In 1922, My Great Grandmother Wasn't Going To Be Allowed Into U.S. With Her Husband and 6 Children - Jeff Wiersma

It is only because a person with enough financial means agreed to be her sponsor that the officials at Ellis Island reversed their ruling and allowed my Great Grandmother Sadie to enter the United States.

My Great Grandfather, Louis Jacob Wiersma, immigrated to the U.S. from Holland with his wife and 7 children in 1922. (Cornelius, in center of photo to the left, is my late Grandfather).

Louis left his homeland due to the economic woes that followed World War I - a situation so bad that his cousin - who was already in the United States - urged him to immigrate so that his family of 8 wouldn't starve!

Being that Louis was laborer and not a land-owning aristocrat, the family of 8 had to make the trans-Atlantic trip down in steerage as 3rd class passengers.

Before arriving at Ellis Island, they were split up by people called groupers into different groups; first by boat, then into women and children, and men, and then into smaller groups of about thirty or so. (In that era, they weren't treated as criminals and were assured that they would be reunited as a family after processing).

Once the boat finally arrived at Ellis Island, they were all examined by U.S. doctors. The first federal immigration laws passed in 1882 prohibited anyone who was physically incapable of taking care of themselves.

My Great Grandmother, Sadie, was detained since she had a limp that was the result of an early childhood injury. SHE WAS NOT GOING TO BE ALLOWED INTO THE UNITED STATES.

This mean that the family of 8 would either (a) have to all return to Holland and potential starvation or (b) only send Sadie back, meaning Louis and his 7 kids would enter the US without their wife/mother.

Fortunately, a member of the Kroll family came to Ellis Island from Whitinsville and promised to serve as her sponsor. It is only because a person with enough financial means agreed to be her sponsor that the officials at Ellis Island reversed their ruling and allowed my Great Grandmother Sadie to enter the United States.

It's no wonder that people today fleeing starvation being called "rapists," "thugs," "not the best being sent" and "animals" upsets me so much! No wonder families being forcefully separated at the border has me emotionally distraught!