Greetings to all,
Just passing on that the Castle Garden (New York) immigration web site
http://www.castlegarden.org/ has recently put its database of immigrants to
New York on line. Castle Garden was the immediate predecessor to Ellis
Island, and accepted immigrants from 1830 to 1892. Not every immigrant came
through the Castle, but it's still a great resource. I entered my
great-great grandfather Dohrmann's name, and his entry came right up.
Unfortunately for me, it was information I already had and I had no luck
with some of my more elusive ancestors. There's a good chance, though, that
someone who is where I was 5 years ago, not having much info on their
ancestor's arrival in the US, can get a lead from this site.
Researchers in Germany, looking for a family member who emigrated, may also
find the site useful.
Of course the Ellis Island website has been operating for a number of years:
for completeness, here is its URL: http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/
Regards and good luck!
Art