by It dawned on me the other day that, on my father’s side, I am a second generation American. That is if you consider the term “American” to be somebody from the U.S.A. and not just North America (which I do). If you take into account Canada and Mexico, then my runner-up claim to being second generation American falls apart, so I choose the term United States of American.
But more clarification is needed to support my claim to being 2nd generation United States of American. It’s important to remember that prior to 1776 there was no United States. Anybody living here was a subject of someplace else.
The Crosby side of my family tree has been in North America for a very long time. So long, that they came, left, and then came back! I am reminded of Bill Murray’s line in the movie Stripes…
“We’re Americans with a capital ‘A’. That means our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world.“
We’re Crosbys dammit!
Anyway, back in the 1600s my forefathers came to North America and settled in what is now Massachusetts. In 1762, my 5th-great-grandfather Edward Tinkham (1719-1793) moved his family to Nova Scotia. My direct ancestors stayed in Nova Scotia for about the next 160 years before moving to the United States.
Around 1924 my grandparents, Roy (1878-1954) and Katherine (1905-1966) Crosby, moved from Nova Scotia, Canada to New Jersey. Roy was descended from a long line of Nova Scotians while Katherine (Mc/MacDonald) was of strong Scottish descent. Their children (nine of whom lived past infancy and into adulthood) were all born in New Jersey, giving them the distinction of being first generation “Americans”.
My grandparents weren’t part of any recognized “great migration”. They didn’t pass with thousands of other immigrants through Ellis Island. Hell, they didn’t even come by boat, they came by train! I almost feel like a baseball player who holds a record that has an asterisk next to it. Moe Crosby: Second Generation American*
After a rather circuitous journey, the Crosbys now have a strong foothold in the U.S.A. and there are no signs, yet, that we’re are about to be kicked out. To me the Crosby route is quite unique. I have never heard a similar tale of migration. But somehow I am not surprised.
(Fact: Bill Murray’s line does apply. Some of my Crosby ancestors were kicked out of two countries before coming to North America. But that is a story for another post.)
