Genealogy is one of the world’s most popular hobbies. The discovery process is exciting, emotional, and oftentimes surprising as you find your grandparents’ immigration records, learn the origins of a family tradition, or perhaps uncover an unknown relative.
The Foundation’s Dedicated Passenger Search service teams you with our research experts to help start you on this genealogical journey.
For a $30 donation, the American Family Immigration History Center will conduct one personalized search to find your family’s connection to Ellis Island and the Port of New York. Your donation supports the Foundation’s mission and commitment to keeping our database of 65 million passenger records available to everyone.
With a successful search you will receive a free digital file and hard copy on archival paper of the Ship Manifest displaying your ancestor’s arrival in America. If our team is unable to find your records, you will receive a special 10% off promo code for any item in our shop.
Watch this brief video to learn more about the Ellis Island Database and the Dedicated Passenger Search experience.
* Please note that your “Dedicated Passenger Search” form must be submitted to the Foundation within three months of making your donation.
Ship Manifests were the official records documenting the arrival of passengers to American shores. Today, professional and amateur genealogists turn to Ship Manifests for vital information, including the immigrant’s original name, age upon arrival, occupation, last place of residence, and information about who the passenger is joining. Pair the arrival records with an image of the steamship that transported your family to the shores of America.
Honor your family and heritage at this unique monument to immigration, joining the Museum and more than 750,000 individuals and families in celebrating who we are and where we came from. The American Immigrant Wall of Honor, located on Ellis Island, is a tribute to immigrants of all eras.
Located in the Ellis Island National Immigration Museum, the American Family Immigration History Center (Family History Center) is home to a vast archive of the immigrant experience. Comprising some 65 million searchable records, this awe-inspiring database gives modern Americans the opportunity to examine immigration documents, find connections to their ancestry and heritage, and offer their own contributions to an ever-growing catalogue of family stories.