Family Tree Guide to Finding Your Ellis Island Ancestors: A Genealogist’s Essential Guide to Navigating the Ellis Island Database and Passenger Arrival List

176 Pages·2005·29.53 MB·English

by  Sharon Carmack

The Family Tree Guide To
Finding Your Ellis Island Ancestors
The Family Tree Guide To Finding Your Ellis Island Ancestors.©2 005 by Sharon DeBartolo
Carmack. Manufactured in the United States of America. All rights reserved. o part of this
book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including
information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher
except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by Family Tree
Books, an imprint of F + W Publications Inc. 4 00 East Galbraith Road Cincinnati, Ohio
45236. [phone].
First edition.
Other fine Family Tree Books are available from your local bookstore or on our Web site
at www .familytreemagazine.com.
09 08 0 06 05 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Carmmack Sharon DeBartolo
The family tree guide to finding your Ellis Island ancestors : a genealogists essential guide
to navigating the Ellis Island database and passenger arrival list I by Sharon DeBartolo
Carmack.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-55870-694-1
1. United States- Genealogy- Handbooks manuals, ere. 2. United States- Emigration
and immigration- Handbooks, manuals etc. 3. Ellis Island Immigration Station (N.Y.
and N.J.)- Registers- Handbooks manuals etc. I. Title.
CS49.C383 2005
929'.1'0 20 4 1- dc22 2005000115
CIP
Editor: Erin evms
Production coordinator: Robin Richie
Assistant production coordinator: Logan Cummins
Interior designer: Sand Conopeoris Kent fw
Cover design by Stephanie Goodrich
Icon designer: Cindy Beckmeyer
DEDICATION
What would a book on Ellis Island be without a dedication to my
forebears who processed there, giving me a reason to become obsessed
with the subject? So this book is dedicated to my great-grandparents
Salvatore and Angelina (Vallarelli) Ebetino and their children, and Al
bino and Lucia (Vallarelli) DeBartolo and their children, as well as
their siblings and cousins who made the journey from Terlizzi, Bari,
Italy, in the early twentieth century.
This book is also dedicated to my great-great-grandmother, Isabella
(Veneta) Vallarelli. Although she came through the Port of Boston, this
four-foot-tall woman came alone in 1916 at the age of 63 so she could
be closer to her children and grandchildren. It took more courage than
I would have had.
About the Author
Sharon DeBartolo Carmack is a Certified Genealogist specializing in writing
and editing family history narratives. She has authored fifteen books and
hundreds of articles and columns that have appeared in nearly every major
genealogical journal and publication. As executive editor of Family Tree
Books (formerly Betterway Books), she has acquired and edited more than
thirty-five titles, making Family Tree Books and Betterway Books America's
best-selling guides to genealogy.
Sharon is a partner in \Xlarren, Carmack & Associates, a genealogical re
search and consulting firm specializing in Irish, Italian, American Indian, and
onsite research at the National Archives, the Family History Library, and in
Ireland.
Since 1998, Sharon has served on the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Founda
tion's History Advisory Committee. Her awards and honors include APG's
Jr.
Grahame Thomas Smallwood Award of Merit (1990); the Federation of
Genealogical Societies' Award of Merit ( 1992 and 2002); and in 1998, Sharon
was made a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association for her "outstanding
contributions to the genealogical community and for the production of arti
cles, books, and lectures that are an exemplary blend of her expertise in
history and genealogy."
Sharon can be reached through her Web site: <www.SharonCarmack.com>.
Acknowledgments
My interest in Ellis Island began nearly two decades ago, when I discovered
that my Italian grandparents were processed there in the early twentieth cen
tury. Once I learned this, I wanted to know what the experience was like for
them. At the time, my remaining living immigrant relatives had come through
Ellis Island when they were small children, and they only remembered bits
and pieces. I had to fill in the holes with other sources.
In the early 1980s when my interest was sparked, the Island had just begun
renovations on the main building. My father was working for the Department
of the Interior and had friends in the National Parks Service. Through his
connections, I was able to walk the echoing halls before workmen descended
upon the Island, making it into one of New York's largest museums.
Since its renovation, I've been on the Island many times, as a tourist and
as part of the History Advisory Committee for the Statue of Liberty-Ellis
Island Foundation's American Family Immigration History Center. In serving
on that committee, I was fortunate to meet and work with the nation's leading
immigration historians. My journey to learn everything I could about the
Ellis Island experience came from reading many of their works on the subject,
and in talking and corresponding with the historians and librarians at Ellis
Island, including Barry Moreno and Jeffrey S. Dosik. They were all valuable
sources, as were Daniel Lynch and Peg Zitko, who provided me with advance
information about revisions to the Ellis Island Web site.
Marian L. Smith of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (for
merly the Immigration and Naturalization Service) has always been patient
and helpful in answering questions relating to passenger arrival lists and other
immigration records. She graciously granted permission for me to reprint her
compelling article on the retention and destruction of the Ellis Island passen
ger lists in Appendix A.
Throughout the years, three genealogists have clipped and sent me articles
on Ellis Island or assisted me in obtaining records: Anita A. Lustenberger,
Roger D. Joslyn, and Suzanne McVetty. This "New York Trio" has always
been generous with their time, eagerly opened their homes to me when I
visited New York, and took me by the hand when I rode the subways.
Erin Nevius, my colleague in publishing and associate editor at Family
Tree Books, gave valuable suggestions to draft chapters and was the editor
for this book. She works hard behind the scenes to make our books shine,
and she deserves more credit than she's ever given.
To Clare (Rowan) Warren and Becky Shy for making their opinions-and
their presence-known, whether I'm at home or in Ireland.
And finally, to James W. Warren, three roses in return. No one was more
surprised than I.
Critical Acclaint for Author
Sharon DeBartolo Cannack
You Can \Vrite Your Family History
"Step by step Sharon Carmack shows how to tum names and dates into real
human beings for a family history. Anyone who has ever had thoughts about
writing a family history will want to have this book to refer to again and again:'
-Henry B. Hoff, CG, FASG
Editor, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register
"Engaging and informative, You Can \Vrite a Family History shows family
historians how to 'add life and history' to the genealogical facts they've gath
ered. Carmack shares the elements of the writer's craft-plot, character, and
description-and illustrates how they can be used in preparing a family his
tory for publication."
-Ann Hege Huges
President, Gateway Press, Inc.
"Almost all genealogists want to share the fruits of their research with the
rest of the family, but fear that their relatives won't be interested in a standard
genealogy. Sharon Carmack shows us how to create a family history that is
much more than basic genealogy, a book that will be read and enjoyed for
generations to come."
-Harry Macy, FASG
Editor, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record
Your Guide to Cemetery Research
" ... the most comprehensive book to date helping genealogists get the most
out of cemeteries ... at the same time celebrating their art, history, and beauty.
\Vell worth the buy."
-Steve Johnson, Interment.net
"Highly informative, covering a number of areas in great detail, and offering
information otherwise not found in genealogy resources today."
-William Spurlock, SavingGraves.com
"Genealogists and local historians of all stripes will find this book invaluable.
Highly recommended for public and genealogy libraries."
-Library Journal
"This new book maintains [Carmack's] high standard .... This is easily the
most comprehensiYe guide I have seen on the subject."
-Louisiana Genealogical Register
Organizing Your Family History Search
A Book of the Month Club Selection
"This book will provide comfort to those who shudder at the mounds of
paper involved in a genealogical search. Carmack's solutions are inventive
and flexible enough to fit any researcher. This very useful source is highly
recommended."
-Library Journal
"Sharon DeBartolo Carmack's newest book ... is the answer to a researcher's
prayers. Everyone can benefit from the organizational tips offered by profes
sionals that are interspersed throughout the book. As delightful to read as it
is helpful ...."
-Branches & Twigs
A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering
Your Immigrant and Ethnic Ancestors
"Sharon Carmack has another title to her credit . . . . Over half the book is
an excellent general genealogical guide . . . . The net result is a very useful
guide for any American genealogist."
-The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record
"Ms. Carmack succeeds in her aim to help the heritage searcher identify and
trace immigrant ancestors back to their arrival in America . . . . The book
merits high marks for its scope and the variety of suggested data sources. Its
easy-to-understand directions for pursuing them convey an atmosphere of
enjoyable experience."
-Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine
"Carmack's suggestions for learning more about one's own family through
foods, customs, heirlooms, and stories are as valuable as her tips for conducting
oral history interviews and handling family 'myths.' "
-Federation of Genealogical Societies' Forum
A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Female Ancestors
"At last! This is the first guide to focus on the special strategies needed to
track down your elusive female ancestors. Sharon DeBartolo Carmack has
written an outstanding book. It is required reading!"
-New England Historic Genealogical Society
"Until now, no guide was devoted solely to finding information about
women. This important book fills that void."
- National Genealogical Society Quarterly
Other Books by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
GENEALOGICAL GUIDEBOOKS
YI u an · rite Your Family History
Your uide t emeter ' Research
A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Immigrant and Ethnic Ancestors
Organizing Your Family History earch
A Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your Female Ancestors
The Genealogy Sourcebook
Italian-American Family History: A Guide to Researching and Writing About
Your Heritaae
FAMILY HISTORY NARRATIVES/COMPILED GENEALOGIES
Italians in Transition: The Vallarelli Family of Terlizzi, Italy, and Westchester
County, ew York and The DeBartolo Family of Terlizzi Italy, ew York,
and San Francisco, California
A Sense of Duty: The Life and Times of Jay Roscoe Rhoads and his wife
Mary Grace Rudolph
My Wild Irish Rose: The Life of Rose {Norris) {O'Connor) Fit hugh and her
mother Delia {Gordon) orris
David and Charlotte Hawes {Buckner) Stuart of King George County Vir
ginia, Including Three Generations of Their Descendants
American Lives and Lines co-authored with Roger D. Josl n
The Ebetino and Vallarelli Family History: Italian Immigrants to Westchester
County, New York
PUBLISHED ABSTRACTS
Communities at Rest: An Inventory and Field Study of Five Eastern Colorado
Cemeteries
Table of Contents
At a Glance
Foreword by Stephen A. Briganti, President and CEO of
The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation,
xiv
Introduction,
1
1 Starting Your Ellis Island Search, 3
2 Passenger Lists 101, 19
3 Using the Ellis Island Database, 29
4 Back to Microfilm Basics, 44
5 My Ancestor Isn't There-What Now?, 60
6 Before Ellis Island: Castle Garden, 71
7 The Immigrant Experience, 76
8 Ellis Island Medical Records,
97
9 Finding Information on Your Ancestor's Ship, 108
1 0 Leaving an Ellis Island Legacy, 113
APPENDIX A The Creation and Destruction of Ellis Island
Immigration Manifests, Part 1,
119
APPENDIX B The Creation and Destruction of Ellis Island
Immigration Manifests, Part 2,
126
APPENDIX C Immigration and Passenger List Forms, 133
Bibliography,
153
Index,
159