Ellis Island New York City

Ellis Island 2006/ G Sutton

Ellis Island is a separate island near the liberty island, home of the Statue of Liberty. Between 1892 and 1954, some 12 million immigrants entered the US here.

Today it is a museum operated by the Us National Park Service.

In line at Ellis Island 2006 G Sutton

I was surprised as I was wandering about the halls. One area displayed photos of ships that brought people to the new world. There was a photo of my boat, HMS Franconia-an old Cunard liner. I did not pass through Ellis Island as it was closed when we came to the US.

Did you or your family come to the US some years ago? If so, you may be able to find their name. I entered my name into their passenger search and sure enough, there it was. I was surprised by the number of people with the same name but I was the only one for the year and ship.

If you register, you can see your record. There is no charge unless you want a fancy certificate for $29 (July 2020 fee). The photo was an old black and white so, not as good as the colour post card I still have. However, it looks like a mistake! They say the ship was sunk by a German U-boat in 1916--many years before I was born. What the archivists did not do is check to see that there was more than one Franconia so, a good reason not to buy their photo. And a good lesson to be a bit skeptical about the "facts" in historical records from any age.

I searched a few other records and found my parents and my aunt who married an American soldier and came to the US on the Queen Mary in 1946. Apparently, when she and her family came to see us in London in 1954, they came on the Queen Elizabeth.


I keep my family search information on Family Tree Maker (UK version), but there are other products available. Family Software

And it is free to use familysearch.org

Visiting Notes

Link to planning a visit https://www.nps.gov/elis/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm 

It is free to enter the museum, but there is a cost for the ferry by Statue Cruises.

The museum is open most days but check for exceptions.

Accessibility information https://www.nps.gov/elis/planyourvisit/accessibility-update.htm 

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You can take guided tours and search old records here.