Pilgrimage to Ellis Island

March 31, 2011 marked the 100th Anniversary of my great-grandfather, Nicholas (Nicola) Marchiano's, arrival to Ellis Island. He was aboard the ship, Friedrich der Grosse, which departed from Naples Italy on March 17th, 1911.  On the ship manifest, he is listed on line 6 and from this document we learn that he was 25 years old, he could not read or write, his nearest relative in Italy was his wife "Francisco" (Francesca), his destination was Westerly, Rhode Island but he did not yet have a ticket to get there, he paid for his ship's fare, he had $25 with him, he had never before been to the US, he was 5 ft 6 in tall, had moles on his face, and he came from the town of S. Demetrio C. in Cosenza, Italy. 

Friedrich der Grosse

To honor and celebrate this journey - a few of Nicholas Marchiano's descendants decided to make a pilgrimage to Ellis Island on the date and time that Nicholas would have arrived 100 years prior.  Natale Marchiano (grandson), Gregory Mannino (grandson) ,  Nicholas (grandson) Mannino, Nicole Mannino Johnson (great-granddaughter) , Ainsley Mannino (great great granddaughter) and Jack Mannino Johnson (great great grandson) all embarked on this historical journey to Ellis Island.

If you have never been to Ellis Island, I highly recommend a visit.  It served as the main port of immigration to our country from 1892 - 1954 when over 12 million immigrants passed through its portals. In the museum, there are stories, artifacts, audio and video tours where you can try to imagine the experience of the immigrants.

What sticks in my mind after the visit was the length of the journey that my ancestors took from the Port of Naples, Italy to Ellis Island. For my grandfather, Nicola Marchiano, the journey lasted 15 days in a crowded ship where the steerage passengers were often treated like cattle.  The first sight they would have seen would have been the Statue of Liberty - an amazing beacon of hope at the end of a long journey. Then once they arrived to New York Harbor, they had to take a ferry from the ship to Ellis Island, and the ferry was not heated or cooled and they often had to wait hours with no food or drink to actually get onto the Island and then be processed.  Once on Ellis Island, the customs process could take anywhere from several hours to several weeks or longer depending on the circumstances.

I dont know how long Nicola had to wait on Ellis Island, or how he got to Westerly, Rhode Island, however I do know that he earned money then sent for his wife and son to come which would happen in December 1919.  More about that in the next post.