Family History Charlie’s Mom’s Family’s History

For this project, I will be presenting the history of my mother’s side of our family. Did you know that my great, great, great grandfather sold umbrellas in Germany and America and was able to live in a 52-room house when he lived New York? My family is originally from Germany. Times were tough in Germany and people had to work really hard for little pay. My family was not forced to leave Germany, but they wanted to move to America because there were many opportunities. My family worked very long hours in Germany, but in America they could make more money working the same amount of hours. When my family lived in Germany, the only means of transportation was by a horse-drawn buggy. The weather would get very cold in the winters and there are many mountains throughout the country. My family left Germany in the 1800s on a boat headed for Ellis Island, New York. Once they arrived, they did not have to change their last name, Stockmann. They did have to learn a new language, English, because they only knew how to speak in German. When my family arrived, they lived just outside New York City and worked in sales and had other jobs too. In 1935, my great grand mother Mary Virginia Bister married my great grand father, Arthur Julius Stockmann. Today the Stockmann family is spread from New York to California.

Historian 1. What is the ethnic history of your family? German and Irish a. What was the basic language of my family? German b. What was life like in Germany at that time? Not many jobs / had to work hard c. What problems did Germany have at the time they left? Poor economy 2. What was life like where they were living? Times were tough a. What were homes made out of? Stone and wood b. What were building made of? Concrete and Stone c. What was the transportation of that time? Horse and buggy 3. What was going on in the world at the time they left their home? Germany was forming a. Were family’s forced to split apart? No b. Were family’s forced to leave there Country? No c. If yes, How did people leave and where did they go? By boat to America 4. What was it like in the U.S. when they arrived? Promising a. What jobs were avalible? Factory jobs as America was growing b. What size homes did they live in? 52 room house c. What was the means of transportation? Horse and buggy

Economist 1. What kinds of jobs did they have before they came to the U.S.? Sales positions a. How much money did people earn a year? b. How many people worked in their family? Everyone c. What jobs did people have? Sales positions / factory positions 2. How did your family make a living when they arrived in the U.S.? Sales a. What job did they have? Umbrella salesperson b. How many hours did they work a week? 60 c. Did they have more then one Job? No

Geographer 1. What was the country like where your family originated? Beautiful a. Where there mountains? Yes b. Did you live by a body of water? No c. What was the climate like? Cold in the winter – nice in the summer 2. Where did they settle in the U.S.? New York b. Was it in the North East region? Yes c. Did they seatle in the first place they arrived in? Yes 3. How did they get to the U.S.? a. By boat? Yes b. By Plane? No c. What ocean did they cross? The Atlantic

Political Scientist 1. Was there a political reason why your family came here? America was growing a. Did the government force them? No b. Did they leave on their free will? Yes c. If so, What was the reason they left? 2.How was your family able to assimilate (fit in) into the American culture? Slowly a. Did they have to learn a new language? Yes b. Did they have to change their Palette? Yes c. Did they have to change their last name? No

Historian What is the ethnic history of your family? a. German b. Irish c. Polish 2. What was life like where they were living? a. People had to work hard b. Economy wasn’t great 3. What was going on in the world at the time they left their home? a. America was growing b. Europe had problems 4. What was it like in the U.S. when they arrived? a. Everything was growing very fast b. People were coming to work in America from all over the world c. There were many jobs available

Economist 1. What kinds of jobs did they have before they came to the U.S.? a. Sales in Germany b. Labor jobs 2. How did your family make a living when they arrived in the U.S.? a. Sales b. Factory jobs

Geographer 1. What was the country like where your family originated? a. Very pretty b. Very cold in the winter c. Lots of mountains 2. Where did they settle in the U.S.? a. New York b. Michigan c. Connecticut 3. How did they get to the U.S.? a. On a boat b. Across the Atlantic Ocean c. They came through Ellis Island

Political Scientist 1. Was there a political reason why your family came here? a. No b.America had many opportunities for our family 2.How was your family able to assimilate (fit in) into the American culture? a. They worked hard at their jobs b. They played American sports c. They learned the English language

Maps of Germany