 |
| Albanians landing in the US in the late 1800s |
The Albanians were the last European people who headed toward the USA and this is related to the fact that by this time they had preferred the ancient tradition of emigration to European countries.
According to the documents, the first Albanian arrived on American soil in 1876. He was from Korça and then changed his destination, moving to South America and then ending up in Argentina.
While the second Albanian who stepped on American soil in 1889 was Koli (Nicholas) Kristofori. He is the first Albanian emigrant to be registered and his generalities are known.
42 is the number of Albanians living in America in 1900, in the city of Massachusetts. The origin of these Albanians was mainly from the south of Albania, Diaspora Shqiptare writes.
 |
| Picture of an Albanian woman dressed in traditional dress who came to the USA at around 1905. |
How did Albanians travel to America?
 |
| Document proving that there were also ferry lines to the United States of America, starting in 1930 and departing from Durrës. |
The document of the existence of this line belongs to the fortnightly cultural magazine, "Rilindja", which was published in the years 1934-1936 in the city of Korça.
Based on an advertisement published in the pages of this magazine, it is learned that at that time there was a sea line for passengers Durrës-New York, which was run in Albania by the shipping company "United States Line".
This sailing company was based in the capital of the country, Tirana with a general agent for Albania, Gaqo Opari.
It is learned from the announcement that the express steamers of this company served the lines of America and Canada.
The announcement published in the magazine "Rilindja" also indicates the dates of the voyages that belong to a period of December 1934 and January 1935. In this line operated 3 ships named "Manhattan", "Washington" and " President Roosevelt”.
 |
| Old photo of T.S.S. RIJNDAM ferry, Holland-America |
While after World War II very few Albanians emigrated to Canada, and most of them were from the former Yugoslavia. Most of the Albanians who emigrated settled in Montreal and Toronto, but some Albanians also lived settled in Calgary and Edmonton.
 |
| Registration document for Albanians going to Australia in 1939 |
"1939 document showing of how Albanians were registered in Australia at that time. Sherif Riza was one of them, who emigrated there in 1938 from the village of Voskop in the district of Korça.”
Despite this migration, in 1986 the number of registered Albanians was below 1,500. However, in 1991, these figures almost doubled. The number of Albanians in Canada peaked in the late 1990s, when they fled the economic and political crisis in Albania and the former Yugoslavia.
The ferry tickets were marked with the line, ship number and passenger queue. The ticket was stamped and the person's details were written at the end.
 |
| 1923 ferry ticket departing from Rotterdam for America |
During the 1900s the United States drafted a law that did not accept immigrants who had borrowed money to emigrate, but for the Albanians of that time, this was the only way.
The first Albanian immigrants in the US can be divided into two categories: economic emigrants, who left the country to earn money, and political emigrants, who were forced to leave for political reasons. On the question of which category of immigrants was predominant, there were different opinions. Some authors are of the opinion that economic emigrants formed the main mass of Albanian emigration to the USA. Other authors think the opposite.
According to the newspaper 'Kombi', the first child with Albanian parents was born in January 1908 in the family of Kristo Koçi from Korça. The vast majority of Albanian emigrants coming to the US were from southern Albania. The economic empowerment of these emigrants prompted many other Albanians to turn to the 'New World'. After 1905, commercial interests led to important steps towards an organized emigration of Albanians to the United States.
For a relatively short period of time, a part of the Albanian emigrants, certainly the most capable, managed to discover the secrets of the functioning of the economy of a country that offered unlimited opportunities, they also started to deal with trade. According to the newspaper 'Kombi' by the end of 1907, the Albanians were scattered in 12 American cities. Very significant for the integration of Albanians in the US were the advertisements published in the pages of the newspaper 'Kombi', which echoed the Albanian businessmen living in different cities of America. The way of life of Albanian emigrants is also very interesting. All fellow villagers or fellow citizens gathered as a rule, in the same residential centers. This phenomenon is related to the fact that an Albanian villager or citizen who came to America very quickly turned into an attraction for fellow villagers or other fellow citizens.