Passing on History
A part of history was lost with passing of Lois’
father. Morris Horn was born in what was
Poland on December 24th 1912. The turbulent times of the Russian pogroms
forced the break-up and migration of his family across Europe
and eventually to America. With his passing, lost forever was the
history of how that migration happened and how he grew up on the East Side of
New York. Throughout his life snippets/hints
were heard of an important story to be told.
We knew that when the Russians came; the family was forced into camps.
Both parents perished in the camps and the children started their journey
across Europe. We knew that Morris had to learn several
languages as he crossed Europe. We knew that he had come on a boat out of
perhaps Amsterdam to Staten
Island. We heard that he
had started to live with one sister, but finally ended up in an orphanage in
the Bowery. What was
missing were the details and the connections between each event. Though the years we said again and again how important
it was to take down this story, to be able to pass it on to future
generations. With his death on April 12th, 2005 the last
of that family passed with its history gone.
History also affected my parents. The farm depression of the 20s and 30s affected
how they grew up. Livelihoods on the
farms disappeared and in the Midwest there was little
else one could do to earn a living. My
mother tells how her family of 13 became homeless at one point. They found themselves moving from relative to
another relative; dependent on others for food and shelter. For the most part these stories too are gone.
Now my story is by no means filled with what I would
perceive as the momentous forces of history that thrust the Horn family out of
Poland.
I can no way compare my history with that of my father-in-law. Nor was my childhood filled with uncertainty
of where the next meal would come from or where I would sleep. However, I do believe I can learn from the
histories that were never told. And so,
I intend to tell as much as I remember of my history. History of my times influenced my coming and
goings and perhaps my offspring would find interest in what shaped my time.
The following are a reporting of random events and
perceptions that I believe shaped who I am.
It is not intended to be a complete history but rather flashes that keep
coming back to me as I reflect on my past. They are presented in no special
order other than how I wrote them. I
will add more and more as time goes on.
The following is a list that I have so far. Those that have been written are indicated by
a link. They are:
William K. Miller
9/5/07
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