Some genealogy websites contain passenger list collections as well. Passenger lists originated at ports of departure, so immigrants are listed by their original names from their country of origin.
Names often changed upon arrival in America. Handwriting was also often difficult to decipher, and sometimes, spelling and transcription errors occurred.
Ellis Island. Ellis Island History and Culture. History of Ellis Island. The Secrets and History of Ellis Island. Ellis Island History Facts.
Ellis Island Immigration. Photo of Ellis Island Inspection. Archaeology of Ellis Island. Immigration to Ellis Island. Ellis Island: The Golden Door. Ellis Island Immigration Tour. Immigration and Deportation at Ellis Island. The Curious History of Ellis Island. Ellis Island National Monument. History: Ellis Island.
For New Immigrants to the U. In this way, Ellis Island developed from a sandy island that barely rose above the high tide mark, into a hanging site for pirates, a harbor fort, ammunition and ordinance depot named Fort Gibson, and finally into an immigration station. From to pre-immigration station period , Ellis Island played a mostly uneventful but still important military role in United States history.
When the British occupied New York City during the duration of the Revolutionary War, its large and powerful naval fleet was able to sail unimpeded directly into New York Harbor. Therefore, it was deemed critical by the United States Government that a series of coastal fortifications in New York Harbor be constructed just prior to the War of After much legal haggling over ownership of the island, the Federal government purchased Ellis Island from New York State in Ellis Island was approved as a site for fortifications and on it was constructed a parapet for three tiers of circular guns, making the island part of the new harbor defense system that included Castle Clinton at the Battery, Castle Williams on Governor's Island, Fort Wood on Bedloe's Island and two earthworks forts at the entrance to New York Harbor at the Verrazano Narrows.
The fort at Ellis Island was named Fort Gibson in honor of a brave officer killed during the War of Prior to , the individual states rather than the Federal government regulated immigration into the United States. Castle Garden in the Battery originally known as Castle Clinton served as the New York State immigration station from to and approximately eight million immigrants, mostly from Northern and Western Europe, passed through its doors.
These early immigrants came from nations such as England, Ireland, Germany and the Scandinavian countries and constituted the first large wave of immigrants that settled and populated the United States. Throughout the s and intensifying in the latter half of the 19th century, ensuing political instability, restrictive religious laws and deteriorating economic conditions in Europe began to fuel the largest mass human migration in the history of the world.
It soon became apparent that Castle Garden was ill-equipped and unprepared to handle the growing numbers of immigrants arriving yearly. Unfortunately, compounding the problems of the small facility were the corruption and incompetence found to be commonplace at Castle Garden.
The Federal government intervened and constructed a new Federally-operated immigration station on Ellis Island. While the new immigration station on Ellis Island was under construction, the Barge Office at the Battery was used for the processing of immigrants.
The new structure on Ellis Island, built of "Georgia pine" opened on January 1, Annie Moore, a teenaged Irish girl, accompanied by her two brothers, entered history and a new country as she was the very first immigrant to be processed at Ellis Island.
Over the next 62 years, more than 12 million were to follow through this port of entry. While there were many reasons to immigrate to America, no reason could be found for what would occur only five years after the Ellis Island Immigration Station opened. During the early morning hours of June 15, , a fire on Ellis Island burned the immigration station completely to the ground. Although no lives were lost, many years of Federal and State immigration records dating back to burned along with the pine buildings that failed to protect them.
The United States Treasury quickly ordered the immigration facility be replaced under one very important condition: all future structures built on Ellis Island had to be fireproof. On December 17, , the new Main Building was opened and 2, immigrants were received that day.
The great steamship companies like White Star, Red Star, Cunard and Hamburg-America played a significant role in the history of Ellis Island and immigration in general. First and second class passengers who arrived in New York Harbor were not required to undergo the inspection process at Ellis Island. Instead, these passengers underwent a cursory inspection aboard ship, the theory being that if a person could afford to purchase a first or second class ticket, they were less likely to become a public charge in America due to medical or legal reasons.
The Federal government felt that these more affluent passengers would not end up in institutions, hospitals or become a burden to the state. However, first and second class passengers were sent to Ellis Island for further inspection if they were sick or had legal problems.
From his experience at Ellis Island, La Guardia came to believe that many of the deportations for so-called mental illness were unjustified, often due to communication problems or to the ignorance of doctors doing the inspections. He was coming to the streets of New York.
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During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, large numbers of people from northern and western Europe traveled in overcrowded ships to immigrate to the United States. They arrived to escape famine and religious discrimination, to buy farmland and cash in on the The United States experienced major waves of immigration during the colonial era, the first part of the 19th century and from the s to Many immigrants came to America seeking greater economic opportunity, while some, such as the Pilgrims in the early s, arrived in The busiest day at Ellis Island was April 17, , when 11, immigrants passed through the processing center to enter the United States.
Nearly 1. Like immigrants The United States has long been considered a nation of immigrants. Attitudes toward new immigrants by those who came before have vacillated between welcoming and exclusionary over the years.
Thousands of years before Europeans began crossing the vast Atlantic by ship and While New York City ushered in the arrival of with the peals of church bells and the screeching of horns, American dreams danced in the head of a year-old Irish girl anchored off the southern tip of Manhattan. Along with her two younger brothers, the teenager had departed After opening in , Ellis Island became known as the gateway to America and a symbol of a chance at the American dream.
In the 62 years it was open, the island facility processed more than 12 million immigrants. It has been estimated that close to 40 percent of current U. It was used for pirate hangings in the early s. Long before it became a way station for people looking for a new beginning, Ellis Island—named for its last private owner, Samuel Ellis—was known as a place where condemned prisoners met their end.
For most of the early 19th More than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island between and —with a whopping 1,, entering the United States in alone.
And yet, even during these days of peak immigration, for most passengers hoping to establish new lives in the United States, the Many immigrants from China or other Asian countries were detained there for extended periods thanks to the Chinese Live TV.
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No, pets are prohibited from using the ferry system and being at Liberty and Ellis Islands. Some activities require a permit for more information, visit our permits page for more information. Yes, the grounds are available to all visitors. About Ellis Island Plan Your Visit Keep in Contact with Ellis Island What do I do if I lost something at Ellis Island?
If you are still at Ellis, go to the Information Desk in the Baggage Room and ask the ranger if your item was turned in. If it wasn't, you can fill out a Lost and Found report so your item can be returned to you if it is turned in after you leave.
If you discover your loss after you leave the park, you can still make a report. How can I contact the park? For more information to contact the park please visit our Contact Us page. Ellis Island Geography Family History Research Can I find out if my relatives went through Ellis Island?
Yes, the more information you know, the easier this search can be. The National Archives and Records Administration is the official repository for the nation's manifest documents.
The center's database is also on-line. Last updated: January 4, Stay Connected. Jump To:.
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