The Genealogical Road Trip Continues: Greeting your Great Grandparents at Ellis Island by Brenna Corbit, Technical Services Librarian
Last time we left off you were driving around downtown Reading, Pa. looking at all the places your ancestors worked, or maybe you had to drive to Pottstown, or even Philadelphia to take in the old sites. Well, wherever you are, fill up that tank for we are heading up to New York to greet your great grandparents as they disembark from the steamships and are processed like so many cattle through the chutes at Ellis Island.
We have already looked at the various records dealing with immigration—census records, declarations, petitions and naturalizations—to determine when and where your ancestors came to this country. Although this article focuses upon Ellis Island where most immigrants entered the U.S., there are many other ports of entry, such as Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, and San Francisco.
I first saw Ellis Island about 30 years ago when I knew practically nothing of my family history save that I knew my Polish great grandparents arrived via this port. The second time around was much more enriching. About 7 years ago, my wife Jolene, several family members, and I decided to go on a day when one of our ancestors arrived. We settled on Jan Gil, Jolene’s great grandfather who arrived 20 May 1907 aboard the steamer Amerika, a perfect time to be walking around outside.
Taking the ferry ride from Manhattan harbor and passing the Statue of Liberty on the way to Ellis Island, standing in a long line waiting to gain access to the Immigration Museum which is filled with passenger processing artifacts and life-size photos of early 20th century immigrants looking right at you, and looking out over the main hall where our ancestors waited to be processed presented a glimpse into the actual experience of Jan Gil and thousands of others like him just waiting to gain access to the American dream. You don’t have to go on the exact day as we did, although that made the excursion all the more special. We even had Ukrainian/Polish food at Veselka in the Lower East Side in honor of Jan Gil’s nativity—Knapy, Poland, which was part of the Austrian Empire during Poland’s century of partitions.
A trip like this requires much planning. Of course, you must find the correct port of arrival. After that you should find as much information as possible for getting there—transportation, parking (if driving), ferries, reservations, hours, tickets, etc. I have provided a list of websites assist you on your journey.
- Major U.S. Immigration Ports: Plus tips for locating your ancestors in arrival records
- Ellis Island National Parks Service
- “A quest to conjure Philadelphia’s immigrant past at Pier 53.” ·
- Philadelphia Seaport Museum
- Baltimore Immigration Museum
- Texas Seaport Museum
- Port of New Orleans
- Angel Island, San Francisco
- Ports of Call, Boston
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