OFF TOPIC HELP - Irish question

Ok - what would an turn of the century immigrant from Ireland bring with them to the USA in the way of a food that they WOULD NOT find here then and it must be nonperishable.

Google was unhelpful

Cheryl

Reply to
Cheryl Isaak
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Seeds that could be planted and likely a female would bring flower seeds that could be grown and subsequently used for dyes for her quilting and stitching.

Reply to
lucretiaborgia

Good answer Sheena. I am assuming it is the 1900s plus or minus.

When was the potato famine? My gut feeling is mid 1800s. My history classes were a long time ago.

Reply to
Gillian Murray

1845 or so, I think, long time since I was at school too.

It was partly thinking of Deerfield embroidery that made me think they would bring the necessities for making their household accoutrements more decorative.

Reply to
lucretiaborgia

Potatoes originated in America - Sir Walter Raleigh brought them to England. I imagine the Irish would take linen, and flax seeds to grow more.

Joyce in RSA.

Reply to
joyce

I don't think there were terribly many unperishable foods back then. AFAIK, the Irish weren't into drying, smoking and preserving until after they arrived in the US. The only thing I can imagine that might survive the sea journey would be root vegetables (maybe including seed potatoes, maybe not...) and seeds. I doubt they'd have brought 'decorative' items, because the poverty was so severe that would be unlikely.

I'd plump for turnips, parsnips, carrots, cabbages and/or the seeds thereof as well as barley, oats, maybe wheat or rye. I don't know whether it would have been possible for livestock to be transported by a private family, but have seen films that implied sheep and goats were regular immigrants on the Atlantic crossing.

HTH,

Reply to
Trish Brown

I didn't suggest they did but I would suggest that with humans being packed into the holds of ships, seeds would be more likely than large enough quantities of root vegetables, think about it !

Reply to
lucretiaborgia

IIRC, my Granny, who was born & raised in Creeslough, Co. Donegal, said there were several different potato famines of different severity throughout the 19th century. She was born 27 November 1888 (might have been 1886 but I'm not sure) and came over when she was sixteen. She brought her meager few pieces of clothing and a bit of food that she would eat while in transit. She never made mention of bringing anything food related other than the few bits of cereal and bread type grains and likely a few root veggies if they were available. Granny (Bridgit Kelly was her name) planned on living and working in the city and, at sixteen, knew she would have no resources to allow for land in which to plant anything. She arrived in Philadelphia and ended up working as a "third floor girl" doing laundry and such for the household she lived in. She finally worked her way to the kitchen where she got enough experience to finally be hired as the head cook for one of the embassies located in Boston. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

Reply to
Tia Mary

Well, - given that DD is going to her family, we assuming that they are on a farm or atleast have a garden plot (her character is the last of many siblings coming over).

We have "seeds" for madder, flax and other dye plants

Reply to
Cheryl Isaak

True, that I was taught in school, but I was just thinking of when the big exodus from Ireland happened. I think Ireland was a "stopping" point for some of the Scots after the evictions of the crofters. I know Jim's great grandfather was born in Ireland, but being a Murray, I suspect they were only there for a generation or so. I should love to get the family history worked out further back. With the James and Andrews as Christian names, Scotland does make sense.

I know.... I meandered away from the subject LOLOL.

Gillian

Reply to
Gillian Murray

Nearly all of the births, deaths, marriages, census figures etc have been put on data bases now and are accessible (for a fee) in Glasgow. You can do it from the comfort of Florida.

Reply to
lucretiaborgia

So, are you writing a book, Cheryl???

Enquiring minds want to know! lol

Joan

Reply to
Joan E.

I wish - DD is doing "immigration day" and needed HELP

C
Reply to
Cheryl Isaak

My papaw says it would have been "corns and tack" for eating en route; -- "corn" a generic terms for grains/oatmeal/rye/wheat etc. and "tack" being a variety of journey breads and tea/fruit type of cakes that would have been made with the last of any perishables or dried berries/nuts/beans/jerky they had around. Likely some of the same things you would find in working class lunch pails in that time period -- things easy to carry and handle and not requiring refrigeration.

Boy could my irish family (my maiden name is O'Neal) to this day work any leftovers into fritters (most recipes similar to potato pancakes aka latke style things) or soda breads (mostly similar to cornbreads) or a variety of biscuit/scone things. Few expected to be going to farms but would have human and livestock medicines, seeds, dyes and family spice and tea blends in hopes of future land possibilities and in preserving some family recipes (personally I think some of the cabbage and bean things some of my family elders tried to mash into muffins really could have been happily lost -- summers spent with grandparents we learned to please finish off most of the huge stewpot of pinto beans if we didn't want to be eating them in various things the rest of the week).

Reply to
RCTN

We'll be doing something similar and maybe crafting something that looks like a blood sausage - for it's gross out factor.

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Reply to
Cheryl Isaak

Only if there is time - one is 45 minutes away, the other 90.....

C
Reply to
Cheryl Isaak

Wait a minute there is a real German butcher nearby? I don't have to make my NY visitors bring it with them? Cheryl email me about where they are.

-Margaret in MA

Reply to
Margaret St. John

Do we need to road trip between hockey games dear friend?

Maybe you should just take a day off from work and we'll do it mid week

C
Reply to
Cheryl Isaak

I'd love to its just hard to figure out when.

-Margaret in MA

Reply to
Margaret St. John

Let me know - we can combine it with some S.E.X too!

Reply to
Cheryl Isaak

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