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Wednesday, 25 April, 2001, 12:28 GMT 13:28 UK
Online search for American pioneers
![]() Millions travelled to the US for a new start
By Emma Simpson in New York
Ellis Island, off Manhattan, was the port of entry for more than 20 million immigrants. They came from Europe to start new lives in the land of opportunity.
Now, a century or so later, these records have been transferred onto a computer database so that anyone, anywhere, can access them on the Ellis Island website.
Felicita cannot remember much of her journey to New York. But through the new database, she said she was able to re-live her experience: "I think it gives you a sort of a reason for being here, a feeling that I'm not the only thing that ever was," she said. "There was somebody before me and someone before them." Family history Her details, along with millions of others, were stored on microfilm. The Mormon Church, which has a particular interest in genealogy, provided the manpower to transfer the original passenger manifests onto computer. It took 12,000 volunteers seven years to do it.
"It brings the past and the present together," he said. "It allows people today to go back and find their heritage, to see where their ancestors came from, to see what they were like." Virginia McLoughlin is an immigration historian. Her grandfather passed through Ellis Island, a place, she said, which could produce powerful emotions even today.
"When people reach a certain level of satisfaction with their lives, including economic success, they have time to think about questions like, 'Where did I come from? Why did my relatives come here?'" she said. "In this country it's very different from what genealogical searches would be for in what we call the 'old country', Europe, where the upper class was interested in establishing their elite status. "Here it's much more pride in family origins and pride that one's family has succeeded." It is clear Americans interested in tracing their roots have a powerful new research tool available with the click of a mouse - 500 million pieces of information are currently stored. Descendents will be able to add even more details of their family history as the years go by.
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