UnderMiner
Silver Member
- Jul 27, 2014
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While at work today I met an elderly man. While he was waiting for his appointment I had a conversation with him and soon learned he had a love for history. I told him that I was a historian myself and if he had any stories to share I would love to hear them. That's when he told me a personal story. Long ago when he was a little boy his grandfather had told him a story of the day he met Theodore Roosevelt.
His grandfather had arrived in the United States from Italy in 1896. He could barely speak English and fresh off the boat he began to make his living on Long Island peddling household goods door to door with a pushcart.
Eventually he soon made enough money to buy his first horse and wagon. He used the horse and wagon to expand his small business to the wealthier parts of Long Island on the North Shore - Glen Cove and Oyster Bay.
He mostly sold inexpensive items such as gloves and tools to staff members who worked the lands of luxury estates. One day the young man brought his horse and wagon to Theodore Roosevelt's house at Sagamore Hill. While he was selling things to Roosevelt's house staff his horse wandered a few steps into the flower garden and ate/trampled many of the flowers. One of Roosevelt's servants told the young immigrant to leave before 'the owner' found out.
Before the young man could do anything however Theodore Roosevelt, the owner, walked by. The future president approached and seeing the damage asked the young man if he was responsible for it. The newly arrived immigrant said in broken English that his horse had indeed eaten the flowers and it was his fault for the damage. He told Roosevelt that he would never again enter the property and only wished not to be thought a criminal for the incident. Roosevelt told the man he respected his honesty and sincerity and that he was welcome to sell goods to the staff at Sagamore Hill when ever he wished, there would be no punishment. And so Roosevelt let him go on his way. At the time, the young man didn't realize he just had a run in with the soon-to-be 26th president of the United States.
I was very fascinated by this little story that the old gentleman told me about his grandfather's early years in New York. I feel it is a tiny part of history that would have otherwise been forgotten had I not written it down here on T-net. There must be countless little stories like this out there that will never be written in books, and as time passes most will simply fade away. So if anyone has little tales like this to tell, please write them down and share them so they may be preserved for the sake of history and lover's of history.
His grandfather had arrived in the United States from Italy in 1896. He could barely speak English and fresh off the boat he began to make his living on Long Island peddling household goods door to door with a pushcart.
Eventually he soon made enough money to buy his first horse and wagon. He used the horse and wagon to expand his small business to the wealthier parts of Long Island on the North Shore - Glen Cove and Oyster Bay.
He mostly sold inexpensive items such as gloves and tools to staff members who worked the lands of luxury estates. One day the young man brought his horse and wagon to Theodore Roosevelt's house at Sagamore Hill. While he was selling things to Roosevelt's house staff his horse wandered a few steps into the flower garden and ate/trampled many of the flowers. One of Roosevelt's servants told the young immigrant to leave before 'the owner' found out.
Before the young man could do anything however Theodore Roosevelt, the owner, walked by. The future president approached and seeing the damage asked the young man if he was responsible for it. The newly arrived immigrant said in broken English that his horse had indeed eaten the flowers and it was his fault for the damage. He told Roosevelt that he would never again enter the property and only wished not to be thought a criminal for the incident. Roosevelt told the man he respected his honesty and sincerity and that he was welcome to sell goods to the staff at Sagamore Hill when ever he wished, there would be no punishment. And so Roosevelt let him go on his way. At the time, the young man didn't realize he just had a run in with the soon-to-be 26th president of the United States.
I was very fascinated by this little story that the old gentleman told me about his grandfather's early years in New York. I feel it is a tiny part of history that would have otherwise been forgotten had I not written it down here on T-net. There must be countless little stories like this out there that will never be written in books, and as time passes most will simply fade away. So if anyone has little tales like this to tell, please write them down and share them so they may be preserved for the sake of history and lover's of history.
