Ellis Island Research Resources

Books

Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life by Roger Daniels (HarperCollins)

Gateway to Liberty: The Story of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island by Mary J. Shapiro (Vintage Books)

A Genealogist’s Guide to Discovering Your Immigrant & Ethnic Ancestors by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack (Betterway Books)

Ellis Island and the Peopling of America by Virginia Yans-McLaughlin and Marjorie Lightman (New Press)

Ellis Island Interviews: In Their Own Words by Peter Morton Coan (Checkmark)

Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States by Christina K. Schaefer (Genealogical Publishing Co.)

Immigrant and Passenger Arrivals: A Select Catalog of the National Archives Microfilm Publications, second edition (National Archives Trust Fund Board)

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: A Guide to Published Arrival Records of about 500,000 Passengers who Came to the United States and Canada in the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries by P. William Filby (multi-volume reference, available in libraries)

Ships of Our Ancestors by Michael J. Anuta (Genealogical Publishing Co.)

The Ellis Island Immigrant Cookbook by Tom Bernardin (Tom Bernardin)

They Became Americans: Finding Naturalization Records and Ethnic Origins by Loretto Dennis Szucs (Ancestry)

They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Ship, revised edition, by John Philip Colletta (Ancestry)

Websites

Statue of Liberty—Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.
The online home for Ellis Island’s 22 million records

National Archives and Records Administration
The nation’s storehouse of history, including immigration records.

American Immigrant Wall of Honor
How to immortalize your immigrant ancestor on the commemorative wall at Ellis Island.

Cyndi’s List: Ships and Passenger Lists
Excellent starting point

Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
Volunteer project transcribing ship passenger lists

Obtaining Pictures of Passenger Ships in One Step
Find prints of your ancestor’s ship

Immigration and Ships Passenger Lists Research Guide
Step-by-step how-to

Books

• A Genealogist’s Guide to Discovering Your Immigrant & Ethnic Ancestors by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack (Betterway Books)
• Ellis Island Interviews: In Their Own Words by Peter Morton Coan (Checkmark Books)
• Ellis Island and the Peopling of America: The Official Guide by Virginia Yans-McLaughlin and Marjorie Lightman (New Press)