Most of us Swedes probably have a relative that have emigrated. Most part of Swedish emigrants went to the US. The statistics tells us that during year
1892-1924 approx 20 million emigrants from the whole world arrived to the US and
nearly 71% (14.2 million) arrived in New York. Over 1 million were emigrants from Sweden.
Interest in Genealogy
and seeking your roots is just growing!
After the television success, "Who do you think you are" in both Sweden and England the series now also starts in the USA!
What place can be better than the U.S., where most have their roots in other parts of the world ... even Sweden.
The TV series "Who Do You Think You Are" is a collaboration between NBC and Ancestry. On March 5, 2010 the show starts and you can follow celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Emmitt Smith, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shields, Susan Sarandon and Spike Lee searching their roots.
The Ellis Island "Ferry Terminal" opens after 50 years
The organization Save Ellis Island is working for to protect all the abandoned buildings on Ellis Island. Since 1954 several buildings are standing abandoned and are in great need of restoration. They need to be restored to be able to stand here for the next generation. This year, 2007, the Ferry Terminal was reopened after 50 years. The Ferry Building served as the departure point for immigrants who had passed all the legal inspections and health tests and was leaving Ellis Island to go by boat to New Jersey or Manhattan. Here the immigrants waited with patience to get off Ellis Island and to start their new life in America.
The restoration started in 2000 and on April 2, 2007 there was a grand opening. The organisation is in need of a lot of money to be able to restore all the buildings that have so much history to tell to people almost all over the world. Even you can help - a small donation means a lot.
Ellis Island Foundation are looking for your story!
The Ellis Island Foundation are looking for your family story from you who have relatives that emigrated to the USA. Maybe you are an immigrant your self. You can easily fill in your information on their website. Every story will be read and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum have plans to make an exhibit about the emigrants stories about leaving their home country and the journey to USA and their life in their new country called - "Peopling of America Center". So get your pen and start writing your family story and take part of history.
The first thing the emigrants saw when they arrived to New York harbour after the year
1886 was the grand Statue of Liberty.
A Polish emigrant said:
"Mrs. Libertys grand overwhelmed us.
No one said a word because she was a goddess and we
knew that she represented the big powerful country that should be our future home."
Source: The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
For some the Statue of Libarty and Ellis Island was the only thing they saw of the US.
Some had to go back to were they came from... but for the most people this was the beginning
of a new life.
When an immigrant ship entered New York harbour the passengers were checked for diseases.
New York had several Quarantine Islands. When the ship arrived - any yellow fever or cholera patients on an incoming vessels, a signal is set, and one of the steamers belonging to the New York quarantine service comes and brings the sufferers to the appropriate Island.
Read more about the different Quarantine Islands »
Emigration
Information about emigration from Sweden and its history and how they travelled to
the US.
