Related by Marriage: Arriving in Chicago

After Mr. Irene's Father reached New York City, he spent only a few hours at the port before boarding a train for Chicago.

The immigration personnel processed my Father-in-Law and his traveling companions quickly. Mr. Irene's father recalls that the officials telephoned the immigrants' sponsors to ensure that legal parties would be available to meet the new arrivals. While the group waited for these verifications, one of the travelers developed a taste for herring. He asked a porter at the shipyard to go on a "herring run" so that the group would have a taste of home before they traveled west. The porter complied, and my Father-in-Law enjoyed a plate of herring right before he left for Chicago.

Brighton Park, Chicago, June 1949. Mr. Irene's Father, standing on the pavement at the left, joins his brother, Ignas, on the steps and also on the left, and their sponsors shortly after arriving in Chicago.