Pelczarski

Ellis Island

Ellis Island has their U.S. immigration records online. Since the records were handwritten, it was difficult for the people who transcribed them to avoid frequent spelling mistakes. If you cannot find an ancestor right away, try misspellings. My grandfather did not appear when I searched for "Pelczarski". But when I tried "Pelezarski", there he was! If you come across other possible Pelczarski's as you attempt misspellings, let us know. You may have found someone that someone else is looking for but hasn't yet located.

Ellis Island link to 25 Pelczarski's who arrived between 1895 and 1920

Ellis Island link to 8 "Pelezarski" names, including Grzegorz Pelczarski, my grandfather. Note the misspelling of Długie also. z's, y's, and g's got switched, as did c's and e's.

Here are some snips of the type of information you can find at the Ellis Island website. Besides transcribing the manifests, you can view a scan of the actual manifest itself. It was interesting to see the entire groups arriving together from the villages of my grandparents. Other relatives appeared on the same pages, and other friends who arrived at the same time who later became unofficial "aunts" and "uncles".

It was also interesting to learn the exact dates and points of departure. They even have historical photos of many of the ships, linked directly to the records. You can purchase prints of the manifests and ship photos, which is one of the ways they fund their efforts.