Okay , you raise a valid issue: why did our ancestors leave their homes to come to America? In MANY, MANY cases, the reason is not noble. Many came because they were lied to by recruiters from America who were looking for cheap labor in their mines and factories. And on top of that they had to put up with discrimination to boot! (Does the term BOHUNK come to mind?) Karen Heiser, Weed, Siskiyou, CA ----- Original Message ----- From: "ashley tiwara" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 10:57 AM Subject: [CROATIA-L] family discussion > The strength of this list to my mind is the family discussion, as Margaret said. Occasional old boy comments about golf are acceptable as long as the golf duffers consider it appropriate for women to make postings about matters like voting rights and union organizing. Women and men died so that we could have the right to vote, to organize, and I don't mean died only on the picket line. > Many of those who have fought in America's declared wars would say they fought for the rights guaranteed them by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. If their deaths have no meaning, it comes when free speech is denied their descendants. > Were your Croatian ancestors looking for freedom of religion? for the right to own property and pass on an inheritance to their children? Serfdom survived in parts of Europe notably including Austria until the post WW1 years. Public schools were common in the USA by 1900, they were still rather unusual in Europe then. Maybe your grandparents or great - grandparents left Europe to go to New Zealand or Argentina or the USA so that their children's children could learn to read. > So that they could someday use the internet. > So they'd have access to the resources this mailing list represents. Instead of being locked into a medieval world where neither they nor their children had the right to choose their religious preferences, or the right to an education, or the right to vote for their rulers, inherit the land they worked, or even the right to move on if the life they lead was unsatisfactory to them. > So they would have the possibility to eat roast lamb when they wanted to or golf when they chose to instead of lamb once a year and sports and games for little children only. > > Genealogy is more than dates and facts. > Ashley > ----- Original Message ----- > From: William F Kane > To: [email protected] > Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2005 4:06 PM > Subject: [CROATIA-L] Re: Girls and boys > > > There is another old Croatian saying that was true 100 years ago and > maybe even just a few years ago in some rural parts of Croatia. "a > woman holds down three corners of the farm and helps her husband with the > forth." I think we are all aware of how hard our mothers and > grandmothers worked with out much recognition. Things have changed > however. Lets get back to genealogy. I apologize for sending one e-mail > in reply to the golfing inquiry. I don't even golf. > Bill Kane > >

Our ancestors came to the US or Canada because they did not have enough to eat -- it is as simple as that, period. No one leaves their home region (or country) without a reason that is usually tied to economics. They were dirt poor; they were peasants with a life so difficult that we cannot imagine it today living in the mostly comfortable conditions of our times. Sure, they were recruited, but because the reward was enough food to eat and generally an absence of the Crown that made life so harsh -- we sometime like to glamorize their difficult journey, but please always remember those words on the Statue of Liberty -- they say it was like it was -- miserable and oppressive in their home area. People do not leave their home if everything is comfortable and economically well -- our ancestors had the guts to try to better themselves!!! Matt PS -- The above does not only refer to Croatians, but to all those who came here in the past and to those that are still coming by the thousands each and every day -- legally and illegally. And, yes, I have been to Croatia (I speak the language), and to most of the rest of Europe and Asia. On Apr 25, 2005, at 1:45 PM, Karen Heiser wrote: > Okay , you raise a valid issue: why did our ancestors leave their > homes to > come to America? > In MANY, MANY cases, the reason is not noble. Many came because they > were > lied to by recruiters from America who were looking for cheap labor in > their > mines and factories. And on top of that they had to put up with > discrimination to boot! (Does the term BOHUNK come to mind?) > Karen Heiser, > Weed, Siskiyou, CA > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "ashley tiwara" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 10:57 AM > Subject: [CROATIA-L] family discussion > > >> The strength of this list to my mind is the family discussion, as >> Margaret > said. Occasional old boy comments about golf are acceptable as long > as the > golf duffers consider it appropriate for women to make postings about > matters like voting rights and union organizing. Women and men died > so that > we could have the right to vote, to organize, and I don't mean died > only on > the picket line. >> Many of those who have fought in America's declared wars would say > they fought for the rights guaranteed them by the Constitution and > Bill of > Rights. If their deaths have no meaning, it comes when free speech is > denied their descendants. >> Were your Croatian ancestors looking for freedom of religion? >> for the > right to own property and pass on an inheritance to their children? > Serfdom > survived in parts of Europe notably including Austria until the post > WW1 > years. Public schools were common in the USA by 1900, they were still > rather unusual in Europe then. Maybe your grandparents or great - > grandparents left Europe to go to New Zealand or Argentina or the USA > so > that their children's children could learn to read. >> So that they could someday use the internet. >> So they'd have access to the resources this mailing list >> represents. > Instead of being locked into a medieval world where neither they nor > their > children had the right to choose their religious preferences, or the > right > to an education, or the right to vote for their rulers, inherit the > land > they worked, or even the right to move on if the life they lead was > unsatisfactory to them. >> So they would have the possibility to eat roast lamb when they >> wanted > to or golf when they chose to instead of lamb once a year and sports > and > games for little children only. >> >> Genealogy is more than dates and facts. >> Ashley >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: William F Kane >> To: [email protected] >> Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2005 4:06 PM >> Subject: [CROATIA-L] Re: Girls and boys >> >> >> There is another old Croatian saying that was true 100 years ago and >> maybe even just a few years ago in some rural parts of Croatia. "a >> woman holds down three corners of the farm and helps her husband >> with > the >> forth." I think we are all aware of how hard our mothers and >> grandmothers worked with out much recognition. Things have changed >> however. Lets get back to genealogy. I apologize for sending one >> e-mail >> in reply to the golfing inquiry. I don't even golf. >> Bill Kane >> >> > >