Aboard the Fabre Line to Providence: Immigration to Rhode Island

by William J. Jennings Jr., Patrick T. Conley

In an era when immigration was at its peak, the Fabre Line offered the only transatlantic route to southern New England. One of its most important ports was in Providence, Rhode Island. Nearly eighty-four thousand immigrants were admitted to the country between the years 1911 and 1934. Almost one in nine of these individuals elected to settle in Rhode Island after landing in Providence, amounting to around eleven thousand new residents. Most of these immigrants were from Portugal and Italy, and the Fabre Line kept up a brisk and successful business. However, both the line and the families hoping for a new life faced major obstacles in the form of World War I, the immigration restriction laws of the 1920s, and the Great Depression. Join authors Patrick T. Conley and William J. Jennings Jr. as they chronicle the history of the Fabre Line and its role in bringing new residents to the Ocean State.

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2013

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book very dry. Painfully so at times. however I am still very glad I read it a unique topic, offering insight on Rhode Island history, and on transatlantic ocean liner history.

[Janel G. B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really hoping it’d be more interesting than it was.

[Chase Boni · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fact that the author presents a well-known photo from Ellis Island as being taken in Providence makes me question the factual content of the rest of the book.