How you gonna get there? (aaah...immigrants) Where did I come from?! What are the roots of my Family Tree?!!!

Author / Artist:  Elise Margit  VanNorton~Edson

 My name is Daniel, and I am 13 years old. I live in New York.  I am an immigrant to the United States from Austria. I came from a little village that was invaded by the Nazis in the war. It was horrible but I don't remember a lot 'cuz I was kind of little, about 3. I do remember that the ride on the big boat was not much fun and there were so many sick people all over, just suffering and taking it or crying out in pain at the night and the fools who had tortured them. That is the worst memory anybody, especially at my age, can have because it is so horrible and disgusting.

My mom tells me some of my family's history but we don't know a lot; all our records and belongings were lost in the fighting. It is frustrating because I want to know all that I can about my past but it isn't possible! It is all those stupid Germans fault. They came and burned us out of our homes and businesses. I still have to suffer and I'm not even Jewish. My family was one of the families that were scared out of their senses and they changed their religion.

Hello! I just found this letter in my grandmother's attic! That is interesting. No wonder I don't know too much about my history because most of it was destroyed but I found more information on our family's history in big file folders in the attic. Looks like the first Daniel in my family did do some research and found some stuff out. Oh I'm sorry I haven't introduced my self. My name is Daniel A. (my parents made Austria my middle name!) and I am also 13 years old, which is the weird part of finding this letter. Boy, I'm glad that this girl found this information because there was a fire on Ellis Island a little while after she got interested in her history and all records where burned/ destroyed/ or just never found. Apparently, I am not only Austrian but also Hungarian and Italian! Cool huh?

Well, I found out a lot more like the names of all my family members including their dates of birth/marriage and death, even their occupations. Apparently, not everything was lost. Some of the family members who came over after fleeing their homes brought the Torahs that, like Bibles, had spaces for names and dates. Well that is my story and I wanted you to know that I worked on finding out my history and I did. This story that emerged from these files I found helped me realize what my ancestors had to go through to bring me to the place that I have grown up in and now call home.

 Love,
Daniel

PS- The first Daniel also died before she was 17. Luckily  she got those files huh?! I visited her grave with my parents, the church said that we were the first people to ever visit her. XoXo