• Immigrants awaiting inspection in front of Ellis Island's Main Building

    Ellis Island

    Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument NJ,NY

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  • Ellis Island Closed Until Further Notice

    As of May 2013: Due to the conditions caused by Hurricane Sandy, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum will be closed until further notice. A projected reopening date has not yet been established, follow our twitter account for updates. More »

Finding Arrival Records Online

There are a number of free websites where you can search for passenger arrival records (manifests). Some are very general and some can be very specific. Here are some that we have found particularly helpful-and they are totally free.

  • ellisisland.org An extensive free listing of manifests for ships that arrived in New York between 1892 and 1924-the years during which Ellis Island was America's primary immigrant processing center and where 12 million immigrants were processed. This web site was developed and is maintained by the American Family Immigration History Center located on Ellis Island.
  • stevemorse.org An extensive free listing of web sites and web pages useful for genealogical research.
  • cyndislist.com Another free site that has 270,000+ links for research on family histories.
  • slavevoyages.org The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database has information on almost 35,000 slaving voyages.
  • familysearch.org A service provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
  • gjenvick.com One of the largest collections of historical documents from the 1800s through 1954 with concentrations in Steamship and Ocean Liner documents and photographs, passenger lists, U.S. Navy Archives and additional materials covering World Wars I and II, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Immigration documents from Ellis Island, Castle Garden and other Immigration Stations.
  • germanroots.com A very helpful collection of sites with links and resources for doing German genealogical research.
  • jewishgen.org A website that features thousands of databases, research tools, and other resources to help those with Jewish ancestry find family members.
  • archives.gov The website of the National Archives and Records Administration is very comprehensive. Learn more about Tracing Family History at the National Archives.

Learning More about Your Ancestors | Finding Arrival Records Online | Tracing Family History at the National Archives | Conducting Family History Research on Ellis Island

Did You Know?

Great Hall circa 1900

In its time, Ellis Island was the busiest federal immigration station in America. In 1907, Ellis Island processed 1,004,756 immigrants, a record number for the Immigration stations. April 17, 1907 was the Island's busiest day,  when 11,747 immigrants were processed.  Today, the US Customs and Border Protection processes over 700,000 visitors daily through 326 official Ports of Entry. More...