Over the last few months, we have been exploring our Italian heritage from the perspective of our ancestors’ life experiences. Last month I shared some tips on how to find your ancestor’s passenger list. This month, we are going to look at what it was like for our ancestors as they arrived at Ellis Island, the major port of entry for over 12 million immigrants between 1892-1954.

After nearly two weeks at sea, you can imagine the anticipation the night before the steamer would arrive in L’America. Passengers slept little. In the early morning hours of landing day, the women traveling to join their husbands or fiancés would pull out their finest clothing and try to look their best for their long-awaited reunions.