Christopher Way, Hillsborough, New Hampshire: On October 26, 1927, my maternal grandfather, Aurelio Battistoni, aged 14, was sent by his parents from Fano, Italy, to America to live with relatives. At the time, Mussolini was recruiting for the fascist paramilitary youth organization Opera Nazionale Balilla. Aurelio’s parents did not want their son involved in the group. Aurelio sailed from Genoa on the Roma, arriving November 4 at Ellis Island, where he was met by his uncle. Aurelio began a new life in Waterbury, Connecticut, eventually becoming a mason and gaining some local fame as a champion duckpin bowler.

Kim Cromwell, Provincetown, Massachusetts: My grandmother Mary Theresa Hopkins left her tenant farmer family in Headford, County Galway, at 17 and traveled solo to Ellis Island aboard the Cedric in 1908. She never saw her family again. Mary lived for a time with relatives in New York City before relocating to Princeton, New Jersey, where she stood out because of her beautiful red hair. She was hired as a housekeeper for the dean of Princeton University. Mary stayed in Princeton and raised her family there.

Deb Del Nero, Portsmouth, Rhode Island: My paternal grandmother, Assunta Messori Del Nero, came to the United States in 1900 on the Lusitania from Naples, Italy. She was 16 and traveling alone. The ship manifest listed her as male; I wonder if Assunta’s mother dressed her like a boy to protect her in steerage. I asked my father if his mother ever spoke about her immigration experience, but she did not. I imagine that trip must have been frightening for a young girl.

Connie Taylor, Eufaula, Alabama: My third great-grandfather Haldor O. Rear (1814-1896) departed from Christiania, Norway, on June 15, 1852, aboard the bark Argo, arriving in Quebec, Canada, on August 12. Haldor had left his wife, Guri (Olsdatter), and four children in their town of Nord-Aurdal. Haldor made his way to Buffalo, New York, where, on August 19, he boarded the Atlantic to travel across Lake Erie to Detroit, Michigan. On August 20, the Atlantic collided in dense fog with the Ogdensburg. Haldor clung to a piece of floating mast until he was recused by a nearby ship. After settling in Dane County, Wisconsin, in 1853, Haldor sent for his wife and children.