This is the birth certificate of my paternal great grandfather Samuel Nevin Hodges.  Sam was born in Ireland in 1887 to a Protestant father and a Irish Catholic mother.  These so called"mixed" marriages were considered unorthodox at the time, it is believed that Sam's parents never actually got married.  This difference in denomination put a serious strain on their relationship.  Eventually Robert Hodges, Sam's father, moved to England and married a Protestant woman. The result of this was that Sam and his sister Sophie were put into orphanages in Dublin, and their mother moved to New Orleans.  Often in times of struggle the Irish would place their children in orphanages temporarily until the parent could later retrieve them.  In the case of my great-grandfather, he was left there. Sophie however was taken out of the orphanage and moved to New Orleans to be with her mother.  Sam spent eight years in the orphanage being educated by the nuns before running away to become a sailor at 13.  As an adult Sam started working for United Fruit Company, and moved to New Orleans with his soon to be wife Margaret McCann.  Both Sam and his mother Johanna lived in the same city, knew that the other was there, and never spoke.  This fascinating story of migration is the reason I study Irish American history and other immigrant stories like it.  

– Elizabeth

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