Immigration ~ Feb. 9th

In 1947 my husband was born in a DP Camp and just this week I realized it was the anniversary of his entry into this county 59 years ago! A DP (Displaced Persons) Camp was a term often used during WWII. It was a temporary “safe haven” for many Eastern Europeans that had been removed from their native countries during the war as prisoners, or slave laborers. The genocide of millions of Eastern Europeans during the war resulted in millions of people being uprooted from their original homes in the course of World War II, becoming displaced. Estimates for the number of displaced persons varies from 11 million to as many as 20 million, it is for me so hard to fathom those numbers! When the allied armies came in and freed these people, there were no homes to go to. Their countries, homes, and families had been decimated, so many found their only life in a DP Camp.

My in-laws met and married in a DP Camp, both were taken from their native homes in Poland, he had been 18, she 14. The conditions in these camps were harsh, with lack of sanitary conditions, minimal food, very little medical care, etc. My husband was born premature, most likely from the conditions, but survived. There was another woman who died giving birth and no baby formula for the infant, so my mother-in-law breast fed that baby also until it was taken from the camp.

Here is my mother-in-law ...

Here is my father-in-law ...
I can not even imagine what their lives were like nor the torture they went through during WWII. They never spoke about it. Never.

In January of 1950 they were sponsored to come to America. They came in a Naval Transport ship called the USS General Greely. My father-in-law was on the upper deck since he had volunteered to help. My mother-in-law and my husband were in steerage. You can imagine spending 18 days in the hull of the boat in winter seas!

Here are my husbands entry papers through Ellis Island.




My father-in-law had $6 dollars when he came to this country and worked very hard doing construction, eventually owning his own company. Sadly he died suddenly in 1984from a toxic poisoning. My mother-in-law at 86 is still going strong. She is a sweet-heart and cooks great polish food!! Love her Kopytka!

Here is a picture of the ship that my in-laws and husband came to America on.
February 1950, USAT General Greely left Bremerhaven, Germany, transporting Displaced Persons to the U.S.A. and arrived at Ellis Island; in 1950 she was returned to the US Navy for Military Sea Transportation Service and given the number T-AP 141.



Another Picture of the ship that brought them to America.


I have found the full ships manifest with their names listed, here is the heading.




Here is the song Emigrent Eyes ... It is a song about the people who passed through Ellis Island, very moving song. I think of my husband and his family and cry every time I hear it!!