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

wrote:
On Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:58:14 -0500, Cheryl Isaak
wrote:

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

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.

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.

wrote:
On Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:35:14 -0500, Gillian Murray
wrote:

wrote:
On Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:58:14 -0500, Cheryl Isaak
wrote:

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
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.
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.


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.

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.

Cheryl Isaak wrote:
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


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,

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Gillian Murray wrote:

wrote:

On Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:58:14 -0500, Cheryl Isaak
wrote:

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


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.


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.

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 ^;;^

--
PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ (RCTQ Queen of Kitties)
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about
their whiskers!
Visit my Photo albums at http://community.webshots.com/user/tiamary

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

joyce wrote:
wrote:
On Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:35:14 -0500, Gillian Murray
wrote:

wrote:
On Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:58:14 -0500, Cheryl Isaak
wrote:

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
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.
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.


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.

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.

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

On Feb 3, 9:21*am, Cheryl Isaak wrote:
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).

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

Enquiring minds want to know! lol

Joan

On 2/4/10 10:28 AM, in article
, "Joan E."
wrote:

On Feb 3, 9:21*am, Cheryl Isaak wrote:
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).

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

Enquiring minds want to know! lol

Joan


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

C

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).

"Cheryl Isaak" wrote in message
...
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