Friday, December 18, 2015

Did Your Ancestors Come Through Ellis Island? Here’s How to Find Out

The Ellis Island records website has long been a great place to find free ancestry information.

Providing instant access to more than 50 million immigration records, it’s a vital resource for anyone with immigrant ancestry from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Last year, Ellis Island revealed a brand new website, including a revamped and improved family history records section. In fact, all of the Statue of Liberty webpages — including the Ellis Island records search, the Wall of Honor and the Flag of Faces — are all included in one clean new design.

The layout is much easier to navigate and there are a wealth of advanced search options that were either difficult to find or simply nonexistent before the change. Plus, access to all documents is free.

There are still some small issues with the site (it’s in beta for now) but, overall. this is one beautiful and functional redesign.

You will want to come prepared when you visit the Ellis Island site though, so keep that in mind. Despite the improved records search, it will still be difficult to locate the information you need if you are not armed with at least some details about your ancestor’s immigration (ie age at time of arrival, estimated date of arrival and/or a list of family members who they may have traveled with).
Happy searching!

No comments:

Post a Comment