Choosing a representation of my family's immigration to the U.S. was trickier than I had imagined. My mother’s parents’ families, as well the family of my paternal grandfather, came to the British colonies in pursuit of land grants during the 17th and 18th centuries. My maternal grandmother was a descendant of the Pilgrims who came on the Mayflower. While I am fortunate to know how and why they came to America, I don’t have anything in my possession that speaks tangibly to those experiences.              Paradoxically, I only have documents from the part of my family I know the least about— my paternal grandmother’s grandparents, who emigrated from Germany in 1883. While they were the last of my ancestors to arrive in the U.S., I know only that they departed from Bremen on the S.S. Rhein and settled in Michigan. Rumor has it that my great-great grandfather was in the Prussian army and told his superiors he was going on his honeymoon, failing to mention that he was never coming back.              The objects I’ve chosen are the registration cards of my great-great grandparents. President Wilson demanded in 1918 that all Germans residing in the U.S. had to register themselves, with Germany during WWI considered a hostile power. While I know little of what their lives were like, these papers, as well as German books they owned that were printed in America, give me the idea that they were defined by and connected to Germany for the entirety of their American lives. 

– Lauren Crawford

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more