Saturday, May 25, 2013

 Threads of Life
Another entry for Wewriwa
May 25, 2013

I continue to write about the four children crossing the Atlantic Ocean on their way to uncles in Canada, being taken their by their grandmother, Caroline Freimann, after the last parent, their mother, had died.  This week I will write Ida's thoughts (second from the eldest.) She is 12 years old but listed as 8 on the ship manifest.

"Minna is still coughing and so sick. Gustav also is sick. They sound so much like Mama and I am afraid that they will die also before we reach our uncles' homes. Emma helps Grandma to take care of them just like she helped Mama so much when she was sick. We had some apples that we stuffed in our pockets before we left our home but mostly we have only dried bread and water. A couple of times someone has given us a sausage but most are just as poor as we are and guard their food supplies. The trip on the ship seems to take so long and sometimes the ship rolls so much on the waves that I am afraid. We all sleep together on one mat, lying close to each other."

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Saturday, May 4, 2013

Here
Threads of Life

Weekend Writing Warriors
4 May 2013


I continue to write about the family of August Schumann and Auguste Freimann, his wife. These are my great grandparents. In this writing, both are deceased and the children are on their way to Canada with their maternal grandmother. This week it is again from the POV of Emma, oldest living sister of my grandmother. She is 14 years old at this time. The ship records lists her age as 10.

“I know how hard it was for Mother to afford food for us after she could no longer go to work. We sold everything that we owned from our home.  My uncles sent money for Grandma Caroline to bring us to Canada. We needed to have enough for trains and ships. We made a lot of hard toasted bread for us to eat on the way and only bought water to drink on the ship.  She talked to all of us before we left. In order to afford the ship, she would need to list our ages at much younger.  We were not supposed to talk to anyone as they might think we were older than she said. The agents argued with her, but she prevailed. “

To find other Weekend Writing Warriors, click HERE