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Posted by bdicianni  --  NAME: Brian Di Cianni on 06/21/01 at 3:50 PM Subject:   Re: Ellis Island Records Search In Reply to: Ellis Island Records Search posted by Marie Hartman on 06/21/01 at 1:48 AM: : I saw a "discouraging" word concerning Ellis Island searches on the MailList this month, and I just wanted to state how worthwhile this search really can be. I have finally found all four of my grandparents (Abbruzzesi all!) after searching since the database opened. Even though I knew that they had come through Ellis Island, I didn't have exact dates, ships' names or port of departure. My maternal grandfather, Pasquale Iocca, had his last name spelled differently each time he entered. My paternal grandfather, Guido Ranalletta, took almost 5 weeks to find because his last name was spelled with a 'v' instead of an 'n'! If you are looking at the original manifests it gives you "goosebumps" to see the height, weight, who they were going to live with, etc., right before your eyes! Also, it's interesting to note how everyone grouped on the manifests by commune or village. If there was one person from Calascio on the boat, there were 30 others! The married women are listed by their maiden names even though they might have their children with them, and the child has the father's last name. If you are lucky enough to have a long family written or oral history of the immigration, then this information might seem trite. However, it has helped tremendously in my case, to verify, fill in gaps, and make connections that I never would have done. Just remember, like all records, they are being transcribed by human beings who can make mistakes or misread names or letters. I tried over 30 combinations of one name before I found the immigrant. Place names have also been interpreted phonetically: my maternal grandmother and all the friends and cousins accompanying her from Calascio in 1909 were listed as from "Calasno". So beware of the pitfalls, but enjoy the searching. Look at the lenghts and widths of each boat and figure out how a full load of passengers in steerage would have fared in there! Good thing most of the journeys were two weeks. It must have seemed like 2 months! Marie, I couldn't agree more. The Ellis Islands records web site is wonderful. It's amazing all the information it contains, such as how much money the passageners had on them and who paid there fair. I think I might have found a great uncle that came over in 1920 but the age is a little off. Like you said the information may not be accurate because of human errors, but its still very helpful and exicting. I love the fact they have the a copy of the actual ship manafest's. Good luck with your search. Ciao.... Follow Ups: Re: Ellis Island Records Search Rosemarie Sorge Garman   Posted at: 08/09/01 (1) Re: Ellis Island Records Search Rosemarie Sorge Garman   Posted at: 12/28/01 (0 replies) Re: Ellis Island Records Search Diane D'Amico Huszai   Posted at: 07/06/01 (0 replies)