My grandfather left Sweden in 1915 to follow his father to work in the Connecticut tobacco fields…Upon arrival he was informed that his father had passed away… his leaving Sweden was predicated on the fact that he would never be able to rise above being a lowly factory worker, and that he was horribly injured in an accident.
In 1917 he joined the US Army, being a foreign national could not serve overseas but in return for working as a driver in a munitions dump, was able to earn his US citizenship..
Thru hard work he was able to find better employment as a driver for the then president of Jordan Marsh department stores…after some time he was able to start his on trucking firm. Additionally he was able to bring the rest of his brothers and sisters along with his mother over as finances would allow.
In 1931 he was able to buy a sizable house-lot outside of Boston built, a house and raised a family., his firstborn, my father went on to join the service after Dec 7th 1941…
As a side note…every member of my father’s generation went on to have successful careers.