This book describes the experiences of Irish emigrants from the 1700’s up to and including the entire 20th century. Not only does Dolan describe what life would have been like for the Irish who did cross the pond, he also discusses, in great detail, the conditions that caused many people to leave Ireland in the Read More
Tag: Immigration
The Guarded Gate, by Daniel Okrent
If you had family that came through Ellis Island in the early 1900’s, but there were other family members who did not emigrate, this book might help explain why they were not able to relocate to the United States. While the focus of this book does not relate directly to genealogy, it explains in depressing Read More
Triangle, The Fire that Changed America, by David Von Drehle
I remember hearing about this fire, which occurred in 1911, in my Social Studies class, which was long enough ago that it obviously made an impression, since I can still remember it now. That was only a paragraph or two, and this is an entire book. Obviously, the story is even more memorable when you Read More
Plentiful Country, by Tyler Anbinder
This book works to disprove the long accepted idea that the Irish who came to America fleeing the Potato Famine arrived as unskilled labor, and remained at the lowest rungs of society for the rest of their lives. Anbinder, with help from a number of assistants, undertook a ten year study, and this book is Read More
Brought Forth on This Continent, by Harold Holzer
This is a Lincoln biography, but with a specific focus. The subtitle of the book is “Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration”. Most of the biographies of Lincoln that I have read, and I certainly have not read them all, focus mainly on his early years, and then the years in the White House in the Read More
A Short History of the Railroad, by Christian Wolmar
I had thought that this book would cover the history of the American railroad system, and it does. However, it also covers the history of railroad systems around the world. So, the level of information is in some cases very broad, but not terribly deep. Having said that, I did learn a couple of things Read More
Middling Folk, by Linda H Matthews
This book tells the saga of one family, the Hammills, through several generations. Matthews starts her story in Scotland, moves to Ireland, and then brings her ancestors into the American colonies, before the Revolution. The title refers to the fact that the people she writes about were neither very rich and at the top of Read More
Savage Liberty, by Eliot Pattison
While this is historical fiction, and not a fictionalized version of an actual historical event, if you enjoy mysteries, then it is an interesting read. The author did do his research, and name-drops a number of actual historical figures. The main plot of the book, the mystery to be solved, is completely created by the Read More
How the Scots Made America, by Michael Fry
While this is not a comprehensive survey of American history, it definitely covers quite a bit of it. And all of it in relation to Scots, or the descendants of Scots, who came to America. The author makes the point that the unique Scottish personality helped make Americans and America who and what we are Read More
The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini, by Joe Posnanski
Everyone has heard of Houdini; his name is almost synonymous with magic. That is a point this author makes a number of times in his book. And there have been a couple of popular movies about him, with variable accuracy. This book tries to get at the real story. One important part of Houdini’s story Read More