SALT LAKE CITY – Tracking ancestors through Ellis Island used to mean a trip to the National Archives to pour through endless reels of microfilm. But now, thanks in part to a project put together by the Mormon Church, all it takes is a few clicks on the computer.
On Tuesday, officials with the church and Ellis Island were to unveil a new database containing arrival records for the 22 million immigrants who arrived on ships at the port of New York from 1892 to 1924.
The database — which includes 70 percent of all U.S. arrivals during that period — will also be available on the Internet.
The database can be searched and includes immigrants’ names, their port of origin, age, nationality, hometown and marital status.
Visitors to the new American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island can then get printouts of the information and, if they choose, buy a souvenir copy of the original, handwritten record and a photo of the ship that brought their ancestors to the United States.
Online visitors will be able to order the records and photos in about a month.
