The object that I chose is the papers which my paternal grandfather received at Ellis Island when he immigrated here from Europe. My grandfather was Born in Belgium and lived there throughout his childhood. In the 1940’s and with the beginning of the holocaust they had to move around to stay alive. They ended up living in a church for a little while and while they were Jewish, the priest there told German soldiers that they were Christian. Come the end of the war, my grandfather immigrated to the United States where he would eventually meet my grandmother who also immigrated to the United states, but from Colombia. Sadly, he passed away before I was born and I never got to meet him. These papers are from his whole family, not just him. I am specifically speaking about my grandfather though because I was given his name. When his family arrived in Ellis Island, their last name got changed because it was hard for the workers to spell it. Along with his last name, his first name was also changed. This document is important to my American Identity because without it, I wouldn’t be here. But it also lets me better understand where my family comes from.

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