The history of early settlers to America from the Arab world is a muddled one. Many immigration records have been lost. Some never recorded. Others never to be found because their names were simply misspelled. Jeff Karoub of the AP writes about his frustrating quest to trace the story of his grandfather. His hope is to prove Arab Americans are not “them,” as he puts it, but one of “us.”
Did his grandfather cross paths with the titanic? It’s possible since his grandfather came to America at about the same time as the unsinkable ship. It’s known that 154 people aboard the titanic were Arabic. 29 actually survived.
Karoub’s story is like many other immigrants who have tried to search their family history. It’s a fascinating tale that can be read here.