Reply #70: Do keep trying; it can be tricky.

[CBHagman]

Family Tree magazine did a pretty extensive article about how to search for ancestors at the Ellis Island website.

http://www.familytreemagazine.com

(No, I don't work for that magazine. I'm just a fan!)

Bear in mind that any website, including Family Search and Ellis Island, might have transcription errors. I've found them at both websites. For example, my Aunt Julie's name was recorded incorrectly at the Ellis Island site due to a misreading of the handwriting on the original manifest. Another aunt found the error, and I e-mailed EllisIsland.org and had the entry corrected.

http://www.familysearch.org
http://www.ellisisland.org

One of the misconceptions going around is that people's names were altered at Ellis Island. Actually, they checked ship manifests, so however the person was recorded at port of departure should match the entry at Ellis Island.

There are a bunch of strategies for searching for relatives at Ellis Island. Sometimes you just look for a group of people with the same last name. Sometimes you have to change the spelling of the first name (that was my problem when I looked for my maternal grandmother) and go for the proper first name, not the nickname. It can help to know a woman's maiden name, too.

Best of luck, G of G!