Immigration to America was not just from overseas. Cross border immigration, including the northern border between Canada and New York has long been a source of new populations. The flourishing textile mills springing up along the northeast border of the United States, including along the Troy River near Albany, Troy and Cohoe, offered employment and economic opportunity for Canadians, many of them French Canadians from the Quebec region in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The French language and Catholic religion of these new arrivals made them especially suspect to many Americans, particularly the Know Nothings.
Joseph Lewis and Family, 1888, courtesy of Siena College, from the private collection of Matthew T. Apple.
Joseph Octave Lewis was the first of his family to immigrate to the United States from Montreal, Canada. His father, Ferdinand Lewis, died of cholera after helping the sick in Quebec City. Joseph and Julie are seated with their children Joseph-Arthur, Eva Margaret, and John A. Lewis. They went on to have six children in total.
Naturalization Form of Joseph Lewis, courtesy of Siena College, from the private collection of Matthew T. Apple.
Joseph Lewis's naturalization form, formerly of Canada, now living in West Troy. Note that the name Octave is now removed. Because of immigration policies at the time, Joseph must have been living in the US for at least five years.