Nazareth -- Bill Curnick and Barnardo's home -- Habeeb and the Ottoman Turks -- Canada -- Radia and Habeeb's heritage -- Life on the St. Lawrence River -- America? -- Bill's family comes to Canada -- The Rizks' journey to America -- Florence Elsie Belcher -- Ellis Island and beyond -- Florence and Bill -- Life in Syracuse -- The Curnicks of America -- Finally another Rizk -- Polly and Nick -- St. Elias Church and the other Rezaks -- Nick overseas -- The Yugoslav Rezaks -- Home to Syracuse
Summary
Born of a Palestinian father and British mother, the author has always been intrigued by the different worlds his parents came from. His father's ancestors were highwaymen on the Arabian Peninsula in the eighteenth century. They sparred unsuccessfully with ruling Ottoman Turks and escaped with their family to America. His mother's parents were sent to Canada from Great Britain into indentured servitude as children separately and alone at the ages of 10 and 16. They worked off their servitude, met, married and moved to New York State. In this book, a memoir that spans multiple generations and countries, the author traces the remarkable lives of his ancestors
