My Grandmom
My grandmom Dora always told me the story of how she arrived in America. She must have told me over and over from when I was a little girl. My
grandmom lived with us till I was 12, when she died. And this is her
story: Dora was 15 when she made the journey to America. She had one
sister, Aunt Pearl, who had already come here. She also had seven
brothers in Austria. None of their wives wanted Dora living with them,
so she got a job as a maid until she had made enough money for her
passage here. At 15, Dora, by herself came to America. She arrived at
the port in Philadelphia. She moved in with Aunt Pearl at 3rd and
American Street. Aunt Pearl had 5 children. But when the 6th was on the
way, Dora had to leave. She moved to 4th and Catherine Street where she
rented a room from what would be her future mother in law. My
grandmother's name was Dora Pheffer. When entering this country they
changed it to Dora Pepper.