On this date (November 12, 1954) Ellis Island Closed

 

On November 12, 1954, Ellis Island, the gateway to America, shuts it doors after processing more than 12 million immigrants since opening in 1892. Today, tens of millions of Americans can trace their roots through Ellis Island, located in New York Harbor off the New Jersey coast and named for mercha...read more here

A Norwegian woman from the west coast of
Norway poses at Ellis Island for the camera.

Ellis Island, a part of our American Culture and the starting point for our Norwegian ancestors, including my grandparents Paul and Dagmar Sevald(sen).

Today in 1954 Ellis Island closed

On this day in 1894, November 12,  Ellis Island closed.

January 2, 1892, a fifteen year old Irish girl, Annie Moore was the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island. More than two million immigrants passed through Ellis Island in the years it was open. 

When the immigrants ship sailed into New York harbor first and second class passengers were given a brief, cursory shipboard inspection and then disembarked on the piers in New York or New Jersey where they quickly passed through customs. Third class or steerage passengers (the vast majority of poor European immigrants) traveled by ferry to Ellis Island where they were given medical and legal inspections to make sure they were not bringing a contagious disease into the United States or a condition that would make them a burden to the government.

My Norwegian grandfather Paul Sevald(sen) passed through Ellis Island in 1923. Working in a brewery in Chicago he saved enough money so his wife, my grandmother Dagmar Sevald(sen), arrived in 1924 as a second class passenger and disembarked directly to New York Harbor. She was very proud of that!

November 12, 1954, a Norwegian merchant was the last to pass through Ellis Island. 
Ellis Island officially closed.

Remembering my grandfather Paul today,

Ellis Island, revisited

My Norwegian grandparents, Paul and Dagmar Sevaldsen, came to the United States through Ellis Island. Paul arrived first on the "Bergensfjord", of the Scandinavian lines, in 1923. He was ferried from the ship to Ellis Island itself where he joined the many other hopeful immigrants to be questioned and inspected before entry. Perhaps knowing and experiencing what he did and not wanting his young wife to endure the same, he worked extra hard to send his wife and young daughter cabin tickets. Those in cabins were considered "cleaner, richer and less likely to be a health risk or financial burden to the country" and were cursively inspected on board the boat and disembarked directly from the boat to New York harbor. Grandmother was very proud of that!

Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, within the states of New York and New Jersey.  The first Ellis Island Immigrant Station opened on January 1, 1892,  The first arrival was Annie Moore, a 15-year-old girl from County Cork, Ireland, who’d come to the U.S. with her two brothers to join their parents in New York City. As the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 to 1954, it processed approximately 12 million immigrants to the United States through the Port of New York and New Jersey. The last immigrant came through Ellis Island in 1954 and he was Arne Peterssen, a 48-year-old merchant seaman from Narvik, Norway. A year after Peterssen was processed, the Feds declared Ellis Island as surplus property and all but abandoned it. The historic buildings, already in disrepair, kept deteriorating until a decade later, when President Lyndon B. Johnson incorporated the island into the Statue of Liberty National Monument.

Today, the island is part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, a U.S. national monument,  that contains a museum  The north side of the island hosts a museum of immigration, accessible only by ferry. The south side of the island, including the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, is abandoned but accessible to the public through guided tours. Below is a news article from my grandmother's home town in Norway. It details a visit made to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island that was made by two of my grandmother's Norwegian nieces, who told the personal story of my grandparents arrival at Ellis Island.

Another blogger has written a well documented and interesting post, complete with pictures about Immigration to the United States that is well worth the read.  Check it out? 

Thank you, Maggie Land Blanck, 

I could not have done better! 
click↓

Immigration to America and the Immigrant

National Ellis Island Family HIstory Day

Today, April 17 has been designated as National Ellis Island Family History Day.

In 1890 then president Benjamin Harrison designated Ellis Island as the first Federal Immigration station. From 1892 to 1954, over twelve million immigrants entered the United States through the portal of Ellis Island, including some of our Swedish ancestors.

CLICK HERE  to view the history of Ellis Island and 

see how our immigrant ancestors entered their new life in the United States

Virtual Tour of Ellis Island

2016 will be the centennial of the National Park Service.

Did your immigrant ancestors arrive through Ellis Island? My maternal grandparents, Paul and Dagmar Sevaldsen did. My paternal grand aunt Anna Abrahamsson Jacobson did with her first three children, Rudolf, David and Betty. Have you ever visited? These 360-degree photos of Ellis Island help you "see" what our ancestors saw. You can feel like you are standing on the island. Thank you CAGGNI facebook page for giving me a heads up to pass this on to my family.

Imagine the thrill of seeing the welcoming Lady Liberty after weeks of being at sea. 
Imagine the fear knowing you will pass through these Ellis Island doors 
to be questioned and examined to be found worthy of entering.

click here to take  ▼

THE VIRTUAL TOUR OF ELLIS ISLAND

click here to read about  ▼

THE IMMIGRANTS JOURNEY

1924-Dagmar comes to America

In January of 1924, Dagmar began the journey to join Paul. She took the 3 hour train ride to Oslo alone. Their baby Gerd had died just 2 weeks prior.

Dagmar also took the Bergensfjord to New York Harbor. She was very proud of the fact that she traveled second class. By sending Dagmar a more expensive second-class ticket Paul was assuring that Dagmar would not have to go through Ellis Island proper. She was questioned and examined right on the Bergensfjord, but not as vigorously and she was allowed to disembark directly to the dock with the first class passengers.  

Line #9: Sevaldsen, Dagmar, 23 yrs old, female, married, housewife, can read and write Norwegian, country of origin Norway, race Scandinavian, last permanent residence Skien, family member in home country is father Nils Gundersen Aas. Vinjesgate 14 Skien, destination Chicago Illinois, ticket to final destination paid by husband Paul Sevaldsen 5028 Sawyer Chicago, Ill who is her contact in the U.S., has $25,  is not returning home, plans to stay in the U.S. permanently with intention of becoming a citizen, good health, 5'3", fair complexion, dark hair and brown eyes, no identifying marks, born in Eidanger Norway

Paul met her at the dock and together they took the train to their new home Chicago.

                                          **clicking on photos or documents will enlarge them for easier viewing**

1923-Paul comes to America through Ellis Island

From the moment they married Paul made it clear that his dream was America. In the page "Paul's ancestral home Stuskin" I told how Pauls father, Anders Sevaldsen, had thrown away Paul's future. Paul had an aunt who had gone to Chicago earlier, Dagmar's uncle had also settled in Chicago. Chicago was a busy, growing city, ripe with opportunities for hard-working young men and women. There was also a good size Norwegian population in Chicago at that time.The industrial revolution was in full gear and Paul, a machinist, saw a future there for himself and his young family.    The Encyclopedia of Chicago History tells the story of Norwegians in Chicago.

Like many others, Paul left first for the U.S. with the intention of settling into a job and place to live and sending back the money he made for the emigration of his family. He traveled 3 hours by train to Oslo.

In Oslo Paul boarded the "Bergensfjord" for the trip to America. He traveled third class, what used to be termed steerage but now in the1920's even third class was a much nicer trip that the trip that earlier emigrants endured. As you can see by the photos, the ship was nicely equipped, clean and safe. In fact the Bergensfjord and its sister ships the Stavangerfjord and the Oslofjord advertised in both Norway and America catering to not only Norwegian emigrants but those who wished to return to Norway either permanently or for a family visit or to Americans who wished to vacation in Scandinavia. The Bergensfjord would eventually become a luxury cruise ship. Not only was the trip over the Atlantic much shorter and more pleasant than it had been for the early emigrants, it also was much cheaper.

This would be the type of cabin that Paul would have traveled in, sharing with three other men. Above passengers stroll the deck of the Bergensfjord on a pleasant, not too cool day.

Paul arrived at Ellis Island 1 August 1923. First and second class passengers and those passengers who were not immigrants deported directly in New York. Immigrants stayed on the boat for an additional few hours or many hours (depending how busy the Ellis Island officials were) and were then taken by smaller ferry boats to Ellis Island proper where they were questioned and inspected for health issues.

Line #7 Sevaldsen, Paul, 28 yrs. old, male, married, occupation mechanic, can read and write Norwegian, country of origin Norway, race Scandinavian, last permanent residence Gjerpen, Norway, family member in home country is wife Dagmar Sevaldsen Strømdal pr. Skien, has a ticket to his final destination paid by self, has $20, never been to U.S. before, going to join friend; Mathilde Wenneberg 5028 Sawyer Chicago, is not returning home, plans to stay in the U.S. permanently with intention of becoming a citizen, good health, 5'3" fair complexion, blond hair & blue eyes, no distinguishing marks, born in Kragerø, Norway

At Ellis Island, after being admitted to the United States Paul and his two traveling companions, Tomas and Einar were directed to the train station that would bring them to Chicago. 

Paul sent home picture postcards from Chicago for his wife and baby Gerd to show how well he was doing and how rich everyone was in America. The outfits were rented at the photography studio. He actually lived in a basement apartment. The Salvation Army gave him a bed, rug and chair. He worked nights in a Chicago brewery. He never did become rich but Paul never did regret his decision. He loved America and became a citizen as soon as he could and changed his name from Sevaldsen to Sevald to "sound more American".