Grandma left Germany on a ship, the S.S. Maria Theresa, traveling with a few people from her home town whose names are unknown. The trip was long but exciting; she was going to America! The journey ended when the ship arrived at Ellis Island in New York City.
After Grandma went through immigration at Ellis Island, she boarded a train to Chicago and then was met by her sister, Anna, in Chicago. How brave of Grandma to accomplish these matters by herself, leaving her family in Johannesfeld, and sailing on a huge ship to the U.S.A., a country which she knew nothing about except that she heard jobs were plentiful and life was good in America.
In the busy city of New York, she had to find the train station to buy a train ticket to Chicago. After locating the train, she boarded the train destined for Chicago and finally arrived in Chicago to be with her dear sister, Anna, who sponsored Grandma to come to America.
The two sisters loved and cared for each other, which was so evident over the years [1]. Grandma and Tante Anna shared a flat in the North Avenue and Wells area and Tante saw to it that Grandma soon got a job as a maid, too.
When I was old enough to remember, Grandma and I would take long walks from our home at 3341 N. Lakewood Avenue to the area just west of Clark Street, between Diversey and Fullerton. Grandma would proudly point out beautiful Victorian homes where she worked as an "upstairs maid" or as a nanny.
In those days the word nanny was not used. "Taking care of the children" was what they called the profession [2]. There were many lovely Victorian homes in that neighborhood, and it was fun to see where my mom worked when she was a young woman. Oh, what a difference between America and from whence Grandma came!
1915 - Tante Anna and Grandma [1]
1916 - Lincoln Park - These ladies are nannies, and Nanny Grandma is sitting on the right-hand bench. [2]