My grandmother is giving to my son the passport and/or paperwork...

[Crissy]

that allowed my great-grandfather to enter into the United States (via Ellis Island).
She asks just two things of us; that I never allow him to give it to the Immigration Museum (apparently they have requested it :confused:), and that he do a study of some sort on my great-grandfather's immigration.

The first request is easy. We don't share our family treasures. :o
As for the study, I don't know where we'd begin. Have any of you researched your ancestors and their arrival through Ellis Island?
Gosh, I don't even know what we'd be looking for.

Help!

[Colleen]

Have you looked at the Ellis Island site? There's a page with helpful links, so I imagine that's where I'd start ~ in addition to asking your grandmother if she has any other relevant info (letters, for example).

That's great that she's asking him to take responsibility for the history, so to speak. "Found history" for me is if I happen to come across photos of my own parents as children...or me, for that matter!:rolleyes:

[Crissy]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Navy"]Have you looked at the Ellis Island site?

Aha! I was looking at the wrong site. I clicked on the .com rather than the .org. All I found was party rental information. :rolleyes:

I'll be seeing my grandmother in the morning. I will be sure to ask about letters and such.
I have a feeling she knows much of this, but wants him to 'discover' it on his own.

[Gigi]

Have you looked at the Ellis Island site?

You should be able to find his name on ship records and many times get a copy of the actual passenger list.

I would also check out the library. When I start on a new family I always try to get the "big picture" by checking out general genealogy sites on those locations. There are also books that focus on different countries and describe basic immigration patterns and such.

[HomeOnTheRanch]

Cool! No real advice, but would you consider making color photocopies to share with the museum or others? Just in case they are ever lost or accidentally destroyed, it would be nice if there was at least a copy somewhere.

[Colleen]

Aha! I was looking at the wrong site. I clicked on the .com rather than the .org. All I found was party rental information. :rolleyes

:D

[Crissy]

You should be able to find his name on ship records and many times get a copy of the actual passenger list.

I would also check out the library. When I start on a new family I always try to get the "big picture" by checking out general genealogy sites on those locations. There are also books that focus on different countries and describe basic immigration patterns and such.

I hate to ask dumb question, Gigi, but how do I know which ship he was on? Is that connected with his records in some way?

[Crissy]

Cool! No real advice, but would you consider making color photocopies to share with the museum or others? Just in case they are ever lost or accidentally destroyed, it would be nice if there was at least a copy somewhere.


I think that's a great idea. I'd love to offer copies or a replica to the museum. I'll have to look into that.

[Gigi]

When you go to the Ellis Island website you can do a search based on his name, birthdate, country of orgin etc. If the record has been digitized you can get a copy. Now some people came through Ellis Island but for some reason the information is no longer available. But I would start there. Do you know the year he came? That is usually the most helpful.

If the Ellis Island website doesn't bring up the information there are other locations you can look. What country did he come from? (you can PM me if you want and I can try and help more) Most of my research is Norway & Germany but I am have done quite a bit of research and would be willing to help.

[KarenNC]

Also, if one is looking at Ellis Island and can't find information, consider that the ancestor may have come through too early for that. Prior to Ellis Island (1892-1924), the big immigration center in NY was Castle Garden (1830-1892).

http://www.castlegarden.org/