My great grandfather was an Irish man who immigrated to the United States of America in the year 1924. His engineer's cap from his time as a rail-car inspector is something people always remember fondly for him wearing it all the time. Even after he retired he would wear it as he fixed things up at his daughter’s house. Still today when I ask my mother how she pictures her grandfather, she remembers that hat. But my great grandfather, Thomas Manley, was not a railroad worker for his whole life. In fact, Manley was not even his birth name. When he immigrated to America when he was no older than 16, he was told by a customs agent that no one in the U.S went by his birth name, Munnelly, so he had to change it. After he arrived in the U.S he quickly got a job as a rail car inspector where he stayed for the large majority of his career. Even in the Great Depression he provided not just for his own family, but also for his cousins. In his later years you could find him at his daughter's house doing odd jobs, or down the Cape singing, whistling and playing his accordion. His hat will always serve as a reminder to me and my family that if anyone works hard enough, they can achieve even their most wild dreams.

– Thomas

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