S’man visiting NYC happened upon the Ellis Island tour which led to an unexpected find. Memorialized there on a panel of the American Immigrant Wall of Honor was the name of his Great Great Grandfather. The discovery led to momentary excitement and debate here at home because previous searches of the Ellis Island/Port of New York records database had turned up null with zero matches. We know from Emigration Records that John Christopher Strombotne sailed from Trondheim, Norway arriving in Hull, UK in 1882 before making the crossing on a steam ship from Liverpool or Glasgow. Many Scandinavians arrived at Quebec or Halifax, where there were excellent rail connections from the Canadian ports to the US Mid-West where he settled. Odds were that he never visited NY. So, why is John Christopher’s name displayed on Ellis Island? It is the one place in the United States where an individual can honor his or her family heritage at a National Monument. Included at the exhibit are names representing all ethnicities, all years of arrival, all points of entry, and all modes of travel. S’man, on the scene, was able to solve this mystery. It was his Grand Aunt, Gena responsible for the tribute.

Dad Harrison was an early adopter. Action photography for the hobbyist did not become mainstream until years following. This clip is part of an archive that was originally captured on 8 mm filmstrip. At some point these films were copy | transferred to VHS cassette tape. This media is now obsolete as well. Using an analog to digital converter his films can be passed on to the next generation, preserving his effort. A music track has been dubbed with artistic license but if you wish to sample the original goods you can mute the audio. In those days the viewers at home in the living room would supply laughter and narration (if they weren’t already asleep).

The automobile (at 1:45) appears to be a postwar Oldsmobile Torpedo 2 door sedan circa 1946.

BOOMER — Drifter who went from one railroad job to another, staying but a short time on each job or each road. Boomers were railroad workers often in big demand because of their wide experience, sometimes blackballed because their tenure of stay was uncertain. The sheet music title reads: “When The Sunset Turns The Oceans Blue To Gold“