before 1892 where were immigrants to America processed? is there any search-able records?

Question

looking to find details of family who emigrated to America from Ireland in 1888, also is there anyway to search a return journey back to Ireland?

Answer 1

You're getting close answers. From 1820 - 1920, Castle CLINTON operated on the lower tip of Manhattan. It was still in operation even after Ellis Island opened. The reason is that it was a smaller facility and handled everyone who came over first and second class, while the steerage passengers got off at Ellis Island and were processed in the cattle pen.



Technically, everyone entering through Castle Clinton came through "The Port of New York". It's the predecessor to the Port Authority and was operated by the State of New York. Ellis Island was a federal facility and its records are completely separate.



Castle Clinton is now in the care of the Battery Conservancy. They are in the process of transcribing all of the records, but admittedly with more than 90 years of records to process, it will take a few more years. I can find about half of my immigrant ancestors on there. Irish records from the Potato Famine are a major part of the hold up...so many of you had ancestors fleeing by the thousands everyday. It's going well though and you can search the site at

http://www.castlegarden.org



The other places they may have entered are the ports of Boston and Philadelphia. Some of those records are searchable through HeritageQuest and Ancestry.com (free if you go to the library to search them...you have to pay for a subscription if you do it on your own). The films are also available through your local library, the National Archives and the LDS Family History Centers.



1888 is a decent year to search. The vast majority of those records have survived. But unless you know the actual ship's name and date of arrival, you may have to wait for them to be transcribed.



Good luck and happy hunting.

Answer 2

Ellis Island Records Before 1892

Answer 3

Immigration Before Ellis Island

Answer 4

The specific records for immigration processing, quarantine, etc were lost. Most records in NY were transferred to Ellis Island in 1892 when it opened it's doors. But fire destroyed them, and a lack of interest did away with anything else. What did survive are the passenger manifests. Now that's important because even when Ellis Island was open not everyone went through it's doors. So the passenger manifests give a listing of everyone onboard. No one had to really prove who they were, and spelling were done phonetically. Sometimes the yoeman or scribe didn't understand the person, and sometimes the person didn't know how to spell their name anyways.



But passenger manifests are the main source. Ireland did get a number of immigrants back from the US due to Lease laws. A family could lease land and the lease was typically in three names, the father, the eldest and the youngest. So sometimes they went back to Ireland to farm and work their land. Records were kept, but not yet online. I believe there are some records available on CD you can buy.



The best way to search these records is either through the ancestry.com website which you can access for free at your public library (usually).

Answer 5

Since one of my family members came through Ellis Island I do wonder how their tough route they that they never were upset about since they saw how much good this country stood for is now seen as minor since the new "immigrants" do not assimilate in any way. And just think 1892 to 1954 we still had many parts of our country just beginning to grow and needed new people - just look at parts of California then and now. Where are all these people going to go when we add the next 12 million you know this will create as the last bill did also.

Answer 6

Before Ellis Island opened, European immigrants who came into New York came through Castle Garden, which was located in the extreme south tip of Manhattan Island. MANY of the Castle Garden records are searchable online, though they are not as complete as those from Ellis Island. Like Ellis Island's records, searching is free.



Chances are your Irish ancestors came in through Castle Garden, but other ports also have available records, though I haven't found them online. Check at your largest local public library for help; many own passenger lists on microfilm. Indexing is available separately at large libraries.



Also, check Steve Morse's website. He has several "one step" search tools for genealogy.

Answer 7

My grandfather emigrated to America in 1891, landed on the Battery,and was processed through the Castle Gardens port of entry in New York city. Finding records before the opening of the Ellis Island Immigration is very difficult indeed. However, if you know where your relatives were in America you might strike lucky with the census records of that state because they will tell you when your relatives emigrated to America, and where they came from in Ireland originally. Practically every state in the USA has family history centres managed by retired volunteers, and if you provide them with enough information they will tell you where to look, where to go, and what records are available. Looking for your relatives shouldn't be to difficult because they were Irish, and there are numerous Irish Family History sites on the Internet both here in England, in America, and in Ireland. Research your Irish family first, and if possible go to the place where they lived prior to emigration, and ask in the reference library, and do look up the local newspapers because they sometimes printed lists of people emigrating every week. As for the return journey, it might be possible to find the ship they sailed on at Ellis Island in America-but you will have to go there personally and do your research on site. And do go to the place they lived on their return too because there will be records of them living there on the electoral roles, and births, marriage,and death records. Good Luck!

Answer 8

There were other places that were ports of entry besides New York. New Orleans, Mobile, Savannah, Charleston, SC, Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, Galveston.

Answer 9

As has been stated in other answers castle garden is a place to start, as is the web sites below.



Good luck and good hunting

Answer 10

--->> Tips---> https://trimurl.im/g53/before-1892-where-were-immigrants-to-america-processed-is-there-any-search-able-records

Answer 11

All I can tell you is this but if you go there you will be able to do some research.



http://www.answers.com/Ellis+Island?cat=travel&gwp=11&method=3&ver=2.1.1.521





Good Luck.

Answer 12

I pretty sure Ellis island was operating at that time



http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/membership/wme_2.asp



This link should help you.



From an Irishman.

http://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/rectype/default.aspx?rt=40&o_xid=28162&o_lid=28162&o_xt=28162&offerid=0%3a7896%3a0

Answer 13

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