For reasons I have not yet fully understood, many immigrants destined for the USA would go to Canada first, and then cross the border from Canada. On his return to America after Michael was born, our Giuseppe chose this route.

I do know that Canada had set up "recruiting" offices in Hamburg to encourage emmigration to Canada. I do know that the Canadian Grand Trunk Railway had built track from Montreal to Portland, Maine, because Portland had an ice-free port.

The first two excerpts below are from an immigration record from April, 1913. All border crossing records were collected at St Albans, but Tony actually crossed at St Albans, VT. He is on line 23, and I have no doubt of his identity.


His age is 33 (1880 birth); he is a mason; he came from San Bartolomeo in Italy; his wife is "Pasquelella"; and he is destined for Bridgeport.


On page two (again line 23) we see that he was previously in the US (Bridgeport) from 1903-1911; that he will be met in Bridgeport by his "godfather" Michael "B...te" who lives at 82 Lexington Ave; that he enter at St Albans on the Central Vermont RR (CVR); that he landed in Portland (ME) on the ship Hannover; and that he was examined at St Albans on the 21st of April.

The following excerpt simply confirms his passage on the Hannover, arriving from Hamburg at Portland April 19th, and that he is destined for Montreal.