Centralized Federal immigration records began about 1880 in response to increasing numbers of people who arrived sick, with no means of support or someone to sponsor them. In 1891 provisions were added to sort people entering by land through Mexico and Canada. In the late 1800’s forty percent of people entering Canadian ports were bound for America. A good place to look for these online would be collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy. Earlier immigration was poorly recorded at the Port Authorities. Records are incomplete. There were ports all over the East Coast. New Orleans, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York were busy. The advent of steamships cut the transatlantic trip from 8 weeks to about 8 days. Immigration boomed with the California Gold Rush and later railroads. The Gold RUSH fueled immigration from Europe, China, and Japan. Transcontinental railroads needed cheap labor and later immigrants to people their new routes and buy land around the tracks from the railroad. Railroads and mining interests advertised heavily in Europe, touting instant riches and cheap farm land. Welsh miners, Scandinavian farmers, and starving Irish all sought the Golden Gate. If your ancestor came to America relatively poor in 1890 to 1954, Ellis Island Foundation has a record of over 12 million people. Searches are free, but donations are welcome. They have lots of tutorials like their Genealogy Primer Page. The website is https://heritage.statueofliberty.org. Beware of being redirected by your Browser to a .COM site, it’s a trap. Castle Garden was the entry point for New York City before Ellis Island. It operated from 1855 to 1890. Eight million people were processed there. Castlegarden.orgis a site I would caution you about donating on, my browser has it flagged as “unsecure”. Ancestry.comhas in their collection an Immigration and Travel section which has Castle Garden and Ellis Island 1820-1957; Pennsylvania 1800-1962; New Orleans 1813-1963; and Baltimore 1820-1964. Once you have the arrival date pinned down and a ship manifest suggested, test the suggestion by reading the manifest itself for clues. Look at family members listed. Compare the birth order of children. Are there names missing? Some later manifests showed destination or friend’s name in America. Read the rest of the page for other possible relatives and friends from the same country of origin. Remember, people moved in packs for support. These same people may appear in later census records with your ancestors. RESEARCH TIP: if you can’t track a relative, try to track a neighbor. GOOD LUCK FINDING YOUR SHIP! DON’T GET WET
By ED PECK
Special to the Herald Times
