# Anyone here 1st generation in US from Euro parents? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 10, 2002, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825 "2002-12-10T19:37:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/1 "2002-12-10T19:37:07Z")
Just curious 🙂 My father was born in Hungary (Szeged) and my mother in (Oberndorf) Austria. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/2 "2002-12-10T19:44:04Z")
My SO’s parents are from Scotland and Australia. She has no relatives here in the States. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/3 "2002-12-10T19:46:49Z")
Technically. My father immigrated at the age of four with his parents, who were Holocaust survivors. He was born in Germany, but his parents were Polish. On my mom’s side we’ve been in the States a couple of generations. Her people are from Russia and Alscace-Lorraine. Yeah, I’m a German-French-Russian-Polish Jew. Sorta like WWII all rolled up into one. ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/4 "2002-12-10T20:05:41Z")
Hello Again, Yea. I hear you. The borders were/are so mixed up. BTW…my Opa’s mothers’ family (Donauschwaben) is from the Alscace-Lorraine region. I think we are all related one way or another…so much mixing going on!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/5 "2002-12-10T20:20:41Z")
My Mom is a third-generation Swede, but my Dad came to the U.S. when he was 20. So I guess I only half-fit the O.P. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/6 "2002-12-10T20:21:45Z")
… and Dad came from Germany. Forgot that part, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/7 "2002-12-10T20:27:56Z")
Hello Again BTW…I’m glad your father’s parents survived the Holocaust. There was so much turmoil for all during WWII. ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/8 "2002-12-10T20:34:56Z")
> [@](#): > > There was so much turmoil for all during WWII. I think this may win the Understatement of the Day Award… ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/9 "2002-12-10T20:38:01Z")
Francesca, I wasn’t trying to understate WWII. I meant that my family went through hell during that time. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/10 "2002-12-10T20:40:23Z")
My father was Italian, my mother was Dutch. Keeping on the WWII theme, the while my mother was being born, the Germans were retreating through her town and the nanny or whatever kept them from coming the house to rip down the curtains to make bandages. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/11 "2002-12-10T20:59:12Z")
Almost. My wife’s grandparents were from Poland; they came across while fleeing the other WW. ---
**Author:** ![Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smashed_Ice_Cream)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/12 "2002-12-10T21:48:12Z")
Both my husband and I are, well, I’m half - my dad’s family left Germany and went to England during the war - I was born in England in 1972, and came to the US when I was 5. My next younger sister is the first US born in our family. My husband’s parents came here in the 60’s from Poland - he and his brother are the first US born. Both of us have extended family who’ve emmigrated here over the years as well. ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/13 "2002-12-10T21:50:22Z")
Mom was born in Karpila, in Karjala Finland. She came over for a visit on the Queen Mary in 1938. Her parents fled from that portion of Finland during WW2 when the Soviets invaded. When my brother was working in Moscow a few years ago, they had the opportunity to go to her birthplace, which she hadn’t been to since she left. Here’s a [picture of her and a granddaughter](http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~lreed/momdock.jpg) on a dock where a one-legged crow used to steal her soap when she was a kid. Dad’s parents were from the western side of Finland. Dad was born near Moose Lake, Minnesota, but he had to learn English in order to go to school (everyone spoke either Finnish or Polish). ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/14 "2002-12-10T21:55:03Z")
brachyrhynchos, Thanks for the pic-- very cute! ---
**Author:** ![ASD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@ASD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASD)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/15 "2002-12-10T22:07:23Z")
My mother is Germand and my father British. They met and married in England and moved here in 1966 (maybe 67). ---
**Author:** ![SaxFace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SaxFace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaxFace)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/16 "2002-12-10T22:10:36Z")
My parents were born in Latvia. Came over in the 1950’s. I speak Latvian fluently and had to go to Latvian school on Saturdays and in the summer. How many of you 1st generation immigrants had to learn your parent’s language? ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/17 "2002-12-11T05:01:13Z")
**SaxFace** , I have tried so many times to pick up Finn. I guess my brain is just not wired for more than one language (taken French for many years and while I can read it, I just can’t make it come out of my mouth). (And I am convinced that Finn was Mom and Dad’s “conspiracy language,” so to speak.) ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/18 "2002-12-11T06:16:18Z")
Nope, but one grandfather is from Russia, the other from England. My dad picked up a few habits from his English dad, like discussing the Royal family too much, and using a few English pronunciations. ---
**Author:** ![Theobroma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@Theobroma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theobroma)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/19 "2002-12-11T09:18:04Z")
No, but my mother is (Poland), my father was (Ukraine), and my son is (Holland). I find that parents generally find the “conspiracy language” too convenient to give up (thanks for the term, **Brachyrhynchos** ) so I never learned Yiddish or Polish, and my son knows only enough Dutch to know when his dad is mad at him. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825/20 "2002-12-11T10:16:05Z")
Half. I’m French-Texan, born and raised in Boston. Fear my accent. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-1st-generation-in-us-from-euro-parents/141825.md?page=2)