Packing5

*A Flood of Immigrants*

Some immigrants between 1880 and 1920 came as families and some came individually, following the path of family or villagers. It was not uncommon for people to return to their native land many times.

Ellen Olsson's passport ca. 1926 and a copper kettle brought by Elna Pearsan, both immigrants to Plymouth from the same area of Sweden.

Copper pot brought to America by the Shriber family ca. 1890. Brought from Odessa, Russia, the pot was carefully packed in pillowcases for safekeeeping on the journey.

By the early 1900s, most European immigrants came from four European ports : Liverpool, Naples, Hamburg and Bremen. While many immigrant ships sailed into Boston or New Bedford, by the early 1900s many steerage passengers sailed to Ellis Island in New York harbor. By the end of World War I, nativist sentiment led to restrictions on immigration levels, particularly among those people from areas other than western Europe. After 1924 these restrictions led to a dramatic drop in immigration, as well as return visits home.