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Ellis Island Search

Now that you have completed your oral history interview, you should have received some information that will help you with the next task.

Screenshot of EllisIsland.org

If your family member was able to give you the name of an ancestor who came to American through Ellis Island, great! Have that name handy. If not, no need to worry, you will be searching for someone with the same last name as you. You will still get the idea of how this type of family research works.

First, visit http://www.ellisisland.org/. The site will open in a new window so you can follow the directions as you go along.

1. Click "Sign In, which is at the top right corner. The class username is LibraryABC and the password is Dewey.

2. From the main menu, go to "Passenger Search" and then "New Search". If you know your ancestors name, enter it into the First Name and Last Name boxes. If you don't know your ancestors name, just simple type your last name into the Last Name box. You are bound to find someone! Then click "Start Search".

You MAY need to refine your search, which means the site found too many matches. If this is the case, follow the directions on screen.

3. You will get a list of all of the potential matches. Select a link for a person under "Name of Passenger", preferably someone whose residence is NOT the United States. This will take you to the passenger record, where you will find information to fill out your worksheet. Also, you will see links at the top of the page for "Original Ship Manifest" (which is a list of all the other passengers on the ship) and "Ship" (a description of the actual ship the passenger was on). Explore these areas - you will find many interesting facts!

Passenger Record for Buchanan

4. Complete the following worksheet. > Ellis Island Search

One more task to go! Click "Plot Family Travels" from the submenu on the left.


Home Introduction Oral History Interview Genealogy YouTube Video Your Tasks Interview Ellis Island Search Plot Family Travels What Did You Think? Still Interested? Teacher Credits	Ellis Island Search Now that you have completed your oral history interview, you should have received some information that will help you with the next task. If your family member was able to give you the name of an ancestor who came to American through Ellis Island, great! Have that name handy. If not, no need to worry, you will be searching for someone with the same last name as you. You will still get the idea of how this type of family research works. First, visit http://www.ellisisland.org/. The site will open in a new window so you can follow the directions as you go along. 1. Click "Sign In, which is at the top right corner. The class username is LibraryABC and the password is Dewey. 2. From the main menu, go to "Passenger Search" and then "New Search". If you know your ancestors name, enter it into the First Name and Last Name boxes. If you don't know your ancestors name, just simple type your last name into the Last Name box. You are bound to find someone! Then click "Start Search". You MAY need to refine your search, which means the site found too many matches. If this is the case, follow the directions on screen. 3. You will get a list of all of the potential matches. Select a link for a person under "Name of Passenger", preferably someone whose residence is NOT the United States. This will take you to the passenger record, where you will find information to fill out your worksheet. Also, you will see links at the top of the page for "Original Ship Manifest" (which is a list of all the other passengers on the ship) and "Ship" (a description of the actual ship the passenger was on). Explore these areas - you will find many interesting facts! 4. Complete the following worksheet. > Ellis Island Search One more task to go! Click "Plot Family Travels" from the submenu on the left.
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