CensusTools

One of my favorite websites and a must stop for anyone with an ancestor who passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924. All the more so because you may have met the immigrant grandparents and great grandparents who appear in the records. All searches are free and you can view images of the original manifest pages. Unfortunately they use javascript to disable the right mouse click function, preventing a user from saving an image to a hard drive. If you disable javascript in your browser, you can right click and save a relatively low resolution image, but you can't view a higher resolution image which actually allows you to zoom in enough to read the manifest. You can order 11 x 17 or 17 x 22 prints of a manifest for $25 or $35 respectively. Many manifest records cover two pages, doubling the cost. As an added bonus, there are photos available for many of the ships referenced in the manifests. After you register for a free account, you will be able to save your searches, making it easy to split your research over multiple sessions without losing track of your progress. If you plan to use this database extensively, consider the search portal at stevemorse.org where you will find an easy to use interface which makes Ellis Island searches much easier. There are also tools there for when the database returns the wrong manifest.

Pros

• Free searchable images of original manifests from the most important immigration port.
• Image library of many of the ships referenced in the manifests

Cons

• Difficult to store even low, substandard resolution images to your computer
• The database tends to be buggy and you will occasionally be sent to a manifest page completely unrelated to the ship crossing you need. It's extremely difficult to eventually locate the correct record when this happens. There are ways around the problem, but it can be very tedious. The Steve Morse website linked above is invaluable.

1. A Review of the Ancestry.com Immigration Collection
2. A Review of The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
3. A Request for Your Support