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

    Ellis Island

    Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument NJ,NY

There are park alerts in effect.
hide Alerts »

  • 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 »

Catherine Remembers the Gaslights

 

Catherine Remembers the Gaslights (Transcript)

Interviewee: Catherine Gaetano Gallippi
Date of Birth: February 17, 1914
Date of Interview: December 12, 1990
Interviewer: Paul E. Sigrist, Jr.
Immigrated from Italy at Age 8 in 1922
Ellis Island Collection: EI-17

Gallippi (Her Mother's Disappointment with America): When we came here into America my mother complained, she says, "My God, I thought America was supposed to be something great. You have gaslights here. We had electric lights in Italy." (she laughs)

Download Copy of Transcript: Gaetano Gallippi Gaslight Transcript

Did You Know?

passenger manifest

Since the passage of the "Steerage Act of 1819", passenger manifests have been required for all arriving vessels to be delivered to the U.S. Government and reported to Congress.  This document, used for inspection at Ellis Island, has become an important starting point in researching family history.