ARRIVING NEW YORK HARBOR

Ellis Island as Viewed from a Boat. The picture above and below was taken from the National Parks Service page located at the following link::  http://www.nps.gov/stli/serv02.htm

If you were entering New York Harbor between the years 1892 - 1897 the view above is what you would have seen.  It was a small city on an Island, which could only be reached by boat.

But for my Great Grandparents, they would not have the opportunity to step on the actual Ellis Island.  On June 14, 1897 a fire burned the immigration station completely to the ground.  Though repair was started immediately, it would not be completed when my great grandparents arrive in New York Harbor in 1898.  All processing was moved to the "Barges Office on Battery Island."

No lives were lost, but many records dating back to 1855 were destroyed in the pine buildings that were suppose to protect them.  Some good came out of the fire because the new structures had to be built of fireproof materials.

PROCESSING

Though my Great Grandparents did not  go through the "Great Hall",  the processing procedures were very much the same.  The ships would way anchor until it was their turn to disembark at the harbor.  Sometimes the immigrants would have a three to four days waiting period before their turn finally came.  If your ancestors were First class or Second class they were processed on board the ship and sent on their way.  But for Third class or Steerage class, they would be picked up by barges and brought to the processing station.   The first doctors would do a quick examination and mark any suspicions with a chalk mark on the right shoulder of the immigrant.  If the immigrants received such a mark they were sent to a second group of doctors.  Trachoma a highly contagious eye disease was the most common reason for detaining immigrants.  Once you passed your examination with the doctors, you would be taken to the registration clerks.  When you reached a registration clerk a lot of things happened.  Many of the clerks could not speak or read German.  So when an immigrant said their name, many times it was written down how it sounded.  An example the German spelling of Ochs would be written Oaks.  Many of the immigrants could not spell their names.  Then there were those that intentionally changed their names for various reasons.

After completing registration, the immigrants would be taken to the baggage room to gather their things.  From the baggage room they went to the money exchange room to exchange their money for American currancy.  Those that were headed for New York, went to the railroad agents to purchase their tickets.  They traveled by barge to New Jersey rail stations and from their they entered the mainstream of America.