How far would you travel to start a new life? People all over the world saw America as the country of opportunies. They desired to gain freedom from poverty, religious persecution, and political and social oppression that they endured in their home countries. They left everything behind and started their difficult and long journey, looking forward to America, the Land of Opportunities. 

Ellis Island opened in 1892 as a federal immigration station, a purpose it served for more than 60 years (it closed in 1954). Over 12 million newly arrived immigrants passed through the station during that time–in fact, it has been estimated that close to 40 percent of all current U.S. citizens can trace at least one of their ancestors to Ellis Island! That means there could be a chance some of our family members passed through Ellis Island. Want to check? Now we can! Thanks to current technology, the public now has access to a database of 51+ million passenger records!