The Ellis Island Immigration Museum stands as a constant reminder of our nation’s immigration history – the largest human migration in modern history. Between 1892 and 1954, 12-million immigrants were processed here. Follow their footsteps and journey from the Baggage Room where immigrants dropped off all their worldly possessions, to the Registry Room where they underwent medical and legal examinations, then on to the Staircase of Separation which led to the ferryboats that transported immigrants granted admittance to either Manhattan or New Jersey.

Fun Facts:
Today more than 40% (or over 100 million) of all living Americans can trace their roots to an ancestor who came through Ellis Island.

On the American Immigrant Wall of Honor are the names of 420,000 individuals and families whose descendants have honored them by donating to the Ellis Island restoration project.

98% of those processed at Ellis Island were granted admittance to America. The remaining 2% were sent back to their home countries.

The following is a breakdown by country of the number of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island from January 1892 to June 1897, and from 1901-1931:

Italy	Russia	Hungary (1905-1931 only)	Austria (1905-1931 only)	Austria-Hungary (1892-1904 only)	Germany	England	Ireland
2,502,310	1,893,542	859,557	768,132	648,163	633,148	551,969	520,904

All immigrants who passed through Ellis Island were given a medical exam. The doctor would mark with white chalk on the immigrants who were suspected of having infirmities. The following is a sample of the short hand used by the physicians.
an “X” marked high on the front of the right shoulder - suspected mental defects
an “X” marked lower on the right shoulder - suspicions of a deformity or disease
an “X” with a circle - some definite symptom had been detected
“B” possible back problems, “E” eyes, “F” face, “Ft” feet, “H” heart, “L” lameness, “N” neck