Another Immigrant Story
An immigrant story. Many of you might have heard a similar one. This one still to this day amazes me.
There was a time not so that long ago, in the early 1900s may be the late 1800s, when our relatives sailed into New York harbor to be welcomed by the Statue of Liberty and the greetings of Ellis Island. My grandfather was one who came thru this splendid doorway of opportunity.
He was only sixteen years old not quite a man but way beyond his years of experience. A citizen of Russia and he was about to be conscripted into the Czar’s Russian army at a time when antisemitism and pogroms were prevalent. His parents were naturally concerned for his safety. They believed he had to get out of the country, the danger was building and there was no time to waste.
As it happened, he was working for a Russian gentleman of a different faith who was an importer-exporter and of some substantial wealth. This man was very fond of my grandfather as he had no children of his own. Their relationship over time became special. With his help and at his personal risk, he arranged transport for him on a tramp steamer heading to America.
Now my grandfather was exceptionally poor and had brought little money, as did so many, and he was alone. It happened that a relative of his came to America a few years earlier and ended up in Niagara Falls, NY. Naturally, he headed there.
He was a worker from an early age and he knew if he was to survive, finding a job was his first priority.
One day he went to the local farmers market on the weekend and as luck would have it, he got his first job helping a farmer set up his stand and sell his vegetables and fruit. He was picking up his new language quite fast out of necessity, enough to perform his work. This went on for a couple of weekends and after each weekend, he noticed the farmer would pack up the leftovers and head home.
The next weekend he asked the farmer what did he do with the product once he got home. To his surprise, the farmer said most would rot and he disposed of it.
Now being enterprising he suggested the farmer leave the product with him and he would maintain the booth selling the product during the week. When the farmer would return, he would split the proceeds with him.
The farmer thought it was a great idea. It saved him a lot of work packing up and maybe making a little more on his investment.
Sure enough, the following week he was waiting for the farmer, and true to his word he gave the farmer his share. He did the same thing the next week and so on.
Now would you believe the other farmers saw what he was doing and asked him to do the same for them? His business was growing to the point he had to hire additional help.
This business helped him to eventually open a grocery store and some future additional businesses.
From this simple beginning, he was able to send for the girl who was the love of his life back in Russia. They married and had seven children. As the family grew, all worked in the family business, and some went on to college others into their own businesses. One was my mother and she became a manager of a department store. Another aunt married a man who ultimately worked on the Manhattan project building the atomic bomb during the second world war. One became a lawyer. They all became successful.
It is amazing how so many of these similar stories are told from generation to generation. From nothing to something. America is a country of dreams fulfilled.
In retrospect, the lesson here is quite simple. The formula for success is to look for opportunity, be willing to take a chance, be honest plus persistent, work hard, and value family this more often than not will result in a reward of success and a life well lived.