Researching your Polish Ancestors at Ellis Island
Exploring Polish immigration to the U.S. is the first step many Polish Americans take when trying to uncover Polish genealogy records - either to explore ancestry in Poland or to obtain Polish citizenship by descent. And, of course, there is one place that comes to mind when Americans start to research their ancestors’ immigration: Ellis Island.
Millions of Polish immigrants came to America in the late 1800s and early 1900s, leaving behind records for genealogists to find. The first step, though, should not be heading straight to the Ellis Island database. If you're researching your Polish ancestry, it’s important to first understand immigration patterns and what they tell you about your Polish immigrant ancestor.
Waves of Polish immigration to the U.S.
The majority of Polish immigration to the U.S. occurred between 1870-1914. This period of emigration from Poland was kicked off by the Franco-Prussian War from 1870-1871. Poles, hopeful for a restoration of their independence, supported France against Prussia, and Prussia was quick to retaliate against them for it. Prussia’s victory in this war directly resulted in German unification and the establishment of the German Empire, and brought about increased Germanization policies. Poles faced racism and starvation and began emigrating en masse to the U.S.
Poles from the Austrian and Russian partitions faced the same difficulties. Poles in the Russian partition, for example, faced Russification: all education was in Russian, and publications and arts in Polish were censored. These Poles began emigrating significantly in the late 1800s, and emigration increased after the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 as Russia’s economy declined. At its peak, Polish emigration from the Russian partition of Poland happened from 1912-1914.
What these trends can tell you about your immigrant ancestor
Knowing when your Polish ancestors arrived in the U.S. can give you key insight into what part of Poland (/ Russia /Germany / Austria) they originated, and what hardships they faced.
It can also lead you to their immigration records.
If your Polish ancestors arrived in the U.S. around the 1870s, it is likely they originated from the Prussian (and eventually German) partition of Poland. This also means your Polish ancestors did not enter through Ellis Island - because remember, Ellis Island didn’t open until 1892.
On the other hand, if your Polish ancestors arrived in the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century or in the 1910s, it is likely they originated from the Russian partition of Poland, or from Galicia (the Austrian partition). This also means they most likely entered through Ellis Island, as Ellis Island was accepting immigrants at a higher rate than other Atlantic ports at this time in history.
All in all, do not assume your Polish ancestor entered at Ellis Island. There are so many misunderstandings about our ancestors’ immigration to the U.S., and particularly about what happened at Ellis Island (no, names were not changed there) that beginner genealogists go on wild goose chases trying to find records that simply don’t exist.
So, should you search the Ellis Island database for your Polish ancestor?
It depends, of course, on the year they immigrated. Utilizing census data and naturalization records, determine their immigration year (or at least narrow down the time period) and use this information to find your Polish ancestor on a passenger list. If your Polish ancestor did immigrate through Ellis Island (or at least at a later date where passenger lists included more detailed information about our ancestors), finding them on a passenger list is by far the best way to trace your family to Poland and research your Polish ancestry.
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Are you wondering where exactly in Poland your Polish ancestors came from?
Maybe you’ve played around on genealogy websites, but you can’t find what you’re looking for, or…
maybe you aren’t even sure what you should be looking for.
But you know one thing: you want to know how to find your ancestor’s naturalization records and immigration records easily, know how to interpret them, and how to use them to trace your family in Poland - and maybe even apply for Polish citizenship by descent.
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