LEVINE:

Today is September the 17th, the year 2002. I'm here in Denville, New Jersey at the home of Margaret Gerhardt. Mrs. Gerhardt has a most unique story. She did spend four weeks at Ellis Island, and hence I am conducting this interview. But her story is not - she was actually detained there as a German enemy alien prior to the United States entering into World War II. GERHARDT: No.

LEVINE:

You were not detained by the U.S. government?

GERHARDT:

No. I was transit. EI-1255 GERHARDT, M 2

LEVINE:

You were in transit?

GERHARDT:

To go to a neutral boat of Gripzung, from Norway - Sweden. Gripzung was a - they brought all the wounded soldiers and stuff, like to Germany or - just transit.

LEVINE:

Okay. So you were there in transit waiting to go back to Germany.

GERHARDT:

On the boat. Yeah.

LEVINE:

Okay, well, we'll get the full story.

GERHARDT:

Yeah. [laughs] LEVINE: Okay. Anyway, I'm delighted to be here. I'm Janet Levine for the National Parks Service. If you would start at the beginning with your birth date, please?

GERHARDT:

I was born in 19 - the 27th of March, 1920.

LEVINE:

Okay. And you told me before, but for the tape - where in Germany were you born?

GERHARDT:

Zwingenberg, Germany.

LEVINE:

Could you spell that?

GERHARDT:

Yeah. Z-W-I-G-E-N-B-E-R-G. LEVINE: Okay. And it's near Frankfurt, you say.

GERHARDT:

Yes. [not understood] Between Heidelberg and Frankfurt.

LEVINE:

Okay. And Hessen is the name of the state.

GERHARDT:

[superposed] Yes. Is the state.

LEVINE:

Okay, great. And you lived there up until you left for the United States?

GERHARDT:

Until I was eighteen years old. Yeah. EI-1255 GERHARDT, M 3

LEVINE:

Well, just a little bit about your life prior to coming to this country. Your father's name?

GERHARDT:

My - it was Johann Opa.

LEVINE:

Johann? Opa. And your mother?

GERHARDT:

My mother's name was Barbara.

LEVINE:

And her maiden name?

GERHARDT:

Jacob.

LEVINE:

J --?

GERHARDT:

Jacob. Yeah. Right.

LEVINE:

Okay. Okay. And did you have sisters and brothers?

GERHARDT:

I have one sister still alive in Germany. And one brother who's still alive.

LEVINE:

Uh huh. So you - had you completed your schooling by the time you left?

GERHARDT:

For - I was before four weeks, I had the chance to come here. So I left in five days.

LEVINE:

Well, tell me what you knew about the United States prior to your coming. Did you want to come, and if so, why?

GERHARDT:

I just - there was a lady, she came every year. And I always talked to her, I was young and she was, oh, in her fifties, you know. And she was always telling me - and I always said, well, someday, I'm going to go there.

LEVINE:

What did she tell you that peaked your interest in the place?

GERHARDT:

Well, the [not understood]. The people are living here, and you know, she was always telling - my dream was to come to America. Even when I was small. I read everything, you know, and so - EI-1255 GERHARDT, M 4

LEVINE:

Were you - had you worked at all prior?

GERHARDT:

No, I was in school.

LEVINE:

You were in school right until…?

GERHARDT:

Housekeeping school in Germany. For four years, I was. Four years done. Except the four weeks, you know. And I came home from school and I have to tell you - and I had our news town newspaper, there was everyday a story in there. And it was two o'clock in the afternoon when I came and had my mother make me something to eat. And I wanted to read that story. Oh, she said, the newspaper didn't come today. I said, why? You know. And buh, buh, buh, buh ,buh. All of a sudden, she brought the paper. And I was reading along the edge wandert was written there. They were looking [not understood] girl to take to the United States for her needlepoint [ph]. And hwen I saw the name, I said, well, that's the teacher from the next town. We know them. You know. I said, get dressed, get dressed. You know. She said, no, no, [not understood]. I said, we go, maybe she takes me. I mean, I went to that slide of finishing school, you know. So we went and she said, no, I'm too young. You know. Oh, and my back and I get back with the teacher and I said, oh, can't you talk to her? And so we said, well great. So the next day she called, she said, well, she's going to try. So that was on a Friday, and Wednesday she was going already. To be -- well