This is a photo of my great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother on their wedding day. The photo was taken in 1921 when my great-great-grandfather, was 38 and my great-great-grandmother May was 32 years of age. My great-great-grandfather Joseph immigrated to America in 1885. His parents came with him of course since he was only 1 years old at the time. His siblings Anna Ida, Anna, Otto, and Josephine also came with him to America. His two other siblings, Mary and John, were born in Minnesota after they had arrived in America. Joseph was born in Baden-Baden, Germany and so were his parents Gustav and Philomena. I assume they immigrated to America because Germany received cheap grain from America and Russia which was probably a big disappointment to farmers. This is important because y great-great-great-grandfather (Joseph Leonard Boller’s father) was a farmer. So he was probably devastated that the market was flooded with all this cheap grain. He knew that there weren’t as many vitamins in the grain and he probably fed some of the crops he grew to his children and wanted them to be healthy and strong but with the lack of vitamins in the grain that wasn’t possible. This photo means so much to me because it’s the only photo I have of my grandparents. Whenever I’m scrolling on TikTok instead of doing my homework I think of how hard my great-great-grandfather worked to ensure a good future for his family and it motivates me.

– Layla C

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