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Immigration and Westward Expansion
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Leaving Ireland
This past Winter, my father, Joseph Hynes, died due to The Great Potato Famine, and my mother just recently grew sick, so my mother told me I needed to take myself, my younger brother Conor, and my younger sister Briana to America to get away from the sickness and make ourselves a better life. We bring a bible, clothes, and gold cups we planned to sell for money once we get to America. I, Regan Hynes, was finally going to get my freedoms. -
Arriving in America
When we arrived in America, we saw many fights on the side of the streets. There was blood everywhere, and it was hard to walk without stepping on the blood. I asked someone why there were so many fights going on, and he replied that they were fighting over lost bets, and sometimes food and clothes. -
Begging for Food
Shortly after we got to America, I sold my gold cups, but found they were not very helpful, so we ran out of money quickly, with the three of us needing food, clothes, and shelter. Because we ran out of money, we could not pay our rent anymore and where kicked out onto the streets. We begged at many doorsteps for food, but where told that we were Irish and were not allowed. We lived on the streets for many weeks. -
Looking for a Job
When I looked for jobs, there were many signs hung on their doorsteps reading "No Irish Need Apply". Finally, I came accross a job, brick-laying, which allowed my siblings to sit in the areas near by while I worked. This job payed me enough to rent us out a room at a house, and we were able to buy food to survive. -
Homestead Act
After I had been working at my job for almost four years, I learned about the Homestead Act, which allowed, people who have less money, to still own land. All we had to do was, live and farm on the land for five years, and the land was ours for free. I would live in the West and leave behind all of the chaos in the East. -
Moving West
After I learned about the Homestead Act, we packed up our things, bought two horses and headed on the trail going West to settle in the land on the other side of the country. When we reached a settlement, we realized that we would have to travel along way. We kept on traveling and reached land several months later. -
Starting A New Life
We just arrived in our new land and I started to farm it with the help of my brother and sister. We have been growing potatoes with the skills we learned from farming in Ireland. We sold them for enough to keep us going, but not enough to make us rich. We coninued this business for quite sometime and made enough money to last us through the Winter. -
Practicing Religion
There is no Church with in a few miles, so we have been practicing our Religion of Catholicism at home. I have been reading the Bible to my siblings every night before we go to bed, and we pray before every meal. There is no onw close to us, so I have no way of spreading religion to others. -
Suprise Visit
When I come back from the fields one day I find my mother inside our house. We greet each other with a hug since we have seen each other in eight years. She tells me that she recovered from her illness soon after we left and has been raising money for the past few years to come to America. She tells me she has brought money with her, so it will not be such a burden on the three of us that there is another person. I am over-joyed that I have reunited with my mother. -
Another Loss
Due to the cold weather, and loss of ability to grow potatoes in the Winter, my sister has grown terribly ill. My mother has tried her best to keep her well, but it was just not enough. My brother and I have been selling many things for medicine, but by the time we got to the right medicine it was to late. My sister passed away shortly after the new year.
