Immigrant Sneider Family Grateful

Their First Thanksgiving in America was 1949

By Harry Sneider

First Thanksgiving in Northfield, Minnesota with the Sneider family emigrating from Latvia in 1949. -Courtesy Photo

The bloody and brutal war was over. We ran all over Europe during World War II looking for a place to live. My father was a prisoner, we didn’t know where he was. My mother kept us safe even though we were starving and had no place to call our home. By some major miracles we found our father and were reunited in 1946. Being of Latvian descent we had been overrun by the Russians and did not want to return there under their rule. My dad was able to speak English and discovered through the Lutheran Welfare Agency that there was a farmer in Minnesota that wanted to sponsor us to help him with his farm work. We had other options and could have gone to Australia, Canada, South America or the United States. We chose the United States.
We arrived by boat from Germany to Boston, Massachusetts in 1949. The long journey included a train trip across part of the United States to Northfield, Minnesota. The kindly Christian people there took us in on the farm. We were put into some wonderful grade schools and learned the various holidays that the Americans kept. I remember very vividly cutting out turkeys and pilgrims, adding fall colors with real leaves from the beautiful trees in Minnesota and making these very intimate Thanksgiving cards for our families. As Latvians my mother remembers her youth where she ate wonderful meals similar to Thanksgiving consisting of turkey, sauerkraut, potatoes, carrots, and cranberries. She immediately got into the spirit of wishing all neighbors around the farms a Happy Thanksgiving. We attended church services and sang hymns praising God for all of His love toward us in America.
These vivid memories of my early childhood make Thanksgiving 2012 even more important than ever. Our nation has one sixth of the population living in poverty and many are hungry this Thanksgiving. Our nation is a giving nation and people reach out to help one another. We are thankful for that. My brother, Karl, saves up blankets, shoes, clothing, and turkeys. Then, he barbeques the turkeys in the poorest part of Minneapolis where the Indians live and gives food and clothing to people there. He has taught school to the Indian children and some have come to school with no shoes. Many are struggling with no jobs, addiction issues, and not a very bright future. He goes out to these neighborhoods and becomes a real light to the children and their families.
What can you do to make this Thanksgiving meaningful? 1. Ask God to help. 2. Reach out and help the people that are struggling. 3. Gather your family together and thank God for them. 4. Stay positive during this time. 5. People are not perfect, be loving and kind toward one another. 6. Exercise and eat healthy. 7. Be happy that you are alive and well in the United States of America. THE BEST IS YET TO BE!
Harry and Sarah Sneider can be reached at 626-355-8964 or harrysneider@earthlink.net.

More from Arcadia Weekly