When I think about my earliest documented ancestor, my mind travels across an ocean and back in time to a young man making his way from the hills of County Kerry to the bustling port of Liverpool, England, in 1857. William Dowling, born around 1838, presumably in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland, represents the furthest point I can trace my direct lineage coming to America—and what a remarkable journey he made from his Irish homeland to the bustling streets of Brooklyn.
At approximately nineteen years old, William made the momentous decision that would change not only his destiny but that of all his descendants. He departed Liverpool aboard the sailing ship Emerald Isle, enduring what could have been up to thirty-five days at sea before arriving in New York on May 27, 1857. This crossing occurred during one of the most tumultuous periods in Irish history, when emigrants faced challenging conditions aboard sailing vessels.