In telling our family story, something needs to be said about the trek north to America, how and why it occurred the way it did. Not being a sociologist, I will have to give you my best amateurish opinion, although others in the family might have a slightly different version to offer.

As the population of the island grew, economic oppportunity declined proportionately and to find employment men had to go where the jobs were and what was more natural than for a Caymanian to seek work that he had some familiarity with even if not competence? So as the young men of the island went to sea in local schooners, and as they made foreign ports, they were destined to make contact with those who sailed and owned much larger ships (3 and 4 masters) owned mostly by Americans; and once the skills of the Cayman sailors were observed, demand for their employment followed and now that the gates were opened Caymanians flowed through to fill whatever void there was. Anecdotally,I was reading just recently that right here in Orange was the largest shipbuilding organization in the world for building wooden ships. When World War I ended in 1918 there were 37 wooden ships on the ways at the local shipyard. Many of these ships were huge, being over 300 feet long with capacity of 1 to 5 thousand tons. Vast timberlands here in East Texas stretching 200 miles by approximately 50 miles (all you Easterners and foreigners who believe Texas is nothing but pasture land and desert are now excused to repair to the bathroom to bring up your disappointment) provided the raw material for the sawmills and the shipbuilding industry. The hardwood Yellow Pine, now exhausted, was shipped worldwide, even to Cayman, in sailing ships (some of them built here). I recall my brother-in-law, Henry S. (Sam) Parsons telling of sailing up the Sabine river to the Lutcher & Moore Lumber Co. in Orange to take on a load of yellow pine lumber in his early years as captain of a three-masted brig. A few years later when the sailing ships began losing out to steamships he also made the switch. When he retired he was Commodore of the Texaco Fleet.

The first phase of the flight North was actually temporary in nature as young seamen would return each year, like migratory birds, to the island to be with their families, usually at Christmas time. The second phase was the movement of whole families to America as the men could see that this would allow them more time with their famlies as well as presenting many more opportunities for their offspring. You might say that the third phase was that of single men moving to America. But keep in mind that what I am saying here is about a Cayman before the 1950 era. Today, the per capita income of Caymanians is among the very highest in the world, literacy is at 99%, also among the highest standards, and just about anything you would want is available. Cayman high school graduates are qualified now to enter just about any higher educational institution in the world and many are doing just that, and picking up their spouse while doing so.

When I left the island in 1938 the island was suffering from the Depression that gripped the whole world; the population was around 3,000 and because of migration, the population had stabilized there for many years .Because of the lack of communication, one community became almost foreign to every other one, and this was creating an almost incestuous situation where there were few opportunities to marry anyone not your cousin, which probably was another reason those that could were leaving the island. But how times have changed! Today, foreigners are not only seeking employment there but also residence and citizenship. Last year (2003) alone l0,000 were admitted for residency.

Getting back to our family migration, my sisters Adeline (Addie) and Lois married two brothers,Henry S(Sam) Parsons and David Vibert Parsons. Addie went with Sam to (I believe) Pascagoula, MS in the early 1920's. After Sam took employment with Texaco they moved to Port Arthur,TX. A few years later Lois went to be with Vibert. They finally settled in Houston. All of the brothers except Tim are gratefully indebted to our brothers-in-law, Sam Parsons especially, for sponsoring us and for giving us a home until we could get on our feet. My brother Sam came first followed by Bill who had been working in Nicaragua with Tim. I followed Bill. My sister Doris and I came to Port Arthur in 1938. Doris spent most of her time with Lois in Houston while I spent most of the time while trying to find employment, with Addie, but alternately at times with Bill & Doris in Port Arthur and Sam & Verline in Port Neches. I believe my brother Sam went to sea briefly before going to Port Arthur Business College. After graduation he went to work for Pure Oil Co. in Port Neches which was later bought out by Union Oil Of California. Bill also graduated from Pt. Arthur Business College and went directly to work for Texas Co. (now Texaco).

So now we have more than half of our family living in the USA with Edith and Tim and George to follow shortly. Nella came later,settling in Florida. Thus ended the family migration to the USA.

5/03/04
10:50PM
End of Installment Fifteen