Dakota County History 101: Romanian Women and the Immigration Experience

There is a sizable population of individuals of Romanian descent concentrated in South St. Paul. Their immigration stories detail a complex culture and the struggle of families to acclimate to the United States. A great many never intended to stay here, but to earn $1,000, a small fortune, and then return to Romania The following is excerpted from an August 2009 article by Vicki Young Albu originally published in the Dakota County Historical Society’s magazine, "Over the Years."      

The decisions of Romanian women to emigrate to join men in South St. Paul marked a turning point for two reasons. One, marriage outside the ethnic group was taboo in Romanian culture. The vast majority of men who immigrated to South St. Paul intended to make money and return home again; most were not planning a permanent migration, and very few married non-Romanian women.  However, once marriageable women arrived, the Romanian men were less likely to leave the improved working conditions, especially after they had settled down and children were born to a couple. Second, the presence of Romanian women and establishment of families encouraged additional permanent or “chain” migrations from common areas of Transylvania and the Banat.  

In the very early 1900s, the few female Romanian immigrants to South St. Paul were married and accompanied their husbands, probably so that they could maximize the family’s income and thereby speed their return to Europe. The large number of single men who worked long hours at the packing plants required inexpensive places to live and places to socialize with their fellow countrymen. One way that Romanian woman could help earn income was by cooking and doing laundry for unmarried Romanian men. A few Romanian couples established boarding houses along Concord Street, at that time the main artery through the town, consisting of taverns and stores in proximity to the meat packing plants. Romanian women’s roles were mostly confined to domestic activities.

Only a small number of Romanian women immigrated to South St. Paul before 1920, when the census enumerates 43 adult women residents whose native language was Romanian. It should be noted, however, that the number is likely inaccurate, since the Romanians were highly mobile, frequently moving back and forth between South St. Paul, St. Paul, Chicago, and other major urban Midwestern cities. At any rate, there were far fewer Romanian-speaking women than men in South St. Paul by 1920. All of the women listed in the 1920 South St. Paul census lived in households headed by Romanian men.

When minor children were involved with emigration, mothers almost always accompanied their children. No cases have been found where a married Romanian man traveled without his spouse but accompanied by their children. Women therefore experienced more hardships involving children and travel. One example is that of Jelicza Kosor, who became known as Alice Cosor in South St. Paul. Jelicza’s husband Vasilie emigrated in 1909 and was working in South St. Paul by 1911 when Jelicza and their two sons, 10-year-old Valery and 3-year-old Joan (John) attempted to join him there. Jelicza was 30-years-old and left her brother and other family members behind in Europe. She and the children joined a group of several Romanian families on the long trip from Sannicolau Mare (now in western Romania), to various urban destinations in the United States. The group traveled by unknown means—perhaps by railroad—to the port of Hamburg, where they departed for New York City.

Travel by steamship took about three weeks at that time. Upon reaching Ellis Island, however, little Joan was ill and had to be hospitalized. This resulted in all three—mother and two sons—being deported. It took another year for Jelicza to save enough money to make the second attempt at emigration, this time successful. Piecing together the records of Romanian women’s immigration experiences reveals the complexity of the process of moving from one part of the globe to another. Rather than a direct voyage from port to port, women often experienced even more complicated pathways to America than men. This was because as caretakers they often bore the responsibility of traveling to meet their husbands alone with small children who were more prone to sickness. In addition, the women themselves could have been pregnant, which would have complicated the three-week passage in a ship’s steerage class. And finally, women traveling without husbands were frequently subjected to questioning by authorities charged with preventing prostitutes and other undesirables from entering the United States.

 About this column: Each weekend, the Dakota County Historical Society dips into their archives to bring the names from Dakota County's history to life. Learn more about the Dakota County Historical Society online and on Facebook. Contact DCHS for the full text of this article: dakotahistory@co.dakota.mn.us.