ELLIS ISLAND – CASTLE CLINTON NATIONAL MONUMENT in MANHATTAN ISLAND, NEW YORK.
CASTLE CLINTON NATIONAL MONUMENT
A person must catch the ferry at Castle Clinton National Monument to Ellis Island. Castle Clinton National Monument (aka Castle Garden and West Battery) was built between 1808-1811. It is a circular fort made out of sandstone located in Battery Park. It was named after NYC Mayor DeWitt Clinton. The US Army stopped using the fort in 1821. It never saw any action. NYC then leased the fort to hold entertainment such as an opera house, concerts, theater, exhibition hall, etc.
PHOTO CLINTON NATIONAL MONUMENT – Castle Clinton National Monument was the first US immigration station serving immigrants from 1855 to 1890. More than eight million people were processed through this center until it was moved to Ellis Island.
After almost being demolished a number of times and saved by protesters, a major rehabilitation was scheduled. Finally in 1975 Castle Clinton National Monument reopened as a departure point for the ferry to Ellis Island. It also houses a small historical exhibit and an occasional concert is held in Battery Park.
ELLIS ISLAND
Between 1892 and 1954 Ellis Island served as the gateway to more than 12 million immigrants who had their paperwork processed here. Over 1.25 million alone were processed in 1907. Forty percent of all Americans can trace their roots back to Ellis Island. I am one of them.
My grandfather, Leo Koenig, came over from Germany in 1925 on a ship named George Washington with 2,679 other passengers. He arrived on Jan 1, 1925 at the age of 23. He spoke very little English but was on his way to see his brother who asked if he could take over his business for him until he felt better. When Leo arrived he found his brother on his deathbed. The doctors told him it was from complications he received from having been captured, gassed and having all his fingers cut off by the Germans when he served as a US officer in the war against Germany. Upon their reunion, his brother only lived about two weeks and left my grandfather alone and hardly able to speak English. I cannot even imagine what my grandfather and his brother went through coming to America, but I do know, they never wanted to return to Germany.
A photo taken of my grandfather in 1925 on the boat he crossed the ocean with to get to Ellis Island. He is the man to the left of the gentleman wearing the bouy.
WALL OF HONOR
My grandfather’s name is on the Wall of Honor. The Wall of Honor is a monument built in 1989 for every immigrant that came over with a dream. It celebrates who we are as Americans and where we came from. I was surprised to find out it lists only 775,000 names. They have 5 panels left and one must donate to have their family name inscribed on the wall. If you wish to find your family name on the wall or just want to do a passenger record search, you can click here: libertyellisfoundation.orgEllis Island Memorial honoring my grandfather.
If you would like to search for your relatives that may have had their immigration papers processed at Ellis Island, there are computers right at the site to do so. Please note on June 15, 1897 there was a huge fire on the island. It burned the immigration station to the ground. All the records were lost. On Dec 17, 1900 the new main building (now fireproof) reopened.
First and second class passengers who arrived into the New York Harbor did not have to go through the rigorous inspection process unless they were sick. The belief was, if they could afford an upper class ticket, they would be able to take care of themselves in America and not be a burden to taxpayers. Their papers were processed right on the boat and then they were free to disembark at the Hudson or East River piers. For those who were in “steerage” third class, these immigrants were taken from the pier to Ellis Island by ferry where they had to prove they were in good health and had enough money on them to sustain them for a certain period of time. The process took three to five hours.
The room where immigrants waited for their screening. Ellis Island Museum
Coming across in third class was no easy feat. Many had seasickness the entire time rolling around in the bottom of the boat. If they even looked sick on Ellis Island, they were put back on the boat and not allowed to enter into the US. The island was renamed “Island of Tears” by many. The Liberty Foundation claims only 2% were sent back to their country of origin.
My grandfathers papers as he came over from Germany as an immigrant.
Only a portion of Ellis Island is in New York State. Today the museum receives almost 2 million visitors a year.
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