Earlier this month, I sent for a digital copy of the Alien Registration Form (AR-2) filled out by my paternal great aunt Nellie Block (1876?-1950). Nellie was the oldest sister of my paternal grandfather Isaac Burk. She gave inconsistent answers to each US Census in which she was enumerated and even her death cert raised questions. So I spent $20 to try to learn something new about her. It was worth it.
This is not my first adventure in AR-2 ordering. An earlier order (fee $20) gave me a bit of detail about a different immigrant ancestor. This time I got more for my money.
1) Nellie did not come through Ellis Island
One of the key pieces of new information: Nellie said she immigrated through the Port of Boston in May, 1890. I will now research this port and date to try to find her passenger list. Most of my ancestors came through Ellis Island but not Nellie, apparently!
I have long puzzled over the fact that Nellie was the first among her siblings to leave Lithuania (which was part of the Russian Empire at the time) and come to America. By finding her passenger manifest, I may discover that she did not come directly to America but, like two of her brothers, might have stopped in another country en route. Finding her Boston arrival is now on my genealogy to-do list!
2) Nellie gave a different birth date
She was inconsistent about her age on every document I've seen. For the AR-2 she gave a specific birth date of July 10, 1872. That means she was 78 years old at the time of her death in 1950--not 85 as her gravestone shows.
Which birth date is real? Even her younger brothers didn't seem to know her actual birth year. I'm just going to have to go with what Nellie swore to in her AR-2 statement.
3) Nellie's activities and occupation
From 1930 on, Nellie was involved with Beth El Hospital, now Brookdale Hospital Center in Brooklyn, New York. Presumably she was a volunteer, but no additional info is on the AR-2 Form. By 1940 Nellie was almost 68 years old and probably she was not employed regularly so she might have had time to be a volunteer.
Her occupation was listed on the AR form as housework and sewing. I wonder whether she sewed for private clients to make extra cash. Earlier in life, for at least 15 years, she was an "operator" on furs and other materials, according to Census answers about occupation.
4) Nellie never applied for citizenship
Of course I looked diligently for any sign of a naturalization document and now I see Nellie told officials she had not applied for first citizenship papers. She would know.
5) Nellie was mostly truthful (I think)
She told the truth about having no living parents, spouse, or children in America. She told the truth about never being in the military.
However, she definitely didn't tell the truth about her marital status: She was actually widowed, not single, in 1940. Possibly she was not presented with the opportunity to explain how she was widowed not long after her marriage.
