Sixth Grade

1
The Trail Of The Immigrants

• Sixth Grade
• Information Fluency Project
• Immigration

2
Contents
An Immigrant Family

• Meet Leonid Stepankov
•  
• Away We Go
•  
• America Is Calling
•  
• The Old Rugged Cross
•  
• Dear Sacha
•  
• To My Dear Friend
•  
• Bibliography

lthttp//memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/cdn_at_
field(NUMBER_at_band(ichicdnn069732gt
3
Meet Leonid Stepankov

• Leonid is an immigrant from Russia.
• He is traveling with his father, Dunai, and his
  mother, Raisa, until she falls ill on the ship
  and dies.
• He enjoys writing to his friend Sacha.
• He and his father plan to open a shop in western
  New York.
• He is 12 years old.
• He immigrated in the year 1896.

4
Away We Go

• Persecution
• Communism
• Poor Economy
• He was Jewish
• They needed work
• He couldnt go to school

5
America Is Calling

• Hope of Freedom
• Good Economy
• There is Work
• Less persecution
• Can go to School

6
The Old Rugged Cross

• Made in 1791
• Put together with square lashing
• Scarred badly
• I expect it was made by a Christian ancestor
• 13 high, 7 wide
• 1 squared lumber

7
Dear Sacha
On May, 11 1896 My Dear
Friend Sacha,   I know that you are
wondering why we left. We could not live in
Russia any more for I am both Jewish and of
mixed heritage. As you know my grandfather on my
mothers side is Russian and his wife is Jewish.
On my fathers side my grand fathers father was
German and his wife was Swedish. Also on my
fathers side my grandmothers father was English
and his wife was French. We had to leave this
land of persecution. It is very difficult to
pass to the port in England because of the
government and to be the Jew. Many people
discriminate us, and we hope, that it will not
happen in America. At last we have reached a
train. After uncountable days by train we have
made it to England. We had a little enough money
to buy tickets in stowage to America. There are
few bathrooms and no bathing. We go on deck for
fresh air when we can. The food is awful, and a
dirty fetidity of sweat is everywhere. I
have terrible news. My mother, Raisa, is ill and
could die. My father, Dunai, is very worried. I
know, that you studied the English language when
I have left. In case you have not learned well
there is another sheet with Russian not English
language. I hope you come to America as well.
Our goal is to reach western New York and open
a blacksmith shop. I am very young but I can
still help my father. I hope we are allowed to
enter America.    
Your friend,

Leonid In Russian 11 ???
1896 ??? ??????? ???? ????,   ? ????, ??? ??
????????? ????????, ?????? ?? ??????. ?? ?? ?????
???? ? ?????? ??????, ????????? ? ??????? ?
????????? ? ????????? ?????????. ????????? ??
??????, ??? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? ???? ?????? -
???????, ? ??? ???? ???????? ?????????. ??
??????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ???????? ???? ???
??????, ? ??? ???? ???? ????????. ????? ??
??????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ???
??????????, ? ??? ???? ???? ???????????. ??
?????? ???? ???????? ??? ????? ?????????????. ????
? ?????? ?????? ? ????? ? ?????? ??-??
????????????? ? ???? ??????. ????? ????? ????????
???, ? ?? ????????, ??? ??? ?? ????? ????????? ?
???????. ??????? ?? ???????? ??????. ?????
???????????? ???? ??????? ?? ??????? ??? ?
??????. ?? ????? ??????? ?????????? ?????, ?????
?????? ?????? ? ??????? ? ???????. ???? ???????
?????? ? ??????? ???????. ?? ?????????? ??????
??? ??????? ???????, ????? ?? ?????. ???? ??????,
? ??????? ???????? ???? - ?????. ? ???? ???????
???????. ??? ????, ?????, ???????? ??????? ?
????? ???????. ??? y????, ?????, ?????
?????????. ? ????, ??? ?? ??????? ??????????
????, ????? ? ?????. ? ??????, ???? ?? ?? ??????
?????? ???? ?????? ???? ? ??????? ?? ??????????
????. ? ???????, ??? ?? ?????????? ? ???????
?????. ???? ???? ??????? ? ???, ????? ??????????
????????? ???-????? ? ??????? ??????? ???????. ?
????? ?????, ?? ? ???? ??? ??? ???????? ?????
????. ? ???????, ??? ??? ????????? ????? ?
???????.    
??? ????,

??????
 
8
To My Dear Friend
On September 18, 1898
My Friend Sacha, I am sorry that I have
not been able to write back for so long. My work
is very hard. Though we made it to America life
is still difficult. We have opened the shop and I
tend the garden and sell some vegetables. The way
things are here are different than we thought.
I have terrible news. Mother died on the ship.
We are greatly troubled. We shall see her
againin heaven. Life is worse without my mother
Raisa. We shall always remember her. When we were
getting off the ship we were stopped and
inspected by the ships doctors. Some people were
kept on the ship. Most went into the immigration
center made of an old fort. There we were
inspected again and were questioned. Finally we
were allowed into America. We got a train to
Western New York and opened our shop The
Stepankov Blacksmith Shop. Our life has been
better in America. Now I can go to school! I am
so happy I might burst. I have been told we can
be what we want to be in America. I hope this is
the truth. Your Immigrant Friend, Leonid

9
Bibiography
Gorlach, Alex. Russian last names spell check.
Microsoft Outlook. 6 October 2004
lthttp//blogs.officezealot.com/gorlach/gt.   Levine
, Ellen. If Your Name Was Changed At Ellis
Island. New York. SCHOLASTIC INC. 1993   Life
under Russian Rule. Family History. 17 September
2004 lthttp//www.saperia/page/history.htmlifegt.  
Male Names/ Female Names. Russian Names. 17
September 2004 lt.edu/Murphy/rabenstein/Russian_nam
es.html gt.   Perl, Lila. The Great Ancestor Hunt
The Fun Of Finding Out Who You Are. New York
Macmillan/McGraw-Hill School Publishing Company,
1989.   Sands, Stella. Ellis Island May 2002
1-19   Sands, Stella. Immigration 2002
1-19   Texas Tech International Cultural Center,
Gateway to America-The Immigration Experience on
Ellis Island. September 21, 2004   Translation
from English to Russian. Free Translation. 23
September 2004 lthttp//www.translation2.paralink.c
om/gt.