Today’s post finds Debs Webster and his family leaving Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and sailing toward their final destination of The United States of America. They still have 1,942 miles to go on the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
As the photo below shows, the crew of the S.S. Brazil did a fantastic job keeping the kids entertained.
For more photos of the kids at play, see my previous post Children's Games on Board the S.S. Brazil.
Welcome to America!
Imagine the excitement Debs and his family felt as they finally approached the shores of the United States. I love that my Grandpa Debs took this photo of The Statue of Liberty while on board the S.S. Brazil.
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| The Statue of Liberty – July 1952 Click to Enlarge |
Hello New York City!
Debs and his family arrived in New York City on July 22, 1952 and stayed there until the end of the month.
They had just left winter in Brazil and arrived during summer here in America.
Following their arrival in New York City, Debs and his family stayed at the Hotel Greystone.
My mom recalls that they stayed on one of the upper floors of the hotel and that there was no air conditioning. She said it was so hot!
Originally built as a stately hotel in 1923, the Hotel Greystone is now an apartment building. Here is their current website - Hotel Greystone.
This vintage postcard of the William Sloane House YMCA sits next to the Hotel Greystone postcard in my Grandfather Debs’ photo album. I asked my mom if they stayed there too, but she said no. She thinks my Grandfather bought the postcard because he and his dad, The Traveling Dentist, may have stayed there on one of their trips to the U.S.
Well, my Webster family has finally arrived in The United States of America, so that is the end of this series of posts.
But it’s not the end of their adventures. They still have a trip across the United States to make to reach their final destination in Southern California.
So stay tuned for more stories, photos and vintage postcards from across the United States.
Thanks for reading!
Jana
Copyright © Jana Last 2012
My first sight of the Statue of Liberty brought tears to my eyes, and I wasn't even one of the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Debs' photo is both ordinary and extraordinary. I'm glad too that he saved the postcards - like a visual record of his experience.
ReplyDeleteHello Wendy! I hope you had a lovely 4th of July yesterday!
DeleteSadly, I've never seen the Statue of Liberty in person. Maybe some day. :) I'm sure it would be a moving experience.
Thanks for reading and for your comments. I really appreciate it.
How great to have such family memorabilia from their journey. I look forward to reading about the next stage. Many years ago I spent a year in the USA, working in Bston, visited New York and took the Staaten Island Ferry out to the Statue of iberty. I can see why it is such an iconic image for people arriving in the country.
ReplyDeleteHello Susan!
DeleteIt really is fun to look through and share these family treasures from their journey/adventure.
I hope you had a lovely time while you were here in the States. I've personally never traveled out of the country, though I think that would be fun. Some day maybe. :)
Thanks for reading and for your comments!
I really enjoy seeing that picture of the statue of liberty taken by your Grandpa Debs. Now you get to re-live that moment with them ... and so do we. Thanks for posting ...
ReplyDeleteI love your comment ljhlaura! I'm so glad my Grandpa let us re-live that special moment with him through his photo.
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by!
What an enjoyable post - it reads like an extract from the TV programme "Who Do You Think You Are". Family history writing at its best.
ReplyDeleteHow very kind you are Alan! Thank you so much for your sweet and generous comments. And thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I really appreciate it.
DeleteThis has been an interesting series of posts. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for reading Anne and for your comments. I really appreciate it!
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