back to Family Stories, Fall 2021
by Madison DeLuca
Ellis Island, also known as the Isle of Hope, was an open doorway to a land of promise and opportunity. It was a symbol of hope and new beginnings for nearly 12 million immigrants, including my Italian ancestors. Located at the mouth of the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, many immigrants passed through its doors to start a new life. Ellis Island was open and running from 1892-1964, and millions of immigrants were processed there under federal law. Arriving on land must have quite a relief for passengers after traveling long distances in crowded and often unsanitary conditions. However, they still had the inspection process in front of them. It was probably very intimidating and frightening for immigrants as they waited in long lines for medical and legal inspections to determine if they were “fit” for entry into the United States (Cooke 2017). If the immigrant’s papers were in order and they were in reasonably good health, the inspection process would last anywhere from 3 to 5 hours (Cooke 2017). My Italian ancestors did not speak English, so this made paperwork and the inspection process even harder.
(Smith Collection/Gado—Getty Images)
In building my family tree, I learned and uncovered documentation of my great grandfather and 2nd great grandparents traveling through Ellis Island from Italy. I have decided to focus on this part of my ancestry because it is of the most interest to me. I have been curious of my ancestors’ immigration ever since 5th grade, when I was supposed to travel to Ellis Island on a field trip; however, it was canceled due to Hurricane Sandy. From then on, I have wanted to learn more about the journey to America and find records of their arrival.
My 2nd great grandfather Alexander Caprio immigrated from Italy and arrived in America on March 20, 1915, through Ellis Island. He was born in 1865 and married my 2nd great grandmother: Antoinette Caprio; they had three sons and two daughters together between 1902 and 1915. Alexander Caprio died on October 18, 1926, at the age of 61, only eleven years after starting his new life in the U.S. He is the father of my great grandfather: Joseph Caprio who was born on 19 June 1915, making him only a baby when he arrived at Ellis Island. Joseph Caprio lived in New Haven, Connecticut for the rest of his life and married Josephine Simone; they had three sons and one daughter together.
Finding and interpreting documentation of my ancestors was especially difficult because many of their names were spelt differently, both first and last names. Also, in sifting through documents, I found records that consisted of their names, but the dates did not match up, leading me to believe that other individuals had the same names as my ancestors.
The Caprio’s were documented as the “Copiro’s” in Ellis Island. My 2nd great grandfather’s name was also changed from Alessandro to Alexander, altering it from the Italian form. This made finding documentation a little challenging as I was trying to find people with the last name Caprio. I can speculate that it was very common for a family’s surname and first names to be changed to a more anglicized version at Ellis Island. This was probably due to the fact that the immigrant processors could not spell the immigrants’ names or understand it when the immigrant told them. I believe that the language barrier and the number of immigrants definitely played a role in the misspelling of my ancestors’ last name.
After not being able to visit Ellis Island physically, I enjoyed finding documentation and learning a little bit of what it was like to travel through Ellis Island. Migrating from Italy by boat, arriving at a new place, having to be proceed through Ellis Island, not speaking the language, not knowing anyone, and having to start all over in a different country must have been very challenging, to say the least. I am forever grateful that they went on this voyage, and that I was able to find record of it.
References
Cooke, L. 2017, February 22. What Was it Like to Land at Ellis Island? https://lisalouisecooke.com/2017/02/22/ellis-island/
Editors, History.com. (2021). Ellis Island. https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/ellis-island