Welcome to 2019, HLP Readers!
As of January 1, 2019, it has been 127 years since Ellis Island began processing immigrants coming into the United States.
On January 1, 1892, the first immigrant to cross through the Ellis Island immigration station, Annie Moore, entered the United States.
Moore was fifteen years old and her native country was Ireland.
The Ellis Island immigration station was the entry port in New York Harbor. In the 62 years that Ellis Island functioned as an immigration station, over 12 million people passed through the entry port.
Only two percent of the immigrants that came to Ellis Island were denied entry into the United States.
Ellis Island began in 1892 as a way to process the many immigrants that were coming to the United States in the late 1800s (approximately 600,000 immigrants).
Before Ellis Island became active, the Castle Garden Emigration Landing Port was where immigrants were processed. But the Landing Port was not able to support the large number of immigrants coming to the United States in the late 1800s.
Once passing inspection in Ellis Island, immigrants were able to exchange currency and purchase railroad tickets. The immigrants that were detained remained on the island in dorms and hospitals.
At the time, immigrants had to have been in good health, had the proper documentation, and been able to answer 29 questions regarding United States history and personal information in order to be successfully processed.
The majority of the immigrants at the time were coming from European countries. Many Eastern European Jews immigrated to the United States due to religious persecution they suffered in their native countries.
Ships bringing immigrants to the United States carried passengers in amounts varying from 1,000 to 10,000 per ship.
April 17, 1907 marked the day with the highest volume of incoming immigrants passing through Ellis Island, with 11,747 immigrants being processed.
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