# What percentage of immigrants went through Ellis Island in the old days? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 28, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-immigrants-went-through-ellis-island-in-the-old-days/158153 "2003-02-28T16:10:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-immigrants-went-through-ellis-island-in-the-old-days/158153/1 "2003-02-28T16:10:57Z")
Throughout the years, I’ve heard countless stories of hapless immigrants sailing into NYC with nothing but the clothes on their backs. These tales are told so often that they almost start to sound cliched. Needless to say, I was suprised to find out that my own great-grandfather didn’t have that experience. In 1876, at the tender age of 2, he and his family sailed straight into Philadelphia, and most of my family remains in PA to this day. So what percentage of immigrants back in the old days (let’s say pre-WWI) actually entered through Ellis Island? Could Europeans come into the country through any port on the Eastern Seaboard? Did folks sail from Europe to, say, Georgia or South Carolina? ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-immigrants-went-through-ellis-island-in-the-old-days/158153/2 "2003-02-28T16:27:24Z")
[Ellis Island](http://www.nps.gov/stli/serv02.htm): > [@](#): > > While most immigrants entered the United States through New York Harbor (the most popular destination of steamship companies), others sailed into many ports such as Boston, San Francisco and Savannah. The great steamship companies like White Star, Red Star, Cunard and Hamburg-America played a significant role in the history of Ellis Island and immigration in general. First and second class passengers who arrived in New York Harbor were not required to undergo the inspection process at Ellis Island. Instead, these passengers underwent a cursory inspection aboard ship; the theory being that if a person could afford to purchase a first or second class ticket, they were less likely to become a public charge in America due to medical or legal reasons. The Federal government felt that these more affluent passengers would not end up in institutions, hospitals or become a burden to the state. However, first and second class passengers were sent to Ellis Island for further inspection if they were sick or had legal problems. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-immigrants-went-through-ellis-island-in-the-old-days/158153/3 "2003-02-28T16:37:46Z")
(All these data taken from [http://www.nps.gov/stli/serv02.htm#Ellis](http://www.nps.gov/stli/serv02.htm#Ellis)): Immigration legislation became a federal issue in 1890; before that, it was a state domain. The Ellis Island immigration station was opened in 1892 and shut down in 1954; in those 62 years, more than 12 million immigrants entered the US via this portal. I guess there were other federal immigration stations as well ( a Google search yields a lot of replies for Angel Island, California). [This site](http://tn.essortment.com/ellisislandhis_rqrb.htm), however, says: [quote] From 1892 to 1954, more than 16 million Southern and Eastern European immigrants, or 71% of all immigrants, entered the United States through the federal immigration station on Ellis Island and two connecting islands in New York Harbor.