A Trip to Ellis Island

My kids on the ferry to Ellis Island

Last summer, my family took a trip and visited Ellis Island. I was interested in seeing this place because a number of my ancestors would have come through these halls, including my direct Broersma ancestor, Lawrence Broersma (or Laas, as he was named in the Netherlands).

My great grandfather Laas Broersma immigrated to the United States on his own when he was just 19 years old, in June of 1920. We don't completely know the reasons why he left, but it most likely because they were very poor in the Netherlands and America was still very much the land of opportunity.

He wasn't going to completely start off by himself though, his older brother Thys had already been living in America for about 6 years. Even still, that must have been an adventure getting on a boat and crossing the Atlantic by himself about 7 months after World War I had ended.

He sailed on the SS Noordam.

Here is is entry on the passenger list (I edited the list since his name was on the very bottom, and not near the column information).

When he arrived, he would have disembarked here, at Ellis Island in the New York harbor.

After getting off the boat, this is the building he would have entered.

Then he would have had to pass through these halls, standing in a long cue in order to make it through immigration and customs.



After standing in line, he would have had to present his passport and get his visa to enter into the country.

It's now been exactly 100 years since his immigration to the USA. It was really fun and interesting to see this place where so many immigrants have passed through.