Honoring our Immigrant Herritage Survey

Full Name

Malsam, Lawrence A, Jr.

What are your ties to Collyer?

I was born there, My parents lived there.

Where did you live?

Which School did you attend?

St Michaels Grade School

Collyer High School

What was your religious affiliation?

Catholic.

Do you have any stories to tell about family hardships resulting from building and oranizing a Collyer Church or Church Structure?

Were your friends and neighbors all of the same religious affiliation?

Your ethnic background/which country did your ancesters call home?

German/Irish

Father - German

Mother - Irish (Lenihan) adopted by German Family (Bollig)

What language was spoken in the home?

English - German

Did you experience any problems or barriers caused by speaking a different language?

What ethnic and/or religiuos traditions do you specifically remember growing up with? Does your family still practice the same traditions?

Christmas, Easter, July 4th. (Yes, we practice the same traditions.)

When did you and/or your family move to Collyer?

Do you know how "Collyer" was chosen as a home designation? (Why did your family move here?) Did they operate a farm on homesteaded property?

Did you/and or your family operate a business in Collyer?

Did you or your parents serve in the military?

Yes.

Were there problems caused by your ethnic background?

Was your family name changed after you arrived in the United States?

What year were you born?

1933

Where was you place of birth?

Collyer, Kansas

Why did your family leave their homeland?

Searching for a better life. Migration from Germany to Russia to the USA.

What form of travel did your ancestors use to get to their destination?

Ship - Train

What hardships did they encounter on their journey?

Travel at this time was very difficult.

What Ports of Call did they travel through to get to America?

Port of Departure - Bramen Germany on the ship "Kiser Wilhelm der Grosse."

Which Port of Entry did they come through when they arrived in America?

New York, Ellis Island

What possessions did they bring along with them on their journey? Did they have to sell most of their possessions to be able to obtain money for the journey?

Whatever they could carry. (Yes - They sold most of their possessions to obtain money for the trip.)

How long did their journey take them from their homeland?

unknown

What was the occupation of your ancestors?

Farmers

Did they change occupations once they settled?

Did they face discrimination once they settled in Collyer?

Not that I know of.

How did they acquire their homestead land or business?

They sold most of their possessions in Klineliebenthal, Russia and purchased land in the USA.

Did there seem to be different social classes among the settlers?

I'm sure there was, but not to my knowledge.

How did the war affect you or your family?

Do you have ties or are you in communication with anyone in your ancestor's country?

Have you ever been back to your ancestor's country?

How did your ancestors integrate into a community? In other words, what was the common thread that brought them together?

Additional Notes:

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