GSBC General Meeting
Stories From Ellis Island
Presentation by Fred Voss
Monday, 23 October 2023 @ 7 pm Eastern
In-person at Ridgewood Public Library

Ellis Island opened on January 1, 1892 as the nation's first federal immigration entry point. During the next 32 years, it was by far the busiest US inspection station, processing 12.5 million people, each hoping for a chance at a new life. It is estimated that 40% of all Americans can trace their roots back to immigrants who came through Ellis Island.

Did you have relatives who came through Ellis Island? Did the inspectors detain them? Were they treated at the island's hospitals? Did your family names get changed by the inspectors?! Fred Voss is a professional genealogist and a volunteer tour guide at Ellis Island National Park. He will give an illustrated talk about the past, present, and future of this iconic landmark as well as sharing some of his favorite immigration stories.

Mr. Voss will provide an overview of the workings of the Island—how immigrants arrived, how they were processed through the different parts of the Island, and what might mean a long stay on the Island or a return-ticket home. He will also dive into those squiggles on the manifest and how to decipher them.

Fred Voss is a professional genealogist, researcher, and educator. He has been doing personal genealogy for over 25 years and is a Trustee and Education Chair for the Genealogical Society of Bergen County. His areas of interest are Germany, Switzerland, and New Hampshire, with special interest in DNA, Immigration, and Naturalization.

For over 9 years, he volunteered as a tour guide at Ellis Island, leading both historical and photographic tours of the abandoned hospitals on the south side of the island