My grandfather lived in Romania until his late 20s. He owned a watch that was passed down to him by his father. Then my grandfather passed that watch down to my father. The watch is from the 1890s, so you have to wind it up to use it.  My great-grandfather passed away, but my grandfather immigrated with him from Romania to the US when my grandfather was in his 20s. He has lived in Manhattan ever since. I don’t know a lot of history about Romania, but my dad told me stories about it when he showed me the watch. A story is that my grandfather once ran away from home when he was wearing the watch. The watch is very valuable, old, and fragile. It is real gold, and around 80 years old. Sometimes my dad will wear it with a suit or nice shirts because it is very elegant. The watch isn’t only beautiful, but it has strong Romanian culture and memories behind it such as his immigration process. It will always bring back the stories of my grandfather’s immigration, and the people on my dad’s side of the family. This watch represents the generations of my family and the history of the generations. You always need something you love to remind you of your traditions and your heritage

– Annabel Bayer

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant