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Ellis Island Day
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
~ The New Colossus, Emma Lazarus, 1883
Located in Upper New York Bay, Ellis Island served as the gateway for more than 12 million immigrants to the United States. From 1892 to 1954, it was the nation’s busiest immigrant inspection station—a place where hopes, fears, and new beginnings all met on a single shore.
It was sometimes called “The Island of Tears” or “Heartbreak Island,” a reflection of the small but significant number—about 2%—who, after enduring a long transatlantic journey, were not admitted. For most, however, it marked the start of a new life.
A persistent myth claims that officials at Ellis Island forced immigrants to change their names. In reality, inspectors typically worked from passenger lists provided by steamship companies. While some names were altered, this was usually due to differences in language, spelling, or pronunciation rather than deliberate changes imposed on arrival.
Today, Ellis Island’s digitized records offer a rich resource for those exploring their family history. With opportunities to view original documents—and even suggest corrections or annotations—they provide a fascinating window into the journeys of those who came before.
The Ellis Island tartan was created for all Americans with ancestors who entered through Ellis Island—regardless of ethnic origin—to stands as a symbolic nod to the thread connecting generations, honoring the journeys that brought so many to new beginnings. ❤️ 💙 🤍 💚 💛 🇺🇸 🗽
National Ellis Island Family History Day is held annually on April 17th. Ellis Island, in Upper New York Bay, was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States as the nation’s busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1924. It has been estimated that 40% of Americans today can trace at least one ancestor’s entry into the United States through Ellis Island.
On this day in 1907, a record 12,000 names were recorded as passing through Ellis Island.
From 1892 to 1954, more than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island. Although many Scots arrived during the colonial period of our history – helping to build the new nation – an additional half-million Scots came through Ellis Island.
The Ellis Island tartan was designed by Matt Newsome, curator of the Scottish Tartans Museum in Franklin, North Carolina, primarily for use by all Americans with ancestors who came to America through Ellis Island, regardless of ethnic origin.
Each color in the tartan symbolizes an essential component of American history: blue, for example, signifies the ocean that reached U.S. shores; copper green reflects the color of the Statue of Liberty; red evokes the bricks of Ellis Island’s buildings; while gold portrays “Golden Door” that is America as immortalized in poem, “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
For a documentary on Ellis Island, click the Statue of Liberty!