ELLIS ISLAND IMMIGRANTS
From 1892-1924, immigrants from primarily Southern and Eastern Europe boarded ships with as many as 3,000 passengers that carried them across the Atlantic Ocean to Ellis Island, located on the New York Harbor. Passengers were divided by wealth and class. Upon arrival at Ellis Island, medical and legal inspections took place in the registry room, also known as the “Great Hall.” Physicians had about 6 seconds to examine each immigrant for a variety of contagious diseases and mental illnesses. Doctors referred to this medical examination chart to write chalk symbols on immigrants who were determined to have a specific illness. If the immigrant had a disease listed on the chart, they were sent to further processing in another area of the island.
Listen to immigrants tell their stories.
This oral history library contains over 1,500 records of immigrants from countries across Europe and even some parts of Asia. The countries included, but were not limited to: Italy, France, Russia, Hungary, Finland, Scotland, Turkey, Greece, Austria, Norway, and more. The interviews were conducted in the 1980’s, decades after the immigrants’ trip to Ellis Island. Many of the interviewees grew up in poverty and journeyed to America in search of better opportunities.
Celia Adler immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1914 when she was 12 years old. She lived in a very small town called Liskiva in between Russia and Poland. She remembers the time when she said goodbye to her parents, and she cried when she left. Her father was a dairyman who started off as a shoemaker. The town consisted of mostly Jews and Gentiles. She speaks Yiddish, but was not allowed to go to school in Russia. She did have a private tutor, however. She learned how to sew as well in order to make a living in America.
Her family had a car to pass the border. The man with the wagon left her in Volkavisk. She went on a train from Volkavisk to Warsaw. She then took a train to Antwerp, and she said for a minute she forgot what she had left behind because she was so fascinated with everything. She checked in at the hotel at Antwerp, which was special for immigrants. They stayed there for a week, and then boarded the ship to come to America. She was on the ship for four weeks. She said most of the people were seasick but she was lucky that she did not get sick. She did not go up onto the deck until they reached America, and it was very dark and crowded. She had a bad experience on the ship. Before she could register what was happening, she was standing on the deck and she saw light for the first time in four weeks. A ferry then came to take the passengers into Ellis Island.
When she got to Ellis Island, she stood in line for the smallpox vaccination and an examination. She was then taken to a larger room to eat dinner. She had to stay there overnight because her sister from America did not bring the correct paperwork to pick her up. She could not sleep at all that night, and she was sitting up in a hammock worried that she might have to go back to her country. The next morning, she saw her older sister come back with paperwork standing in line waiting for her. She was released from Ellis Island and took a trolley with her sister to her sister’s home. Celia Adler was finally living in America.
Sources:
“Immigration and Deportation at Ellis Island.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goldman-immigration-and-deportation-ellis-island/.
“The Medical Exam, Immigration Stories of Yesterday and Today”, Scholastic Inc., 2020, http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/stop6.htm
“Oral History Library, The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island”, Foundation Inc., 2014, https://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/Copyright-Policy