Ellis Island

Ellis Island is a small island in Upper New York Bay, lying about 1.6 km southwest of the
Battery, on Manhattan, and about 396 miles east of Jersey City, NJ The 27-acre island was a
major immigration station for the United States from 1892 to 1943. After the creation of the
Immigration Bureau (1891), the immigration station was moved from Castle Garden to Ellis
Island. There immigrants were examined and either admitted or deported. Immigrants had to
suffer through vigorous physical examinations. If they were sick at all, they were deported. Many
immigrants came overseas in steerage. This was the lowest of classes. They were very tightly
crammed into ship and sickness and conditions often affected the passengers, at the height of its
activity, the Ellis Island station could process 1 million people a year. Twelve million immigrants
came through Ellis Island from 1895 to 1924.
In 1983, J. Louis Zobler made his way to the gates of Ellis Island. He most likely had to sit in the
Great Hall. He would wait here until it was time for his physical. Sometimes it took days or
weeks. When he had passed all of the physical exams, he would have to speak to an immigrations
officer. At this time, the officers didn't speak very many languages. Ellis Island was where many
names became Americanized. The immigration officers would spell last names phonetically. Many
surnames have been changed from their original names. This makes it hard for families to trace
their heritage past Ellis Island.

A letter of recommendation for Miss Ethel Michael.

Witnesses of Morley's Christening. You can see here the three ways Zobler was spelled.

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