The journey

            I was observing my daughter the other day as she was sitting in a chair reading a book. She was completely immersed and I thought to myself how much she is like me. She is passionate about reading. She loves history and has a keen interest in the World War II era. This is not common for a thirteen year old girl. My thoughts began to shift to my great grandmother Vincenza Meli . When my daughter Serena was born, we were all surprised by her blue eyes. We were always told Grandmom had blue eyes. Blue eyes are fairly common in Sicily evidence of the Norman conquest of the island. And then I started to think that this was the tender age of my grandmother when she came from the old country. Her story is heart breaking. I could not imagine my daughter experiencing such great loss and pain. I try to create in my mind what it was like for her. The ship her mother Nicoletta and her three younger siblings came over on was the SS California by route of Palermo to New York. The date was May 1st ,1901 and how frightening that journey must of been! A women alone with four children packed in steerage with all types of people crossing the Atlantic Ocean. I would think Vincenza being the eldest daughter would have been responsible for her younger siblings.  The baby Antonia was just three months old and would had required most of her mother's attention. The two boys, Vincenzo age seven and Guiseppe age three, would have been very difficult for a thirteen year old to care for.

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detention record of Nicoletta Genchi

The average journey to cross the Atlantic would take up to fourteen days! When they arrived in New York, Nicoletta was detained and had to appear before a board of special inquiry. Apparently, her husband Gioacchino was not present when they arrived. Her and the children were classified as LPC ( Likely Public Charge). What that must of been like for a women in that era who could not speak or understand the language to stand in front of this board of five men and plead her case and convince them she had a husband with the means to support her and the children. Even with the help of a translator, it must have been intimidating. It had been twenty one days since they left Palermo and now dealing with the reality of deportation. They had to be completely exhausted and terrified. We don't know if Gioacchino had testified at the hearing or sent money and train tickets but on May 25, 1901, the family left by train to Philadelphia to take up residence at 710 Clymer Street in the Italian colony of South Philadelphia. And so began their new life in America.                                                                                                                                                    

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