Ellis Island was both an interesting and heartwarming experience. These are a few of the things that made an impression on me.
The Kissing Post refers to the spot where people already in US were united with their relatives that were newly arrived via Ellis Island.
" I saw this man coming forward...I didn't know he was my father...Later on I realized why he looked so familiar to me. He looked just like I did. But that's when I met him for the first time. And I fell in love with him and he with me." Katherine B., a Russian Jewish Immigrant in 1910, interviewed in 1985.
When people had medical or mental problems that would cause them to be rejected (deported) a big "X" was written in chalk on that individual's coat. In one display an immigrant stated that their companion got marked with an "X" but one of the Ellis Island officials advised them to turn their coat inside out, thus they both gained entry to US.
The paper tags pinned to these men in the photo here indicated which train the men were to take once they left Ellis Island. Most people entering didn't speak English and so these tags told the train conductors how to process people in the direction they were to go to meet family that was waiting for them.
The ticket to sail from Europe to US (3rd class) in early 1900's cost between $600-$700 in today's $$. So people coming over may have been really poor when they got here, but certainly everyone who wanted to come wouldn't have been able to raise this considerable amount of funds.
