Immigrating to the U.S. was a major event in the lives of the families that decided to leave their homeland. They said goodbye to everything familiar and set off to America - a land they didn't know - in search of a better life.
Emigrants had to plan carefully to decide what to bring with them. With limited space available on their voyage, they only had room for the bare necessities. This often consisted of clothes, tools (if the family’s livelihood came from a skilled trade), a family Bible or other valuable family heirlooms, and basic provisions for the trip.
Since most immigrants came to America via ship and space was very limited, many brought only the types of items that would help them survive in the New World. Knowing that they may never see their homeland again, some brought the personal items they valued most.
Families typically left large items such as furniture behind simply because it wasn't practical or affordable to try and transport them across sees. Important pieces of clothing and valuable items that were also useful, such as china (dishes) and linens (tablecloths) or pots and pans, were common brought. Small trinkets and jewelry were also brought along, not only because they were important to the immigrants but also because these items could be sold if the family found itself in need of money.
Culture also frequently played a role in the choices immigrants made in deciding what to bring with them. People might leave some items behind in favor of those that were important to the practice of their religions.
~ From Reference.com
"... For most immigrants who didn't travel first- or second-class, the sea voyage to the United States was far from a cruise ship with lavish buffets. Passengers in steerage survived on "lukewarm soups, black bread, boiled potatoes, herring or stringy beef." Josephine Orlando Saiia, of Greenfield, Wisconsin, contributed a recipe for an Italian cookie called mustasole that she says sustained many immigrants on the long voyage, because they "are very, very hard when dry and become chewy when damp—like an ocean voyage. They do not spoil, can be eaten for a year, keep well with no crumbs... I have one that's fifty years old."
From Quora
Immigrant passengers, unlike prisoners, could and did bring some of their own foods. Exactly what these were is unknown, but would have included local fruit, sausages, cheeses, and breadstuffs, at least until they ran out. They would vary, too, according to where the immigrant was traveling from. Eastern European passengers, for example, would likely have brought some sort of sauerkraut or other pickled vegetables. On trans-Atlantic travel, salt beef, salt pork, and salt fish would have been likely additions as well. These formed a major part of merchant marine diets and would likely have been part of passenger diets, too.
Use the links AND the information above and to the right to give you ideas to create an authentic list of items you would pack for America. Remember: think of what you need to have, as opposed to things you just might want but are not necessary.
Emma and William Remember Packing - Listen to this brother and sister recall what they packed to bring to America from Italy in 1925.
Popular Toys in History - Good resource if you are a 'kid'.
FOOD:
pickled herring
cucumber pickles
pickled cabbage
salami
dried beef sausage
parmesan cheese
cheddar cheese
salt fish
sauerkraut
mustasole (Italian cookies)
mandelbrot (mandel bread) - Jewish Eastern European cookie
biscotti - (Italian cookie)
USEFUL THINGS:
Feather bed
pillows
quilt
Samovar (Russian teapot)
Cooking pots and pans
Linens (tablecloths)
Candlesticks
Clothing (such as coats, shawls, dresses, boots, flat cap
TOYS/GAMES/INSTRUMENTS:
wooden soldiers (child)
dolls
Nesting dolls (Russia)
toy drum
playing cards
Fiddle or flute or harmonica
RELIGIOUS ITEMS:
such as: Bible