On January 1, 1892, Ellis Island began welcoming immigrants along its shores at the first federal immigration station. The iconic building that stands there today, known as a symbol of history and new beginnings, is still visited by thousands of people each year. Between 1892 and 1954, over twelve million immigrants came through the station to the United States, starting new lives for their families in this country. As you begin the new year with resolutions and warm feelings from the holidays, you might also start looking back at your family and your own ancestral beginnings.
You can learn about the opening of Ellis Island and the grand station that was built in 1900, in our historic newspapers in Chronicling America. But those newspapers also hold the key for many people to learning more about their families. Are you interested in doing genealogical research? Have you searched for the names of your ancestors in Chronicling America yet? Using the Advanced Search tab offers a number of ways to narrow down a search to find someone’s name.
While we do not hold the records from Ellis Island here at the Library (you can find them online here), we have a lot of other resources that can help you with your research. Newspapers are especially rich with genealogical data. Birth announcements and obituaries help people to find the bookends of their family members’ lives.
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