Genealogy Chat

To all those new to this addictive hobby, can I recommend the Ellis Island passenger website (www.ellisisland(.)org. If your ancestors moved to the US then this is a must site! I found quite a few 'missing' ancestors here after months of searching for them in the UK! The search facilities are good and the manifests contain lots of valuable genealogical information, UK address, US address, height, eye colour etc. You will need to register but access is free - strongly recommended! Good luck.

Hi I totally agree with you. Its an exclent site. I manage to find a rellie id been searching 6 months for.

Hello, Yes this is a good site, but beware there are problems with it. When I searched for an Ethel May Dixon, I found two entries for her, the other just said Ethel M Dixon . . . . but both the same person! The record showed that she had crossed to the US in 1909 on the ship Campania. However when I looked at the original manifest, a totally different ship called the Madonna appeared. So I couldn't actually see her entry. Obviously there was some kind of problem. I contacted the site by e-mail but got no response. To cut a long story short I sent many more e-mails and also a letter to their New York office but I still got no response. After several months I finally sent another e-mail in very large red letters asking if somebody was there or was I e-mailing an empty office!! This prompted a reply! The reply suggested I look at www(.)jewishgen(.)org . . . . . I was then given detailed instructions of how to see the correct original manifest for Ethel May Dixon. Scroll down to - HOSTED ORGANIZATION Then 3rd link, Ellis Island Database Then 5th link Missing Manifests Then adjust tool bar to the date I wanted Then magnify to 0.7 Then input particular numbers into ROLL & FRAME Apparently there are many (what they call) MISSING MANIFESTS). This happened several months ago and the fault still hasn't been corrected. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

Good site, mind though I'd watch those manifests. I have emailed them about it, but it doesn't help. I click on a link to see the manifest for a ship my great great aunt went on, BUT it brings up another ship!! lol

Hi, I've found some ancestors on this site, that went to America in 1906. You mention seeing height, eye colour on the manifest. This isn't shown on the one that I've seen? Wasn't it included on every manifest? Regards Helen

See my earlier reply to this thread. If anyone else is having problems with this site . . . . I suggest you bombard them with e-mails. I find it really annoying that they put a 'Contact Us' facility on their home page, yet they fail to answer any e-mails. Just before Christmas I wrote again to their Manhattan address complaining about the fact that they never reply to e-mails. I pointed out that I do appreciate they must get a lot of enquries but if they can't be bothered to reply to e-mails (or don't have the resources to do so) they shouldn't have a 'Contact Us' facility. . . . but you guessed it - they didn't reply ! ! !