When the Suitcases Were Unpacked: Sarah and Feige’s Stories

They crossed the ocean together in 1904. But what happened after they set their suitcases down in America?

When my grandmother Gussie emigrated to the New World in 1904, she did not travel alone. She crossed the ocean with her sister, Sarah, and their cousin, Feige.

It must have been heartbreaking to leave their parents, siblings, and familiar streets behind. Still, their parents believed they would have a better life in America. That hope, more than luggage, is what they carried with them.

In my book, Gussie’s Suitcase Packed with Courage, Hope and Secrets, I ended the story with Gussie’s wedding in 1909. But what about the other two girls who made that journey?

Let’s find out what happened to them now.

Sarah Abramowitz

On the ship manifest, Sarah is listed as 19 years old. Yet on her 1912 marriage certificate, she is recorded as 23 — which would have made her just 15 when she arrived in 1904, not 19.

That actually makes more sense to me.

My grandmother always told me she was 16 when she came to America, but the manifests lists her as 22. I suspect the girls may have made themselves “older” for safety reasons while traveling alone. We will probably never know for certain, but it feels plausible.

Family stories tell us that Sarah missed her mother terribly throughout her life. That longing never quite left her. Sarah told her grandchildren that she was only 15 when she emigrated. To me, the younger she was, the more she would have longed for her mother, so it makes sense that she was 15 and not 19 as stated on the ship manifest.

Sarah and Charles enjoyed traveling. She also loved spending time with her ten grandchildren. She never learned to speak English fluently, which made communication with them difficult. But language is not the only way to connect. Through food and song, she created bonds that did not require translation.

We do not know the exact date of Sarah’s death, but it was after the 1957 when she attended her brother Max’s 90^th birthday party, and before 1964, when Charles remarried.

Feige Abramson (Fannie Pearl)

We last saw Feige at Ellis Island, sitting in the waiting room for detained passengers.  She was served two meals while Gussie and Sarah were only served one.  The records show she was detained slightly longer while arrangements were made for her to travel by railroad to her uncle, Hyman Pearl, in Boston. The letters R.R. on the detainee manifest tell us she was travelling by railroad to reach her destination.*

That detail makes her feel so real to me. A young girl, waiting alone just a little longer in a strange place not knowing the language.  She definitely brought courage with her.

She eventually had four grandchildren who lived close by. From what I can tell, she built a life surrounded by family, which showed she was always part of a network of support.

Fannie died in 1955, before I was old enough to ask my grandmother about cousins she might have had in America.

Were They Better Off?

Did Sarah and Feige stay in close touch with Gussie? I don’t know.

Did their parents make the right decision in sending them away?

I believe they did.

Fannie’s father was eventually able to join her in America. But Sarah and Gussie’s siblings who remained in Latvia did not fare well. Their sister Anna and her husband were deported — likely to Ukraine or Siberia — possibly for protesting the government. Their two brothers who remained in Latvia, along with their families, perished in the Holocaust.

It must have been an agonizing decision for their parents: to let some children go while others stayed.

But history suggests that the girls who crossed the ocean in 1904 were, in fact, given the chance their parents had hoped for:

A safer life.
Children.
Grandchildren.
Continuity.

And that may have been the greatest gift of all.

*Addendum

New research led me to revise my understanding of Feige’s time in the detention area at Ellis Island.

When I looked again at the detainee manifest, I noticed the notation “R.R.” — meaning she was released for railroad travel to her destination. I had always assumed she was waiting for a relative to come and escort her back to Boston. Instead, the “R.R.” indicates that her rail ticket had been arranged and paid for, and she was released for travel by train, likely along with other immigrants heading in the same direction.

I also realized that the record clearly stated she was going to Hyman Pearl, not Frank or Harry. When I originally wrote the book, I believed Hyman and Harry were the same person. I was also puzzled by the fact that her brother used the surname Pearl while Feige arrived as Abramson.

Further research into her family tree helped clarify this. Feige’s mother’s maiden name was Pearl. Some of the children used their father’s surname, Abramson, while others used Pearl. This was not uncommon in the late 1800s, particularly during immigration and resettlement.

Family history is always unfolding — and sometimes, even after a book is published, the research continues.

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Sources:

• Ship Manifest of Detainees: Year: 1904; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 0496; Line: 21; Page Number: 36, New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010