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Archiver > TheShipsList > 1997-12 > 0883167618


From: Louis Alfano <>
Subject: Re: [TSL] curious
Date: Fri, 26 Dec 1997 15:20:18 -0500


In a message dated 12/25/97 6:04:15 PM, wrote:

>You hear so much about Castle Garden and later Ellis Island for
>arrivals at the port of New York. What about the ports of Baltimore,
>Boston, etc. They must have had immigration stations. Were they
>just better organized ports or just smaller ports. Nothing is ever
>mentioned about those stations.

To add to the reply from :

The sheer volume of immigrants through New York was so great that
immigration through all other ports pales by comparison. As a VERY
ROUGH means of comparing, I did a quick count of the number of microfilm
rolls at the National Archives containing passenger lists (using the
IMMIGRANT & PASSENGER ARRIVALS catalog). The numbers ar startling:

New York - 1820-1897 - 675 rolls
1897-1957 - 8,892 rolls
-----------------------
TOTAL 9,567 rolls

All other ports combined - 1800-1957 - 3,281 rolls
(years vary from port to port)

GRAND TOTAL - 12,848 rolls

Based on this VERY ROUGH estimate, New York arrivals accounted for
nearly THREE-FOURTHS of all immigration nationwide. Thus the much
greater interest in Castle Garden/Castle Clinton and Ellis Island than
in any of the other arrival facilities.

Lou Alfano

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