I had a crap day and I don’t really feel like writing anything, but I also don’t feel like missing a day of writing, just because I feel bad.
Yesterday, I screenshot Nelson’s petition for naturalization and what I think is Jean’s arrival document. I had assumed Jean and Nelson arrived together. I do not think they did, now; the names of the ships they arrived on do not match, nor do the dates of their arrival.
The things I get most immediately out these scans is that Nelson arrived in New York in October, 1913. The date of the petition is July 5, 1919, however, and lists his residence in Warren, Arizona, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. So, did people submit a petition for naturalization to Ellis Island from other parts of the U.S.? And six years later is a lot later, right? I am so curious about their lives, in general, but particularly, in this sort of interregnum, when Nelson was working as a miner and Jean was having babies. Now I want to research more about what immigrants were required to do, before they could apply to become citizens. The petition said they have to reside in the U.S. for no less than five years.
I spent too much time tonight looking for Jean’s petition for naturalization. What I should have looked up, what I eventually discovered is that Jean did not have her own naturalization papers! This is what I found: “September 1906 to 1922: New rules standardizing naturalization forms and processes are instituted by the federal government. Under these new rules, women still take their citizenship from their husbands but now they should be listed by name on their husbands’ naturalization papers.” (https://libguides.mnhs.org/naturalization/s4) Which means that before 1906, women did not even appear by name on their husbands’ papers! Argh!
In any case, one of the other things that jumped out at me is that this document says Nelson was joining a brother. What brother?! The document does not list a brother’s name. Does that mean Nelson could have said he was joining a brother and he wasn’t? I should look up more about his siblings.
The other thing that seems funny, logical but funny, is that in two different places, the document says that Nelson renounces his loyalty to King George V of England and Ireland. That seems very specific to me. Not just, I renounce my loyalty to the government of where I came from – I specifically renounce loyalty to the monarch. Also, Nelson had to affirm that he does not believe in polygamy and that he does speak English. Hmmm. So many questions….
Here’s what looks like Jean’s document of entry, maybe? Dated 1914, does that mean she followed Nelson later?
I looked up how long the boat ride would have been from Liverpool to Ellis Island in 1913. Based on a site about Irish immigration that I found, it probably would have taken seven to ten days. They probably traveled in steerage. That sounds like a long trip to me, though October might have been a good month: not too hot and not too cold. When we left the Philippines, when I had just turned 5, we took a ship back to the U.S., to California. I do not remember how many days we were at sea. We were at sea long enough to remember sleeping in a bunk and being left in the ship’s daycare. It was long enough to remember throwing up from getting seasick, and then seeing my father throw up. At 5, it was a big deal to see my invincible father get sick, just like me.
Ivy and Jeanne were not born until 1916 and 1919, which means Jean did not have to travel international waters with a toddler and a baby. Since she had already worked on a ship, I like to imagine her enjoying the trip.