the country’s capital Georgetown. He grew up in a small farming community called Bush Lot Farm and had seven siblings. At that time, Guyana was not a rich country, and ... Read More »
The following was written by Rebekah Jackson after interviewing her friend Denny Lawhern about his own investigation into his family history. It focuses on Denny’s 8th Great Grandfather, (1607 – 1692), Thomas Doggett who came to the colonies in 1637. PART I- Thomas Doggett was born in Wendover, Buckinghamshire England July 4th 1607. In May 1637 at age 30, Thomas ... Read More »
It was 1 am, April 1989 when my father landed in Detroit. Born in a small Indian village about an hour from the coast, the first thing that stood out was the weather–it was bitterly cold. Luckily, it wasn’t too long before a friend of a friend, also an immigrant from the ... Read More »
My Grandma was a spoiled brat. When she graduated high school she demanded her father to buy her a fur coat. Lester Torok, my great grandfather- who I unfortunately never had the honor to meet- immigrated from Hungary when he was a young boy. He came with his mother and two siblings. My grandma told me his story to the ... Read More »
“The land of good life, and opportunity,” is what I often thought of when I would work in the green orchards that caused my hands to become rough-over the years from picking fruits for my alcoholic father on our 20 to 40 acre orchard farm in Akil, Yucatan. I am Alberto Muuk’ a 5’3 Mayan man from Akil, Yucatan. I ... Read More »
My family’s most recent immigration story occurred so long ago that, when interviewed, my mother had to recount the number of “greats” that came before grandfather. My great-great-great grandfather, Emanuelo Oliva, was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1840, and immigrated to the United States with his family, including his three brothers. The family eventually made their way across the country to California, ... Read More »
I never wanted to leave Fiji, but my dad’s words got to me, and I knew I had to do this. There I was at the age of 45, ready to become a father for the first time. Ready to welcome my firstborn into the world, only to lose her before she was even born. All my hopes of ever ... Read More »
The land was covered in green grassy hills, big farms, and livestock that would be perched on the hills, where the grass was more luscious and bountiful — It was fall of 1852 in Bubenheim, Johann and his three brothers worked the farm. For 31 years Johann was born and raised in their family farm in Germany. Johann Georg was ... Read More »