One
Immigrants Story…..
 The
only difference between me and many
of my immigration clients is my
Grandmother. Her name was Delia
O'Toole and she was 17-years old
when she left County Galway in
Ireland for Boston, Massachusetts.
She had a one way ticket and only
25-cents in her pocket. Her
immigration for a new life in
America gave me a two generation
head start toward the American dream
on many of my clients.
Before Delia left the small Galway
town of Inverin, her family and
friends held an "American wake" for
her. An "American wake" is similar
to the wake you have when a person
dies. It is the chance to celebrate
a life and to say good-bye to
someone you will never see again.
And
while she lived to be 84 years of
age, the family and friends at her
“American wake” never did see her
again as Delia never returned to
Ireland.
Like most immigrants, she followed
family when she came to America. Her
older sister, Mary was waiting for
her when the S.S. Corean docked in
Boston Harbor on May 5th, 1903. And,
like most immigrants, she was
working hard from day one. She
washed floors on her hands and
knees, she cooked and she took care
of other people’s children.
Like most immigrants, the letters
that Delia mailed home always
contained a good part of her hard
earned wages to help those left
behind.
After settling in Portland, Maine,
Delia met a young longshoreman named
John Curran who was also from County
Galway. They never met in Ireland
but many years later, I would
measure the distance from her
Inverin home to the one room hovel
where he was born to learn that they
lived less than five miles apart.
 Delia married John Curran in St.
Dominic's Church, built by Irish
immigrants, in the West End of
Portland. Over the next decade, they
would have four children.
In
many ways, Delia was the first
immigrant counselor in our family.
She was one of the very few who
could read and write in both English
and Irish. Hard working longshoreman
and laborers made their way into her
parlor with letters from home.
Delia read the news from home and
then wrote back on their behalf.
My
brothers, sisters and I called her
Gram and she was always talking
about Ireland. The Irish Echo
newspaper was always on the coffee
table and Irish music was always on
the record player. She never tired
of telling us stories about Ireland
and her trip to America.
I
remember asking her what surprised
her most about America and she
replied, "Ice cream on a hot summer
day." I asked my Grandfather the
same question and he said "A moon on
every corner." It wasn't until I was
older that I realized he was talking
about streetlights. There were no
street lights in the tiny County
Galway village of Bantrough Bawn
where he grew up, and there still
aren't any there today.
While my grandparents both loved
Ireland and missed the family,
friends and Irish way of life, they
also loved America. They realized
they could earn a living and raise a
family here, and that following
generations could have a better
life. This is the same dream that my
clients have today.
 I
have deep appreciation for the
unknown legal expert who helped my
grandparents complete their
immigration paperwork and attain
citizenship in 1924, because I know
becoming a US citizen helped them
realize their American dream of a
better life for their children.
Knowing and appreciating the courage
in my grandparents’ immigration
gives me a lifelong passion to
assist those who are following in
her footsteps. Knowing that my
clients are following in my
grandparent’s footsteps has given me
a passion to help my clients in any
and every way possible so that they
can realize their own American
dream. |
