According to a newspaper article BY Lilian SKELTON, my Paternal grandmother ESTER MARGARET HEARSEY (to avoid working in a cotton mill in Carlisle UK) emigrated to the USA in early 1900's when she was 12 years old, to look after her Aunt & Uncle's children.
Her Uncle WILLIAM SEWELL paid the ?10 fare, but on her arrival she was informed that William had died and the family could not afford to keep her so she would have to work in the cotton mills in Fall River, Massachusetts. She did this for a couple of yeras but finally ran away and found work as a domestic servant for a Mill owner who also sent her to school to learn to cook. She married an ORMSTON (we think his name was Frederick) but he was killed in a Mill accident while she was pregnant and when she gave birth to a son Frederick's parents took charge of the child and sent her to work as a cook in a Boston Boys school and eventually became a cook to Presedent ROOSERVELT. Frederick's parents told her that her son had died and as it was the outbreak of WW1 she decided to return home to look after her Father, where she met my Grandfather John SKELTON and married in Carlisle in 1918.
I was not sure how true this story was as Ester is in the 1901 census age 13 with her Father, but searching the passenger lists I have found Esther leaving Liverpool on the ss Cymric on 5 May 1904 and arriving in Boston on 14 May age 15 years 10 months with less than ?1 enroute to William Sewell at 312 Palmer Street Fall River, Massachusetts.
I have checked the US census records and found the Sewell's and suspect the Ormstol's that she married into but no sign of Esther. In fact I have been unable to find any record of her after 1904 till she married my Grandfather back in Carlisle in 1918 which states she is now an Ormston and a widow.