Manifest Destiny
German Smith and Jewish Rosehill,
Italian (or Irish) Bellis,
Dutch DeYoung and Russian Kerr –
But please, do not blame Ellis.
Ships from Hamburg, ships from Queenstown,
Loaded up and westward bound –
Checking names with manifests
And leaving them as found.
Many of these immigrants
Would later choose to change their names –
And good for them – but that was all their own,
Despite the frequent claims.
Social pressures ? Mispronounce-ments ?
New starts ? Yes, and more.
But no-one’s name was Anglicised
On Ellis Island’s shore.
Rhyming Couplets 