PolishOrigins(TM) Forum

Re: US ports of Entry

Ute — Wed Jun 05, 2013 12:19 am

Author: Ute

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 12:19 am

Judy,
In case you haven't seen this yet, a Marya Zychowska arrived on Dec 23, 1904 in New York, Ellis Island. Port of departure was Hamburg, ship of travel was 'Deutschland', last residence abroad was Cieklin, destination was Cleveland, OH. Manifest Line Number: 0004.
Ute

Re: US ports of Entry

dnowicki — Tue Jun 04, 2013 10:42 pm

Author: dnowicki

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 10:42 pm

Prior to the opening of Ellis Island in 1890 as the first immigration station operated by the federal government, the admission of immigrants was the responsibility of the various states. Immigration both before and after 1890 took place through various port cities. The most popular port cities for immigrants from Europe were those on the East Coast. Poles immigrated through a number of cities like New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, etc. Even after the opening of Ellis Island as a federal immigration station Baltimore continued to be the second most frequently used port of entry. Other ports also continued to be used. Also, some immigrants came through the port of Quebec in Canada and entered the U.S. through Canadian/American border crossing points. My maternal grandmother and her parents and siblings entered through the port of Baltimore in 1888 on their way to Chicago.
One way of locating immigration records for ports other than New York is to search through Ancestry, a subscription site. Many public libraries subscribe to the library version of Ancestry, which can be accessed gratis in the library. Another resource for finding immigrants who sailed from Hamburg or Bremen is a series of indices titled "Germans to America" in over 50 volumes. My ancestors who arrived after 1900 (maternal grandfather and paternal grandparents) came through Ellis Island. Most of my extended family relatives who arrived prior to 1900 came through Baltimore and some through other ports like Philadelphia.
Hope this info helps you.
Dave

US ports of Entry

Judy Ball — Tue Jun 04, 2013 9:35 pm

Author: Judy Ball

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 9:35 pm

I have been unable to find my husband's grandmother's immigration record. I cannot find her (Mary Zychowska) coming through Ellis Island. According to a cousin, his mother told him that his grandmother came through Baltimore. What other ports would have been commonly used to recive Polish immigrants in the late 1890's or early 1900's?
Thanks,
Judy Ball (Bal)