Note: My questions are below mostly in brackets and at the very end!
I have to do an immigration diary assignment and I am to portray a young 12 year old girl(any English name suggestions?) from a city in England(what is a realistic city during that time?) who is migrating to BNA(British North America) during the period of Great Migration (1820-1850). I am to write 2 diary entries: 1st one describing life in Europe and why I am leaving, what my expectations are, how I get on a ship and my experiences of beginning the journey. 2nd entry: second half of journey and my arrival in BNA(quarantine first in Grosse Isle), what BNA is like and how I survive.
So for backround story I have:
Entry 1:
- girl(name?) who works at a ____(what is realistic for a girl at that time? I was thinking of mine but I am not sure if that was realistic) and does not go to school
- girl's older brother(name?) who is favoured by girl's parents hence gets to go to school and the girl and her dad financially supports the brother going to school
- girl's father works at a ______(also a suggestion?) and for some reason(Please help me formulate a reason!) gets laid off; this cuts down the income for the family. Keep in mind this is a time period after Industrial Revolution in England which means jobs were scarce and may got fired/laid off(I do not know the reasons though)
- girl's mother contracted a disease(any disease names that are credible?) and is really sick and father just lost his job so mother needs medicine and treatment badly and with only the girl working it is not enough to support the entire family
- mother's conditions aggravate and brother needs money for school, and family needs food etc.
- father hears from _____(propagandists? Were there north american propagandists in England at the time?) that BNA or Canada(which term is more apt?) is filled with opportunity and they would all get free land
- father desperate, he spends most of his income and sells some of the mother's jewelry to get ship tickets for whole family; girl almost gets left behind because she was inequal gender wise and not favoured as much but girl pleads to not be left behind and even pays for part of her ticket with money she secretly kept for herself.
- then (the next day? Is that realistic?) they got on a ship to leave for BNA with a goal of reaching Upper Canada where most of the english were.
Entry 2:
- after 34 days or so they arrive
- girl's mother dies on the ship from cholera
- girl, brother, father manage to survive
- getting off the ship, girl and father pass inspection(is that how quarantine works?) but brother does not and gets puts into quarantine for ______ days.(how many days was it usually?) and (do they all get put in quarantine and are hand picked to leave?)
- but brother gets contaminated while in quarantine with _______(disease?) and dies, next day girl and father sadly watch him get thrown into the ocean
- despite being sad, the opportunity within the remaining girl and father's head forces them to move on and search for a new and better life
- they have no more food left: was lacking in food while on the ship and little to no money.
- however, expectation vs reality kicks in when they arrive in the city of _______(whats a realistic city?). BNA is nothing like what they imagined as most of Canada was heavily forested and they are shocked and unimpressed and freaking out
- they tried to find ways to survive: stole food to eat, and claimed a random piece of land.
- it is winter and extremely cold. (Help- how do they survive?) they managed to build a house out of log and mud but not very well built.
---the end. or...---
- they plan to maybe take a boat, by trading some leftover jewelry or giving labour or something(please give suggestions?), out into the city like York or something where it was more industrialised
- but when they arrived they realized that cities were actually really crowded and they struggled to find jobs
- so they are forced to go back to a free land area just outside York by foot. They travelled long days by foot but eventually reached their destination.
- once there, how do they survive?
*And throughout this experience the father and daugter create a stronger bond between each other- something not previously attained.
Is my story plausible? How do I make it better and add and incorporate more factual evidence in my diary entry?
And what could be my push and pull factors? Like how can the father lose his job in England? Any realistic historical evidences I can use?
Also what are some expectation vs reality instances and examples I can maybe incorporate?
yes tell them how he felt and how you did and stuff like that hope it help
Get started here:
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Migration_of_Canada
Try this for ideas (no plagiarizing!)
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/immigrants/021017-110.05-e.php
Now, as to specifics, tuberculosis was a common disease at that time. Perhaps the father worked in a cottage industry (barrel-making, cobbler, grist mill...) that was replaced by a mechanized factory. I doubt ships left every day for Canada at that time, so probably a few days or weeks to catch their ship. Perhaps the father heard from relatives in Canada about opportunities there; that's how many immigrants decided to make the journey. Make sure there was quarantine at that time. Later that was to make sure no communicable diseases were being brought into the new country, but before 1850? And if they are already on land, they would not have a burial at sea! After that your story becomes a bit implausible. Check out those immigrant diaries for more realistic scenarios.
Name? How about Elizabeth Woolley?
Love it! And for a city in England, how about Liverpool? It was a center of industrialization and is a port city. A city in British North America? Where would they have disembarked? I don't know. Many Scots-Irish settled in Ontario north of Lake Erie around Hamilton, others around Toronto, and York is a good idea, too.
O wow! Thank you all so much, great suggestions!! And yes Reed I actually picked Liverpool too so yay!
Oh but my expectation vs reality question wasn't answered! Were they really shocked when they got there and why were they shocked? Any other factors other than eavily forested areas?
Whether they were shocked depends upon how much they new about British North America before they left England. I think you can use your imagination for this one.
Ok, also where can my character(elizabeth woolley) be working at? HWat is appropriate for a girl her age during that time?
Your story is plausible and you have already incorporated a lot of realistic elements. To make it even better and add more factual evidence, you can consider the following suggestions:
1. English Name: Some common English names during that time for a young girl could be Elizabeth, Mary, Jane, Sarah, or Emily.
2. Realistic City in England: A realistic city during that time could be Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, or Liverpool. These were industrial cities with significant populations.
3. Realistic Occupation for the Girl: A realistic occupation for a young girl during that time could be working as a maid, in a textile factory, or in domestic service.
4. Reason for the Father's Layoff: Historical evidence suggests that the period after the Industrial Revolution was a time of economic fluctuation. The father could lose his job due to factory closures, downsizing, or economic recessions. This could create a scarcity of jobs and opportunities in the area.
5. Credible Disease Names: Some credible disease names during that time could be cholera, tuberculosis, typhus, or dysentery.
6. North American Propagandists: It is unlikely that there were specific North American propagandists in England at the time, but word-of-mouth information and stories from people who had migrated to BNA could have influenced the family's decision to leave for a better life.
7. Terminology: During that period, British North America (BNA) was commonly referred to as Canada. So you can use either term interchangeably.
8. Quarantine: Quarantine procedures varied depending on the period and location. Grosse Isle was a quarantine station in Canada where immigrants were examined for health issues upon arrival. They would be placed in quarantine if they were suspected of carrying contagious diseases. The duration of quarantine could range from a few days to several weeks, depending on the circumstances.
9. Realistic City in BNA: A realistic city in British North America could be Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, or Halifax. These were significant urban centers during that time.
10. Survival in BNA: To survive in BNA, the family could rely on manual labor, farming, or finding work in the growing industries. They could also seek assistance from charitable organizations or community support networks.
11. Expectation vs. Reality: Some examples of expectation vs. reality instances could include the family's imagined opportunities and free land in BNA versus the reality of dense forests and limited job prospects. The shock of the cold winter weather and the struggle to find suitable shelter could also be included.
12. Push and Pull Factors: Push factors could include the scarcity of jobs and economic hardship in England after the Industrial Revolution, the mother's deteriorating health, and the desire for a better future for the family. Pull factors could include the promise of opportunities, free land, and a better quality of life in BNA.
Incorporating these suggestions and being mindful of historical context will make your story more authentic and grounded in reality.