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Jul 31, 2007 11:22 am US/Eastern
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History Comes Alive At Ellis Island Museum
by Katie McGee
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
It's one of the only museums in the city that requires a boat to get there, located on a tiny island that sits in the shadow of Lady Liberty.
Even if you have been to Ellis Island before, this may be the perfect time for another visit to America's gateway.
Linda Wagoner of Dover, N.J., tracked down a long-lost branch of her family through the museum's archives.
"It's something I never expected to happen -- to find family and to actually get together," said Wagoner. "We've only been in contact with each other for six months."
Wagoner and her newfound relative from Manchester, England, share something very special in common: an ancestor who traveled through Ellis Island.
"I found that it was indeed the same family, and I've been able to add to the family tree," said Wagoner.
Peg Zitko of the Ellis Island Foundation said, "Forty percent of Americans trace their roots back to at least one ancestor who came through Ellis Island."
"They are going to our family history center and actually finding the records of their ancestors, their grandmother or great-grandmother," she said.
There is a lot more to the Ellis Island Museum than simply a list of names. Immigrant stories come alive in a new oral history titled "Liberty Dance."
"We're a nation of immigrants, America. And this is a tremendous history lesson that families can receive here," said Zitko. "I think it can really bring the immigrant experience and history to life for kids."
An astonishing 25 million immigrants passed through the hallowed halls of Ellis Island. A globe in the old railroad office displays some of the routes ships traveled on their voyage to the New World.
One of the most memorable exhibits at the museum focuses on the changing face of America. "The Flag of Faces" shows how millions of immigrants came together to create one nation.
For a fee, some families commemorate the journey of their immigrant ancestors by inscribing their names on the "American Immigrant Wall of Honor."
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)