DearMYRTLE - A 21st Century Traveler's Report: Ellis Island

A 21st Century Traveler's Report: Ellis Island

DearMYRTLE,
You know me.... I am not much of a writer.... I could never write an article (Lots of Laughs!) but I did find the place fascinating. We had a great tour guide. He told us that of all the immigrants that came to Ellis Island very few were sent away. In fact 97.5 percent of the immigrants that came through this port were able to stay.

We were able to go into one of the dormitory rooms where the families stayed if one of the family members had to spend time at the hospital. If one person in the family was unhealthy he or she was separated out and had to go to the hospital until deemed healthy. If the person was found to be untreatable and then he or she was deported. Our guide showed us the button hook that a doctor would use to check each persons eyes. If the person was found to have the eye disease Trachoma, they were deported.

We learned that each person had to answer a series of questions and depending on the answer they could stay or go. One of us asked what would happen if someone was deported, for instance, how would they pay their passage back. We were told that the shipping company had to pay return passage. That that didn't seem a hardship to the shipping companies, who were also made to pay a $100 dollar for each person deported. After a bit of that, the shipping companies would prescreen the immigrants over in the old country, to cut down of the possibility of return passengers and fines.

Foy, Bernard Ethnicity: Scotland. Place of residence: Dundee, Scotland Date of Arrival: October 14, 1907. 19 years of age, male, single, Ship: Columbia. Point of Departure: Glasgow, Scotland, UK. from www.ellisislandrecords.org

The renovation of Ellis Island is beautiful. You really know it once you see the orientation movie that shows what things looked like when the immigrants themselves first saw Ellis Island.

Our tour guide went into a lot of detail as to how they chose Ellis Island. That prior to Ellis Island the Immigrants would arrive at Castle Garden. Things go so busy that Castle Garden could not handle the numbers and often the corrupt people of NY would try to enlist the innocent new people to become criminals with them. That is when the Federal Government decided to take over the immigration process, and Ellis Island was made the immigrant arrival station for the port of New York.

While I don't believe I have any ancestors that came through Ellis Island but I still found the place to be wonderful. During my trip to New York, I also went to the Statue of Liberty. I saw first hand the devastation of the World Trade Center. Then on to see Rockefeller Center, Time Square and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Whew my legs are tired LOL, but it was fun!
Signed,
An intrepid reporter who likes to travel
but doesn't like to write!