The object in the photo is a picture of the Ship’ Manifest, specifically the ship the SS La Touraine which sailed in July 1904 from Haver, France, to NYC,  the same ship my paternal Great-Great-Grandmother, her 3 sons, and the youngest her daughter, my Great-Grandmother, immigrated to the USA from, from a town near the French, German, and Swiss border named Guebwiller. Although the family had a German name, they considered themselves French due to the way that the border had changed and affected their community. Two years earlier, in 1902, my Great-Great Grandfather had already immigrated to the USA due to the requirement that he had to be able to hold a job, while also being capable to support his family before they were allowed to immigrate, thus the beginning of my families American story. This was the beginning of the pursuit of the American dream, although my Great-Great-Grandparents had never returned to France, less than 10 years later, all three of her sons volunteered to go back to France to fight in WW1 apart of the US Army, to join the fight for freedom in the home they had recently left, apart of the new home they had recently found. After all three of them had returned to their new home after the war, they all, including my Great-Grandmother went on to raise families. Then a little over 20 years later, the first generation on this side of my family born American then later followed the same sacrifice the generation prior did, in order to protect the American Dream. 

– K.P.

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