Did your family really enter at Ellis Island?
Americans are obsessed with the lore of Ellis Island. It’s one of New York City’s top tourist destinations, and for good reason: it is the birthplace of many an American origin story.
But have you ever wondered why Ellis Island gets all the fame and glory, when millions of immigrants never even set foot in New York City, instead entering through other ports such as Boston, Philadelphia, or Baltimore? (And, technically Ellis Island isn’t even in New York either, it’s actually in New Jersey...)
Not only were there plenty of other ports of entries awaiting immigrants traveling to the U.S., but some of these ports were even busier than Ellis Island. Most famously, one of these ports was Ellis Island’s own predecessor - a place you may have never heard of.
In its 62 years of operation, Ellis Island accepted about 12 million immigrants. That's an average of roughly 193,500 immigrants per year (or 16,000 per month, or roughly 530 per day).
In comparison, Ellis Island's predecessor, Castle Garden, which operated from 1855-1890, accepted roughly 8 million immigrants during its lifespan. That's far less than Ellis Island’s 12 million, but Ellis Island was open for 62 years, while Castle Garden was only open for 35. This means that Castle Garden was averaging 228,000 immigrants per year - roughly 30,000 more than Ellis Island.
This is important, because it reframes our thinking of U.S. history and genealogy. Many Americans assume their ancestors immigrated through Ellis Island, because Ellis Island holds such a strong place in our national memory; but what if this isn’t actually true for your family history? What if you are believing a myth?
There’s an easy way to find out: Ellis Island opened in 1892. If your ancestors immigrated before that, then Ellis Island is not in your family's story. This means that if you have German, Scandinavian, or Irish famine ancestors - groups whose immigration peaked before 1892 - it's likely they never entered through Ellis Island.
Based on where your ancestors came from, you should be able to discern whether they were or were not likely to enter through Ellis Island. Let’s look at a few immigrant groups as examples:
Irish
The peak time for Irish immigration to the United States was 1840-1860 due to the Famine that forced hundreds of thousands of Irish people off of the Island. Despite Irish immigrant Annie Moore gaining international fame for being the first person to be processed at Ellis Island, the vast majority of Irish immigrants to the U.S. arrived decades before Ellis Island existed. If you have Irish ancestry, it is likely that your ancestors were famine immigrants (this likelihood is based purely on numbers, but of course won’t apply to all Americans with Irish ancestry!) which means that it is likely that your Irish ancestors have no relationship to Ellis Island.
Scandinavian
Peak emigration from Scandinavia happened in the 1880s and 1890s. This was due to economic hardship and land scarcity. In fact, the graphic below shows that emigration from Sweden dropped steeply between 1892 and 1893, just as Ellis Island opened. Emigration from Sweden still continued, and reached another peak in the early 1900s, but rates of emigration never matched the peaks in 1882, 1888, and 1892 until as recent as the 2010s. So is there a chance that your Scandinavian ancestors entered through Ellis Island? Absolutely - tens of thousands of Swedes, for example, were still emigrating after 1892. But since the peak emigration dates were prior to Ellis Island’s opening, one can make the assumption that the majority of Americans with Swedish ancestry have ancestors who immigrated during those peak years, meaning it is likely that they never entered through Ellis Island.
Graph from the Mixed Migration Center, 2024. Access here.
Italian
The majority of Italian immigration to the U.S. occurred between 1890 and 1930, making it very likely that if you have Italian ancestry, you probably have family history at Ellis Island! Of course, we know that Boston has a strong Italian heritage that developed due to Italian immigration through the port of Boston… but at this time in history, at the turn of the 20th century and the first few decades thereafter, Ellis Island was by far the busiest port in the United States. This means that it is most likely that your Italian ancestors did enter at Ellis Island.
Jewish
The U.S. has a fascinating history of Jewish immigration, stemming back to the founding of the country. The majority of Jewish immigrants to the U.S., however, arrived occurred between 1880 and 1930. In fact, between 1903-1907, it is estimated 12% of all immigrants to the U.S. were Jewish. Most Jewish immigrants during this peak time were coming from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, or from within the Pale of Settlement in Russia (today countries like Belarus, Latvia, Ukraine, Moldova, etc.) While it would be absolutely enthralling to descend from the early 18th century Sephardic communities in the U.S., it is more likely that if you have Jewish ancestry, your ancestors likely immigrated at the turn of the 20th century, meaning it is likely that you do have history at Ellis Island. For a fascinating read on Jewish immigration to the U.S., I recommend The Local Geographic Origins of Russian Jewish Immigrants, a working paper from the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College.
So, what does this mean for your family history research?
Timing really is everything in immigration research. You should know the context in which your ancestors immigrated, because it will help inform your research strategies and avoid going down research rabbit holes that may be leading you to a record that doesn’t exist.
You should have the strongest and most informed understanding of your family’s history and avoid - at all costs! - the myths that perpetuate incorrect conclusions about American history… many of which relate to Ellis Island and immigration.
Get the Guide
When it comes to Ellis Island and immigration research, there are plenty of wrong paths researchers can go down.
This guide is for you if:
➡️ You are struggling to find your ancestor's record of arrival at Ellis Island
➡️ You are just starting to research your family’s immigration story / genealogy and want to do it efficiently and correctly
➡️ You think your ancestor changed their name at Ellis Island and you aren’t sure what to do or where to take your research from here