My great-grandpa’s pocket watch has been passed down from generation to generation, starting with him passing it on to my grandpa and then my grandpa passing it down to my dad. It is gold with a hand-engraved image of my great-grandpa’s childhood home. Ever since I was a little kid, I have loved looking at the design and listening to the soft ticking it makes as time passes. The watch became even more important to me when I found out the story behind it. My great-grandpa received it as a birthday gift from his parents. This was just a couple months before he and his family immigrated from Denmark to America. After they arrived in America, my great-grandpa enlisted in the Army, which is where he met my great-grandma. He had sought out to prove his loyalty to our country, as it had given his family a better life. He did just that by serving in WW2. Throughout all of these events in his life, he kept his pocket watch with him. This watch is important to me because not only is it beautiful, but it reminds me of how brave and strong of a man he was. It also reminds me that I come from a family of immigrants, who were strong and preserved even when things got tough. For example, my great-grandpa struggled finding a job, yet he continued to persevere, as he saw the light at the end of the tunnel. This inspires me to do the same, as I would love to one day be as strong and hard-working as he was. 

– SL

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more