If your ancestors sought a better life across the Atlantic, follow Judith Batchelor’sadvice to…
Search US immigration records
New York was the main gateway to the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. From 1820 to 1892, immigrants landed at Castle Garden (now called Castle Clinton) at the southern tip of Manhattan, before Ellis Island took over in 1892.
Explore the Ellis Island Passenger Search database
Start by typing your ancestor’s name into the Ellis Island Passenger Search database (www.snipca.com/49053), which contains records from 1820 to 1957. If you’re unsure of the spelling click one of the filters below, such as Close Matches, Sounds Like or Alternative Spellings. To narrow your results, click ‘One page form’ and enter details such as marital status, age on arrival and port of departure. You’ll need to create a free account to view any records.
Search for original ethnic names because these were usually recorded at the port of departure even if they were later changed. Family groups were listed together, making it easier than in other records to search for children with distinctive names. Abbreviations are common in early records, so William may be listed as Wm, and married women – for example, Sarah Jones – may just be recorded as Mrs Jones. You’ll find more tips at www. snipca.com/49054.
Don’t use search filters for ancestors arriving after 1924, which is when Ellis Island became a place of detention. These records are indexed by year of arrival and given a placeholder day of 1 January, so you won’t get any results if you search by a specific day or month of arrival.
See more details on Ship Manifests
In the search results you’ll see two icons under Action: Passenger Record and Ship Manifest( 1and 2in our screenshot left). Click the former and you’ll see your ancestor’s passenger ID, ship name, arrival date and port of departure.
You can also buy a certificate for $30 (about £23.60). These are records kept by ships that list passengers’ nationality, place of birth, occupation, last place of residence and even the amount of money they had.
If you see SI (Special Inquiry) in a Ship Manifest it means the person was detained and held on Ellis Island, probably because they were sick or were likely to become public c
