Unless you are 100% indigenous to the Americas, you are the son or daughter of an immigrant. I don’t think many people can claim total indigenous heritage. It would mean that all of your ancestors, on both sides, would have been born from the first people here. And the first people came a long time ago. Academics generally believe that humans reached North America just south of the Laurentide Ice Sheet between 15,000 and 20,000 years ago. The first inhabitants of this land.
The rest of us are children of immigrants.
How did we get here? All sorts of different ways. Some on the Mayflower. Some on slave boats. Others on ships from Germany, or Ireland, or France.
But. Between 1892 and 1954, more than twelve million immigrants passed through the U.S. immigration portal at Ellis Island. As such, it has been enshrined as an icon of America’s welcome. That story is well known.
Yet. The things you hear about Ellis cannot all be trusted. You see, contrary to popular belief, no one’s family name was changed at Ellis Island. That’s right, the notion that immigrants’ names were altered, shortened, or misheard by bungling authorities at Ellis Island is nothing but a complete fabrication.
The truth of things is this: No names were written down at Ellis Island.
What’s that, you say? Well. Here’s the deal. Individuals immigrating to the United States were required to provide their contact information when purchasing tickets for their journey. As a result, their names were already meticulously recorded in the ship’s manifest. The records were in place long before they ever set foot on Ellis Island’s happy shores.
Yet, so many people claim that their family names seemingly changed after arrival. And this may very well be true. But if the name changed after settling in their new homeland, Ellis Island can’t be blamed for any alleged alterations.
So, for all you genealogy buffs out there. The next time you hear someone complaining about their family name being butchered at Ellis Island, you will be able to set the record straight. Feel free to redirect them to the truth.
Now, in this world, more than ever, it’s crucial to separate fact from fiction. And while this may be an inconsequential thing, we should always look for true answers, especially when it comes to what happened in history. Be it the details of a war or the outcome of an election.
And in this case, we can honor our ancestors by getting their stories straight.
Here’s to seeking truth and dispelling falsities. Even if it is a hard line to toe.
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“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”
― Aldous Huxley, Complete Essays, Vol. II: 1926-1929
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“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell
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“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”
― Flannery O’Connor
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That name at Ellis. Or was it?
