The inanimate objects of a fireplace, chair, and sewing machine all came to life with the story of Natalie and Julius Gumpertz, two German-Jewish immigrants who immigrated to America through Castle Clinton in the late 1860s. Initially, the story of this young couple was illustrated as a typical immigration journey—filled with the daily struggles of a housewife taking care of her four children and a father working strenuously to support his family. The shock came in 1874, when Julius left to work in the morning and never returned.  (This legal testimony by Louis Glockner corroborates that statement)

An uneasy feeling occupied the room as we heard those words from the tour guide.  When asked what we thought was the reason for his disappearance, the room grew quiet, as we were reluctant to answer. During that moment, I gained appreciation for their commitment to the truth via collected legal documents, government records and letters. I appreciated the interactive elements of the tour replacing the possibility of fabricating stories. After all, Natalie and Julius Gumpertz were human beings and not pieces of paper in history or characters in a fictional novel. The museum employees handled the informative storytelling of immigrants’ lives with respect.

I voiced my opinion and speculated that Julius left his family due to an inundating feeling of hopelessness. As the “man of the house,” he might have felt emasculated after ceasing to properly provide for his family. Yet, we may never know the real reasoning behind Julius’ actions; therefore, all we have left is to speculate. It elucidates the ambiguity of history and acceptance of the unknown.