SIGRIST:

This is Paul Sigrist for the National Park Service. Today is Tuesday, September 24, 1991. We are in Tom's River,at the Holiday Care Center with Theresa Duffy.

DUFFY:

Yes.

SIGRIST:

Who came from Ireland in 1912. Good afternoon, Mrs. Duffy.

DUFFY:

Good afternoon.

SIGRIST:

Mrs. Duffy, can you tell me where you were born?

DUFFY:

County Mayo, Ireland.

SIGRIST:

Can you spell that for me, please?

DUFFY:

C-O-U-N-T-Y, County Mayo, M-A-Y-O, Ireland.

SIGRIST:

And in what town in that County?

DUFFY:

Three miles from Ballina.

SIGRIST:

From where?

DUFFY:

From Ballina.

SIGRIST:

Could you spell that too for me, please?

DUFFY:

B-A-L-L-I-N-A.

SIGRIST:

And what was that town like where you were born?

DUFFY:

Just five or six stores, grocery stores. That's about it.

SIGRIST:

Kind of a small town?

DUFFY:

Yes, small town.

SIGRIST:

What was, was there any industry in the town at all?

DUFFY:

No, not then. No.

SIGRIST:

Mostly farmers?

DUFFY:

Yeah, all farmers.

SIGRIST:

I see. Well let's talk a little bit about your family. What was your father's name?

DUFFY:

Thomas Gavin.

SIGRIST:

And what did he do for a living?

DUFFY:

Farmer.

SIGRIST:

And did he have his own farm?

DUFFY:

Yes, small farm.

SIGRIST:

Can you describe that for me, please?

DUFFY:

How could I describe it? I couldn't tell you how manyacres, about six acres.

SIGRIST:

Did you have animals?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes.

SIGRIST:

What kind of animals?

DUFFY:

Cows and horse, chickens and all that. Turkeys and geese, everything.

SIGRIST:

And was, there was a house too?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes. A house.

SIGRIST:

Could you describe the house for me?

DUFFY:

Oh, it was a cottage. A thatched cottage. Thatched. What was it made out of? Was it stone or wood?

DUFFY:

Stone, yes.

SIGRIST:

How many rooms did it have?

DUFFY:

Three bedrooms and a big kitchen and the bath outside.

SIGRIST:

Can you describe the bath for me outside?

DUFFY:

The bath was built, you know a little house. They had heat there, that was the bath.

SIGRIST:

I see and did you have wooden floors in the cottage? DUFFY No, cement floors.

SIGRIST:

I see. Were you a big family?

DUFFY:

Four brothers and a sister.

SIGRIST:

And can you name your siblings?

DUFFY:

Michael, Thomas, John and Pat and Katherine.

SIGRIST:

And are you the youngest of all these?

DUFFY:

No, my sister was the youngest.

SIGRIST:

You're the next to the youngest?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Can you tell me what it was like being a little girl growing up on a farm?

DUFFY:

Oh, I loved it.

SIGRIST:

What were some of your chores?

DUFFY:

Beg your pardon?

SIGRIST:

What were some of the chores you had to do?

DUFFY:

Oh, we had to help my brother on the farm, help with the cattle, feed them and take them out and back into the stable.

SIGRIST:

What did you have to do?

DUFFY:

I had to do that.

SIGRIST:

Oh, you did that with the cattle?

DUFFY:

Yes. And pick up the potatoes and vegetables my brother would dig.

SIGRIST:

Did you ever have to dig potatoes?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes. We all did at that time.

SIGRIST:

Did your father also hire people to help?

DUFFY:

No.

SIGRIST:

So this was completely family run?

DUFFY:

Yes. Then he got sick.

SIGRIST:

What did he get sick with?

DUFFY:

Stroke.

SIGRIST:

Oh. So what happened when that happened?

DUFFY:

Well then, I was going to school in the eighth grade and then I had to stay home to help take care of them, all come around, because my mother couldn't do it all. She had to make the bread, and wash and milk the cow, all that.

SIGRIST:

So was your father an invalid for the rest of his life?

DUFFY:

Yes, for the rest, he lived two years and died.

SIGRIST:

Let's talk a little bit about your mother. What was her name?

DUFFY:

Mary Gaughn.

SIGRIST:

Gaughn?

DUFFY:

Gaughn, G-A-U-G-H-N.

SIGRIST:

I see. Was she from this town also?

DUFFY:

Yeah, from that town.

SIGRIST:

How did your mother and father meet?

DUFFY:

I couldn't tell you that.

SIGRIST:

Don't know.

DUFFY:

But they were very happy.

SIGRIST:

I see.

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

And what sort of things did she do around the house? You said she baked bread.

DUFFY:

Oh, yeah, milked the cows, washed and cooked, all that.

SIGRIST:

Was it a hard life?

DUFFY:

Oh, very hard, very hard.

SIGRIST:

Did either your mother or father have other family in this town?

DUFFY:

They had cousins, yes.

SIGRIST:

What about grandparents?

DUFFY:

Well, I didn't ever meet the grandparents and I think they were all dead by then.

SIGRIST:

I see. So, so you all had to work...

DUFFY:

Yes.

SIGRIST:

On the farm? What kind of food did you eat?

DUFFY:

Oh, we had potatoes and eggs, meat, chicken.

SIGRIST:

Did you have to buy anything or were you self sufficient on the farm?

DUFFY:

Well, we had all kinds of, we had chickens, turkeys, geese, everything. We bought meat sometimes, beef.

SIGRIST:

Do you remember something your mother cooked that you especially liked?

DUFFY:

Irish bread, yes.

SIGRIST:

Irish bread, how did she do that?

DUFFY:

How? Baked it, soda bread, raisins.

SIGRIST:

Did she teach you how to cook?

DUFFY:

Yeah, a little.

SIGRIST:

Did you like housework or did you like working out in the field better?

DUFFY:

Oh, I didn't mind anything. I was happy then. Yeah.

SIGRIST:

I see. Can you talk a little bit about your religious life at that time? Were you...

DUFFY:

Oh yeah, we had a mile to walk to church, one mile.

SIGRIST:

Were you Catholic?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

And how often did you go to church?

DUFFY:

Every Sunday.

SIGRIST:

Did the whole family walk...

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Together?

DUFFY:

Walk.

SIGRIST:

Your father was religious also?

DUFFY:

Yeah, they all were.

SIGRIST:

Talk about Christmas for me. What was Christmas like when you were a girl?

DUFFY:

You, well they all got together and had a nice dinner, that's all.

SIGRIST:

Who, who, where did you go? Did you have dinner at your home?

DUFFY:

At home, at home.

SIGRIST:

Did you invite people in?

DUFFY:

Yes.

SIGRIST:

What kind of, did you give, exchange presents?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes.

SIGRIST:

What kinds of things would you have gotten as a little girl?

DUFFY:

Something to wear, school.

SIGRIST:

Did your mother make the clothes?

DUFFY:

Oh yeah, most of them.

SIGRIST:

Did she have a sewing machine?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes. And she also, we had sheep and they would wash the sheep and shear them and she had this spinning wheel and make the wool for the socks. She also knitted socks.

SIGRIST:

So she was a busy woman?

DUFFY:

Oh yeah, very busy.

SIGRIST:

Talk a little bit about your brothers. Were they, since they were all older than you...

DUFFY:

Oh yes, all older.

SIGRIST:

Ah...

DUFFY:

They helped my father on the farm.

SIGRIST:

Did any of them have jobs outside of the farm?

DUFFY:

They left him for England.

SIGRIST:

When did they go to England?

DUFFY:

'Bout three years before my father died. And then my brother, one came to this country, my oldest brother.

SIGRIST:

Did all your brothers go to England at the same time?

DUFFY:

No, one every year.

SIGRIST:

Was that sad for you to see them go?

DUFFY:

Yes, oh yeah but they, England isn't far away from Ireland. You could go there overnight.

SIGRIST:

I see. Tell me a little bit about, did you go to school in this town?

DUFFY:

Yes, we did. The school was right there in the village.

SIGRIST:

What did the school look like?

DUFFY:

It was a big room and all the classes were screened off. They had a fire, three fireplaces. That's what the heat were.

SIGRIST:

Who taught in this school?

DUFFY:

Huh?

SIGRIST:

Who taught in this school?

DUFFY:

Thomas Hanley.

SIGRIST:

Thomas Hanley?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

And what was he like as a teacher?

DUFFY:

Oh, he was very good, very strict, very strict.

SIGRIST:

When you say strict did he, did he hit the students at all?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes. He punished them.

SIGRIST:

How would he punish them?

DUFFY:

He gave them a lot of homework. They had to do that.

SIGRIST:

Yeah. What was your favorite subject?

DUFFY:

My favorite subject? Reading.

SIGRIST:

You liked to read?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Did you ever read anything about America?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes. After my brother, I had aunts out here and my brother came to my aunt's.

SIGRIST:

So what year did your brother come to America?

DUFFY:

Oh, I forgot that date.

SIGRIST:

But it was a few years after your father had died?

DUFFY:

Yes.

SIGRIST:

After your father died tell me a little bit how your mother kept things going. Was it really hard for her when he died?

DUFFY:

Oh, very hard.

SIGRIST:

Was she very heartbroken when he died?

DUFFY:

Oh my, yes. Very heartbroken.

SIGRIST:

Did she then have to take over all the farm responsibilities?

DUFFY:

Well then, then they didn't do so much on the farm, very little then.

SIGRIST:

So what happened to all those fields and animals? What happened...

DUFFY:

Well, we had animals they didn't stay out all winter. That was easy.

SIGRIST:

So you didn't have to get rid of anything?

DUFFY:

No.

SIGRIST:

I see. Let me ask you, your brother went to America, only one brother went to America?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Now was he writing back and forth to you?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes. He wrote for me to come over here.

SIGRIST:

Uh huh.

DUFFY:

He'd send me to high school.

SIGRIST:

What kinds of things did he tell you about America?

DUFFY:

He didn't say much, but he paid my way and that's when I got started and was going to come on the "Titanic".

SIGRIST:

Did you want to come to America?

DUFFY:

I was not to crazy about it, cause I wanted to go to school.

SIGRIST:

And you knew you wouldn't get any more schooling where you were.

DUFFY:

Yeah, that's right.

SIGRIST:

Did you ever, while living in this small town, did you ever take trips to, to some of the larger cities?

DUFFY:

No, no. We didn't have time and not the money either.

SIGRIST:

What was the hardest season for you? Was the winter harder?

DUFFY:

No, very nice, we were all prepared for the winter.

SIGRIST:

How would you prepare for the winter?

DUFFY:

Put the stuff away for, to keep for the winter.

SIGRIST:

You're talking about the food.

DUFFY:

Yes.

SIGRIST:

Did you, what kinds of foods did you store for the winter?

DUFFY:

Potatoes and vegetables.

SIGRIST:

How did you store the potatoes?

DUFFY:

Yeah. you dig a hole in the ground and put the straw over them and put the dirt over them.

SIGRIST:

And they'd last through the ...

DUFFY:

Oh, yeah.

SIGRIST:

What was the weather like in this town?

DUFFY:

It's never very cold there, never.

SIGRIST:

Any snow ever?

DUFFY:

It did but the snow would go right away the next day.

SIGRIST:

It sounds like you lead a rather active life, you had a lot to do.

DUFFY:

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

SIGRIST:

What you do for fun?

DUFFY:

Yes, played music.

SIGRIST:

What kind of music?

DUFFY:

We played the accordion.

SIGRIST:

Did you dance?

DUFFY:

Yeah. Oh, yes.

SIGRIST:

Did you have a piano in the house?

DUFFY:

No.

SIGRIST:

Were you from a musical family?

DUFFY:

Well, my mother was, she could sing and my brothers, we'd walk through the neighborhood.

SIGRIST:

Did the church supply any kind of...

DUFFY:

No, not in those days.

SIGRIST:

They were not a social organization?

DUFFY:

No, not in those days.

SIGRIST:

What about the school?

DUFFY:

The school either.

SIGRIST:

Was there maybe a fair or some kind of a...

DUFFY:

No, no.

SIGRIST:

So there really wasn't a whole lot to do except work.

DUFFY:

No, that's it. Just work.

SIGRIST:

Alright, so your brother is writing to you and he wants you to come to America.

DUFFY:

I did.

SIGRIST:

And you're not real thrilled about the idea.

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

What made you decide to do it?

DUFFY:

Well, my mother said it would be good if I could do it, so I did.

SIGRIST:

When you left for America, how many of your brothers and sisters were still living with your mother?

DUFFY:

Just two brothers and a sister.

SIGRIST:

I see. And do you remember, did your brother send you passage to America?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes.

SIGRIST:

Do you remember, do you remember packing?

DUFFY:

Oh, I do.

SIGRIST:

What did you take?

DUFFY:

Everything, not much cause, they didn't use that kind of clothing here then.

SIGRIST:

What kind of clothing do you mean?

DUFFY:

Lighter, much lighter than there. Did you have a suitcase that you took?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes.

SIGRIST:

Was it your's or was it your mother's?

DUFFY:

My mother's.

SIGRIST:

She gave you her suitcase.

DUFFY:

Hm, hmmm.

SIGRIST:

Do you remember saying goodbye...

DUFFY:

Oh, yeah.

SIGRIST:

To your family? Can you tell me a little bit what that felt like?

DUFFY:

Oh, she rode with us on the train up to the next station.

SIGRIST:

She went with you?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

And then you said goodbye to her?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Was that really hard for you to do?

DUFFY:

Oh, yeah. I never seen her any more, she died.

SIGRIST:

Did you think that when you were saying goodbye to her that you never would see her again?

DUFFY:

Oh, I hoped to, yes, to see her but I never did.

SIGRIST:

So you took the train, from there to where?

DUFFY:

To Queenstown.

SIGRIST:

Is that a long train ride?

DUFFY:

Nearly eight hours.

SIGRIST:

That's a long train ride. Had you ever been on a train before?

DUFFY:

No.

SIGRIST:

What was that like for you?

DUFFY:

Oh, nice, it was nice.

SIGRIST:

You liked it?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Can you kind of describe for me what the inside of the train looked like?

DUFFY:

Yes, it was very nice, very nice.

SIGRIST:

Crowded?

DUFFY:

Um hmm.

SIGRIST:

Lot of people. Did you bring, when you went on the train ride, did you bring any food to eat?

DUFFY:

I think we had something, I don't know what.

SIGRIST:

But you took something?

DUFFY:

Something.

SIGRIST:

Alright, so you arrived in Queenstown.

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

And this is in April you said. Right, you were leaving in April?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

How long did you have to stay in Queenstown?

DUFFY:

We stayed overnight and the next day we were all going to sail.

SIGRIST:

Now you say "we", is someone traveling with you?

DUFFY:

My cousin and my, a friend of ours.

SIGRIST:

Are they going to America with you or are they just going to Queenstown?

DUFFY:

Yes. Yes, they were going with me.

SIGRIST:

Alright, tell me who is this friend? You said she's a friend of yours, what...

DUFFY:

She's was Knockmoor, Annie Walsh from Knockmoor.

SIGRIST:

Annie Walsh and how did you know Annie?

DUFFY:

Well we used to go to the same church.

SIGRIST:

I see. Were you good friends or just sort of good friends?

DUFFY:

Oh yes.

SIGRIST:

Why were she coming to America?

DUFFY:

Made her, she was my sister-in-law.

SIGRIST:

Oh, that's interesting.

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Why was she coming to America?

DUFFY:

Well, because she liked it.

SIGRIST:

Did she have relatives here?

DUFFY:

Yes, she did.

SIGRIST:

Was, what was Annie like as a person? Was she...

DUFFY:

Oh, very nice.

SIGRIST:

Was she fun to be with?

DUFFY:

Yes.

SIGRIST:

What did she look like?

DUFFY:

I couldn't tell you now what she looked like.

SIGRIST:

It was a long time ago.

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

So, I'm sorry, how long did you stay in Queenstown?

DUFFY:

We stayed overnight, the next day we were supposed to sail but, on the Titanic, but we didn't get on there.

SIGRIST:

Why?

DUFFY:

Because it was overcrowded.

SIGRIST:

So, so can you kind of describe for me where, how did you find out it was overcrowded?

DUFFY:

We got in the small boat to go out to the big ship, to the Titanic. When we got to the door the captain opened it and said, "No one, overcrowded".

SIGRIST:

How did you feel about that?

DUFFY:

We were kind of disappointed but it was, the next day it went down.

SIGRIST:

So, so what did you do when they said you couldn't get on board?

DUFFY:

We went back to the hotel.

SIGRIST:

And how long did you have to wait for another boat?

DUFFY:

Two days. We took the Celtic.

SIGRIST:

The Celtic. Can you tell me what your accommodations looked like on the boat?

DUFFY:

Oh, that was an old ship and I was sick all the way, every day I never got out of the bunk.

SIGRIST:

Did you have a cabin of your own or were you in a room with lots of people?

DUFFY:

In the booth, in the, you know that little, what do you call them, bunk.

SIGRIST:

In a bunk. Was Annie sick too?

DUFFY:

No, they had a grand time.

SIGRIST:

And only you were sick.

DUFFY:

Yeah, I was sick.

SIGRIST:

So, do you remember, you probably don't remember eating on the boat if you were sick.

DUFFY:

I never did, never eat until I got off seven days.

SIGRIST:

Seven days it took to go from Queenstown?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Did you have a port hole?

DUFFY:

Yes.

SIGRIST:

Where you were, so you could see outside?

DUFFY:

A little. The water that's all.

SIGRIST:

Did you ever, when did you feel better?

DUFFY:

When I landed on the...

SIGRIST:

So you were sick all the way?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

I'm just curious, I have to ask this question. Have you ever been on a big boat since then?

DUFFY:

No.

SIGRIST:

Good (he laughs).

DUFFY:

And I don't want to.

SIGRIST:

That's good. So the boat took seven days and you were not feeling well. Do you remember seeing the Statue of Liberty?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes, then we got to Ellis Island.

SIGRIST:

And talk to me a little bit about, about getting to Ellis Island and what you saw when you got there.

DUFFY:

Oh that, I couldn't describe it, it was an old building, I know that. And we stayed there two days to get, you know you have to be examined and pass the inspection.

SIGRIST:

Were there a lot of people there?

DUFFY:

Yes, there was.

SIGRIST:

Did you pass all your exams?

DUFFY:

Yes.

SIGRIST:

Do you remember what they did? What kind of examinations?

DUFFY:

No. I remember just seeing I was alright.

SIGRIST:

I see. Who met you at Ellis Island?

DUFFY:

My brother, my aunt.

SIGRIST:

What was it like seeing your brother, because you hadn't seen him for a while?

DUFFY:

Two years, yeah.

SIGRIST:

Was that really an emotional experience for you?

DUFFY:

Yeah, then I was homesick for a, six months.

SIGRIST:

Well, O.K., so where did your brother take you when you...

DUFFY:

To my Aunt's.

SIGRIST:

Which was where?

DUFFY:

Third Avenue, New York City.

SIGRIST:

Uh huh. And did they have, like a dinner for you?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes.

SIGRIST:

What, do you remember that?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes.

SIGRIST:

Was it...

DUFFY:

Roast beef and all that, I think it was.

SIGRIST:

Wow. And did you stay with your aunt for a while?

DUFFY:

I stayed there, yes, for about a month.

SIGRIST:

And you said you were really homesick?

DUFFY:

Homesick, yeah, very homesick.

SIGRIST:

Does, did you write to your mother?

DUFFY:

Oh, yeah, every month.

SIGRIST:

What kind of things did you tell her about America?

DUFFY:

Well, it was very different from home, that's for.

SIGRIST:

What was different about it?

DUFFY:

Everything.

SIGRIST:

What really struck you as being different from where you came from?

DUFFY:

T he cold, cold weather was terrible. The coldest weather I ever had felt.

SIGRIST:

Can you, did you, you didn't have the right clothes with you, did you?

DUFFY:

Maybe, I don't know.

SIGRIST:

Did, did your mother write back to you?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes. She wanted me to come back.

SIGRIST:

She did?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Oh.

DUFFY:

But I didn't.

SIGRIST:

Did you get a job when you came here?

DUFFY:

'Bout after six months.

SIGRIST:

It took you about six months?

DUFFY:

Um hmm.

SIGRIST:

What was your first job?

DUFFY:

Taking care of children.

SIGRIST:

And do you remember how many kids?

DUFFY:

Three.

SIGRIST:

And were they difficult children?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes. (she laughs)

SIGRIST:

So they really gave you a run for your money?

DUFFY:

Oh my, yes.

SIGRIST:

Who, do you remember whose children they were?

DUFFY:

They were Jewish family.

SIGRIST:

How did you get the job?

DUFFY:

Agency.

SIGRIST:

Did your brother bring you down to the agency?

DUFFY:

Oh yes, he did.

SIGRIST:

Were you nervous about that?

DUFFY:

No.

SIGRIST:

Did you, did you have electricity in the apartment?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes. Yes.

SIGRIST:

Was that kind of new to you?

DUFFY:

Yeah. Oh yes, they showed me all around.

SIGRIST:

Did you like New York?

DUFFY:

Some parts of it.

SIGRIST:

What things about New York did you like? What was fun about being in New York at that time?

DUFFY:

I don't think it was any fun then.

SIGRIST:

Kind of like now. (he laughs)

DUFFY:

Yeah. (she laughs) Nothing.

SIGRIST:

So you really, you didn't like the city very much?

DUFFY:

No.

SIGRIST:

No. Did your aunt have a nice apartment?

DUFFY:

Oh, yeah. She did.

SIGRIST:

Can you describe it for me? How many rooms?

DUFFY:

Three bedrooms and a living room and kitchen and bath.

SIGRIST:

And you said it had electricity. It wasn't lit by gas?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

And you stayed there for six months?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

How many other people were in that family?

DUFFY:

Oh, just one daughter.

SIGRIST:

So, it was just your aunt.

DUFFY:

And my brother stayed there.

SIGRIST:

Now what job is he doing?

DUFFY:

My brother?

SIGRIST:

Yeah.

DUFFY:

He was driving a motor car, with motor. You know the trolley cars.

SIGRIST:

Oh. What, and he got that job when he first came here?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Did he like that job?

DUFFY:

It was very cold in the winter. It was no windows, it was wide open.

SIGRIST:

Did he ever give you a free ride on the trolley car?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes. Yeah.

SIGRIST:

So, so that must have been fun.

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

So your first job was taking care of these kids and they were difficult children?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

How long did that last?

DUFFY:

I only stayed about, less than a year.

SIGRIST:

And then what did you do?

DUFFY:

I moved out to the country.

SIGRIST:

Where?

DUFFY:

To a cousin of mine.

SIGRIST:

Into what town?

DUFFY:

To Jersey.

SIGRIST:

Into New Jersey. Where in New Jersey?

DUFFY:

Tenafly.

SIGRIST:

Uh huh. Which was country at that time.

DUFFY:

Yes, it sure was.

SIGRIST:

And you had a cousin living out there?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

And then what did you do? Did you get a job?

DUFFY:

I stayed there for three years.

SIGRIST:

Uh huh, what did you do?

DUFFY:

It was a doctor's house. Just doctor and his wife.

SIGRIST:

And you were doing?

DUFFY:

All kinds.

SIGRIST:

Domestic work?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Tell me some of the chores you had in that house.

DUFFY:

Oh, answering the phone and cleaning the house, waiting on tables, all that.

SIGRIST:

Did any of your brothers have to serve in World War I?

DUFFY:

No.

SIGRIST:

No?

DUFFY:

No.

SIGRIST:

Didn't have to do that. Well, let me, what happened when you left, you stayed there for three years.

DUFFY:

Yes.

SIGRIST:

And you're still writing back and forth to your mother?

DUFFY:

Oh, yes.

SIGRIST:

And, but you never did go visit her?

DUFFY:

No.

SIGRIST:

Did any of your other relatives, who were still in Ireland, come to America at that time?

DUFFY:

No, they didn't.

SIGRIST:

They didn't. Well, what happened when you left Tenafly?

DUFFY:

I went down, Englewood.

SIGRIST:

Englewood.

DUFFY:

I was, next town, it was a rich family.

SIGRIST:

Doing the same kinds of things?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Which...

DUFFY:

Waiting on the table and light work. It was nice. They had a cook and chauffeur and laundress and all that.

SIGRIST:

Did you like doing that kind of domestic work or did you just sort of feel that this was what you could do?

DUFFY:

Yeah, well I didn't go to school, that's why.

SIGRIST:

I was going to say you wanted to come to America...

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

To further your schooling but it doesn't seem like...

DUFFY:

Well I was too homesick to go. So I don't mind.

SIGRIST:

Did people ever make fun of you because you were an immigrant?

DUFFY:

Oh, no. No.

SIGRIST:

Well, I guess my final question for you in this, now that we laid out your immigration experience, so are you glad you came to America?

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Yeah. It was, even though you were homesick...

DUFFY:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

You eventually grew to like America?

DUFFY:

Yes.

SIGRIST:

Good, good. Well I want, I want to thank you for having us come out.

DUFFY:

Okay now.

SIGRIST:

And for recording your immigration experience for the Oral History Project.

DUFFY:

Okay now.

SIGRIST:

Thank you. This is Paul Sigrist signing off for the National Park Service. END OF INTERVIEW EI-95/DUFFY - 1 -