We squeezed in one more adventure before heading to the airport for our flight to Dublin, Ireland. We took the kids on the ferry out to Ellis Island. On the way, we passed directly in front of the Statue of Liberty. As the Statue of Liberty grew larger and larger in the distance, so did the excitement amongst the kids.
We disembarked the ferry at Ellis Island and toured the museum where our ancestors entered the United States long ago. There was a plethora of artifacts, pictures, stories, and descriptions of how Ellis Island worked in its prime. It's humbling to learn how much all these people sacrificed in the name of a better life for their family.
Justin is holding an example of a passenger manifest
We will be studying about our ancestry this coming school year. The kids will now be able to visualize what their ancestors went through to come to this country. The museum on Ellis Island has an extensive library of information about immigrants. You can request passenger manifests like the one Justin is holding above. There are also several kiosks in the museum where you can look up your family name and see if any information pulls up.
