Passing this on.... Dick Eastman has thousands of list subscribers and keeps on top of the information sought by everyone doing research. Thought you would enjoy knowing what is available and especially the surprise finds he had of other relative's comings and goings. There is more to Ellis Island records than previously thought. Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter Vol 6 No. 17 23 Apr 2001 22 Million Ellis Island Immigrants Now Online As predicted in last week's newsletter, the Ellis Island immigration records are now available online. The site went live last week and immediately became a hit. Such a hit, in fact, that I had a hard time accessing the online database. In the first couple of days, I would receive the following error when trying to go to the Web site: HTTP Error 403 403.9 Access Forbidden: Too many users are connected This error can be caused if the Web server is busy and cannot process your request due to heavy traffic. Please try to connect again later. One report said that the Web site received 8 million visitors in one 8-hour period. I suspect there were many more than that trying to access the site. However, a few days later everything calmed down, and I was able to access the site without any difficulties. However, after completing a search, I would attempt to start a new search and would be greeted with the following: Thank you for your interest in the American Family Immigration History Center at ellisislandrecords.org. Due to an extraordinary number of visitors, we must limit access to the site. Please keep trying, or check back later. Such error messages are common on very popular, new sites that are overwhelmed with users. These error messages will probably disappear as the initial flood of users subsides a bit. The new searchable database contains the records of 22 million immigrants to America who came through Ellis Island. The records cover the years 1892, when Ellis Island first opened, to 1924. Those are the peak years of Ellis Island's operations. It is estimated that forty percent of the population of this country can trace their roots through Ellis Island, so this new online database is valuable to Americans who wish to trace their family trees. Some areas of the Ellis Island Records Website are free, others require registration, and still more require membership in The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. You may perform searches for names without registering. The database will return the name, most recent residence, year of arrival, and age at time of arrival. However, access to more detailed information requires a free registration. The free registration gives you read-only access to all the records in the database. An optional membership is available for $45.00. Once that fee is paid, you become a Sustaining Member of The Statue of Liberty- Ellis Island Foundation. Sustaining members can: * Annotate passenger records in the Ellis Island Archives. That is, you can add your comments to an individual's record. Your comments will then be visible to all people who later display that individual's record. This would be an excellent method of finding long-lost cousins who are also descendants of that person. * Create and maintain your Family History Scrapbook. The Family History Scrapbooks are not yet available but should go online soon. * Order one free copy of your initial Scrapbook (print or CD- ROM) * Receive a 10% discount at the online Gift Shop or at the Center The membership fees are used to support the ongoing work of the Foundation at Ellis Island. The Ellis Island records database is very easy to use. You simply type in a person's last name. The last name is required, while the first name is optional. The database then returns a list of all the names that match your request. After displaying a list of names, you may narrow your search by specifying gender, year of arrival, ethnicity, age on arrival, port of departure, or the name of the ship. This can be a great aid in finding extended families who traveled together: first find one particular individual, then specify a search for everyone of that surname arriving on the same day. While this online database is described as a "list of immigrants," it actually is more than that. The database usually lists all arrivals, not just new immigrants. American citizens who traveled abroad and then returned are usually listed in this same database. When searching for my own surname, I found a number of entries for George Eastman of Rochester, New York. This well-known inventor and industrialist founded the Eastman Kodak Company. He apparently crossed the Atlantic numerous times, either on business or for pleasure. I found many entries for him. Jim Boulden had a similar experience that he described in an e- mail this week: I have been looking forward to the Ellis Island database for years. It took five minutes to find my great-grandmother on my father's side when she moved from England. A major victory. But you can imagine how stunned I was to find dozens of my relatives. It never occurred to me that people went through Ellis Island who weren't emigrants. 65 members of my mother's clan are listed coming back from holidays between 1892 and 1923. I never knew my great-aunt went to Puerto Rico when she was 31. I wonder how many people out there realize their family may very well be listed in this new database, when they weren't 'coming to America.' Spread the word! Jim Boulden Visitors to the Statue of Liberty will also be able to access the database at the site of the landmark by stopping in at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. This museum was created by a seven-year partnership between the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Foundation, the National Park Service, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The database is a result of a huge volunteer effort. Some 12,000 volunteers from the Church spent several years electronically transcribing data from ships' manifests on passengers and crew members who entered the Port of New York from 1892 to 1924, the peak years of Ellis Island's processing. Volunteers donated over five million hours during this labor-intensive project. Steve Briganti, President of the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Foundation said, "The partnership of three very separate groups with very special and specific interests have come together to provide something that is valuable for so many millions of people who want to know about their heritage." This week's inauguration of the Ellis Island Records 0online database marks a major milestone for genealogists. A major source of important records is now available 24 hours a day. You may easily access these records without leaving the comfort of your own home. For more information about the Ellis Island Records online Web site, or to access the database itself, go to: http://www.ellisislandrecords.org