You should do a story on Angel Island. It was known as Ellis Island of the west and sits in the San Francisco Bay. Most folks don't know about it because of always being in the shadow of Ellis Island. Thanks for all you do here.
The west coast also used quarantine ships like big cities on the east coast. I forget the name but there were also similar islands to angel island or Ellis island in the Puget sound.
And on that side of the country you would have had a lot of people coming in from Asia. I can imagine the treatment of those immigrants was probably worse...
Yes, Angel Island is often forgotten. Immigrants coming from Latin America and Asia mostly came through Angel Island. I sometimes hear people say "send those foreigners home", but what they don't realize is most of oir ancestors came here with a dream in mind.
My grandfather came over from France as an infant. He was later sold the a Scottish family because his parents had such a hard time keeping work. He went on to be an officers cook in the army during WWII, bought a huge corn farm where he and my gram raised 3 children, 1 of those was adopted, and he was a mechanical engineer helping to build 3 Mile Island and the St Laurence Seaway. I hope you do a video on what life was like on the transports and for those quarentined on Ellis; what they ate too 😀
My Great Grandfather was part of that 2% rejected because an ear infection he caught in the ship. He was send alone to Argentina, he was only 16. In a positive note I'm alive thanks to that ear infection :)
My grandmother (we called her Nonni) was sent through Ellis Island from Italy in 1914 after becoming an orphan through horrific circumstances, witnessing the murders of her parents in Sicily. She was sent to live in the US with extended family who she’d never met, just a month after her parents were buried. She was only 8 years old. The nuns took the risk that she would be allowed to enter since she had relatives already in the US. Otherwise her prospects for survival in Sicily were grim at best. Unfortunately her US (distant) family sponsors didn’t have proof of financial resources showing their ability to support her as guardians. As a result she was held for 3 weeks while the family got things together with help from the local parish priest. Most Americans don’t realize that many thousands of unaccompanied children came through Ellis Island. Some were sponsored by US family members, some by charities but many were stowaways-usually orphans-searching for a better life. I can’t imagine how terrifying it was for a little girl who just watched the brutal murders of her parents, being forced to leave her younger sisters behind then placed on a ship bound for an unknown place, alone, to live with total strangers, but only after and if she passed an inspection given by people she couldn’t understand and who couldn’t understand her either (she only knew how to say a few words the nuns taught her). My Nonni was incredibly strong, brave and resilient. She learned English while working as a school janitor and eventually became a teacher herself. She had married my grandfather in 1921 when she was only 15 and went on to have 9 children (2 of whom died in childhood), before being widowed at 38 while still raising her youngest kids at home. All of her kids went on to college and became contributing members of the community, with all 5 sons serving in the military. Her family eventually grew to include 21 grandchildren and 46 great grandchildren, whose included educators, doctors, musicians, therapists, business owners, lawyers, construction contractors, scientists, artists, producers, architects, government officials, nurses, mathematicians, pilots, bankers, accountants and engineers. My Nonni came from nothing, was sent to the US with less than nothing and lived with distant relatives who didn’t want her since she was another mouth to feed and they could barely feed themselves. She was successful because of hard work, dedication and sheer determination to make a better life for herself. And for every story like hers there are literally thousands more-of children who arrived without permission and weren’t immediately turned away but rather were held until they located family or a charity groups or even private citizens offered to adopt or place them in a private group home.
In 1988 I was given a in-depth tour of Ellis Island in order to document the Coast Guard's use of the island as a training facility during World War II.There were a couple of rooms where the walls had the different signal flags painted on them so the Coast Guardsmen could learn how to read them. What I found amazing was that there were still large areas filled with personal possessions of immigrants that were never claimed - including player pianos. The other interesting part of my tour was seeing the medical wings which included autopsy theaters where doctors from New York would come over and watch the autopsies.
I remember visiting Ellis island when I was on a field trip back in the 3rd grade! Not all of the island was accessible and some of the exhibits were closed but it was still an exciting visit. I think one of the custodial workers there was giving my class a short lecture about some of the exhibits we couldn’t see that day and shared some of the more interesting places to see while we were there.
My Great Grandparents came through Ellis Island in 1913 so I found this really interesting. I have also been to Ellis Island and looked up their immigration details in the records department. I would recommend anyone who is interested in their family history visit Ellis Island if you ever find yourself in NewYork. Thank you Weird History.
Grandfather, Great grandmother, and Great Uncle immigrated together from England after WWII and they went through Ellis Island. I can't imagine how big the crowds were.
names WERE indeed changed! my oldest 2 children's ancestors were changed from Probst to Brobst. 2 brothers from germany by the name of Probst came to Ellis. the clerk misspelled it, changing it to Brobst. every brobst comes from those 2 brothers.
Yes but they didnt completely switch the names, like snijder to green, simple mistake, they arent in control of the names, and they couldve told him how to spell it
My grandfather was an immigrant. His name got changed by the US Army. Apparently, someone couldn't pronounce Ewalt Malinowski, so it got changed to the name of his brother-in-law. Paul Herman.
Thànk you! Wànted 2 comment but honestly "chickened out". Of obvious Hellenic decent, the names of my forefathers were not "changed" Chatzipapadimitrakopoulos is definitely a mouthful even 2day. So there are plenty of Chatzis, papas, poulos and best case scenario Dimitrakopoulos😂
Can confirm. My great grandparents moved from Russia to Canada to America. In Russia, their name was Dobrodub, in Canada it was changed to Dobrovitch, and in America it was changed to Dubrove. I also have a friend who doesn't know his great grandfather's original name because it was changed to Brayman. The guy at immigration misunderstood him and wrote down the city he sailed from (Bremen) as his name. Name changes absolutely happened. In many cases it was due to misunderstandings, but I'm convinced that in other cases it was a deliberate attempt to "Americanize" the new arrivals. I'm sure this is an honest mistake on Weird History's part, but I feel that it needs to be corrected.
What a pleasure it is to listen to you,, sir.. Giving us a wide range subjects. I find them interesting. Very entertaining. You have yet to bored the hell out of me.
Man, this is something else. It's hardly ever talked about. Though millions of immigrants passed through Ellis Island, little is known about the health of their wellbeing and such.
That's weird. We were taught about it in most history classes when I was a kid starting in middle school in washington. It was even specifically mentioned in our state history class since that involved the settlers moving her in the 1800s and they mentioned similar west coast island processing centers and quarantine ports
Even back then there was a process. They needed money and a place to stay before they could even come over. They stayed with friends and family. They went out IMMEDIATELY searching for work. Now they get cell phones and fancy airplane flights and fancy hotels and TONS of fancy food that "don't like" which goes to waste every single day. Now we let them in no matter what. Back then at least we checked for criminal history and diseases. Now we let in whoever whenever however. To the tune of 11 Million Illegal Immigrants that we pay for and do not work. Even a modest estimate would say that 35% of them are criminals. But nah... let's use the excuse that "mUh, bAcK tHeN wE lEt eVerYoNe iN!" Which never was the truth to begin with.
This is so amazing. You guys impress me more and more with each video that you upload. I work in the medical field so this is especially interesting to me. I would love to hear more about the history of substance abuse treatment and especially drug abuse during the wars. Like the soldiers that came home with opiate addictions during Vietnam or the use of amphetamines during World War II.
I never knew that any particular health measure were taken at Ellis Island.. I LOVE this channel! Even with topics I am well-educated on I ALWAYS learn something new!!!
Officials at the Ellis Island facility did INDEED change last names they could not pronounce. My great grandpa arrived at Ellis Island from Sicily and his last name was "Gioia", they ended up changing it to Joyere...
Actually, a friend of mine who's Grandmother came through Ellis Island from Sicily had her last name recorded as Palermo the city/region from were she came. The family still use's Palermo as their surname.
My father's parents (and older brother) arrived at Ellis Island around 1895. Apparently, they made it through because I never heard anything to the contrary. My grandmother never really learned how to speak English, but my grandfather, I'm told, knew English and about 9 other languages and could probably answer questions or translate things for her. BTW, I have an idea of how it feels to go to a foreign country with little to know knowledge of the language. I went to Israel in 1969 not yet able to speak Hebrew. Fortunately, many people spoke English and I had books with me (not like today with translating apps on your phone). Believe me, I learned that language quickly.
My maternal great grandparents went through Ellis Island in the early 1900s. It was a very moving experience to find the records of their arrival from the digitized records that I got copies of. I don't know if any of us could go through the trials ,tribulations and anxiety they went through not sure they would even be allowed to pass through to the mainland. Thank goodness the majority of them were able to pass and what a relief it wads when it was over.
My grandpa and his brother came over through Ellis Island in the 30’s. Their name is on the circular wall, I got to see it last summer. Ellis island is a must if you visit New York City
My mother's parents came through the Island (but not at the same time). My grandmother had to have someone sponser her (her sister was living here by then) Her sister got sick during grandma's voyage and wasn't able to pick her up, so grandma was put into the hospital for a few days before they threatened to send her back. Fortunetally my aunt got better intime to pick her up, but even she had to be checked out to make sure she was healthy enough. BTW my grandmother was 13 when she came here. (Ireland).
My grandma was as well, back in the 1910’s. She had to be sponsored, she came over without her parents she was just a young teenager. I can’t imagine how brave all of these people were. My grandfather also came over as a teen and immediately went into the Army for WWI when he turned 18
The French writer Céline wrote a great book, "Journey to the End of the Night". He went through Ellis Island 20's, and as a doctor he was recruited to work there. He has one or two chapters about his experience. It is quite an insight. Céline was aware of the need for cleanliness. He had written a thesis on Doctor Ignaz Semmelweis who was among the first to stress the need for an antiseptic approach. If American medical staff were not aware, then they had not been paying attention. Another possibility is that the channel got it wrong.
I'm a Land Surveyor so if you did a video on the "Weird History" of the Mason-Dixon Line then you'd be one cool ass muja muja in my book! Ya know, because it's probably America's most famous property line & what not.
My family changed their name from Von Hoffmann to Hoffman when they came to the US from Austria. I know names were changed when people migrated to America because of what happened with my family when they came. Although I do believe that was a choice my family made rather than something that was forced upon them.
Back in 2019, my grandson and I had the opportunity to visit Ellis Island and see the buildings that the immigrants were processed in, it was mind boggling. If you ever get such a chance, please make time for a visit. We only had a few days in the city and we tried to see as much as we could but we didn’t even scrape the surface, history wise.
Teddy knows best. If he didn't made any instructions to improve hygiene and safety, then our medical protocols would have been mediocre at best and cost lives.
Not entirely true about the name changes. I have several relatives on mine and my ex-husbands family tree that came from Russia, Poland and Czeckoslovakia that had their names changed. One example: Miroslav was changed to Myron. He was my father in law.
My family's name was also changed. It was only by one letter but they still changed it. I always thought it was by mistake because both letters sound the same.
I knew my adopted great grandfather did after WW1. At that time in modern day Ukraine, his village was targeted by the Russian Tsar and his family where he brought people over as a sponsor later on also helped all his siblings to get into The United States, he was 82 when he passed from a fatal stroke in 1971.
My great grandmother and her family were travelling to the USA in the beginning of XX century. They didn't know English but they stayed for a while there. In my opinion the conditions in this hospital were quite high related to period. :)
My great grandfather died in this hospital. He arrived with tuberculosis and died there and buried in an unmarked grave. The rest of the family was allowed in though. Imagine leaving your father or married partner while being allowed in the country. My great grandmother never recovered from her loss.
Both of my great grandparents came here from Ireland in the early 1900s through Ellis Island. I just found out recently that my mom and her cousins had their names added to the plaque of immigrants there as a present for their parents. So my great grandparents’ names are at Ellis Island.
My great grandmother's parents went thru Ellis Island in 1899 and 1901. Her mother was a stow away and detained for a few days, then released. Then my great grandfather in 1911. They were Italian immigrants from Venafro and Luzzano. The rest of my family have been in the US since the 1600s and 1700s.
If all that is presented here is true, I am much more impressed with the Ellis Island experience. Before now it sounded so cruel and indiscriminate but now it doesn't appear quite so mean to me. My maternal grandmother and grandfather both came through Ellis Island. I regret not being mature enough to ask them everything before they passed. It is at least good that their health and other things were far more considerate, although tough, than I thought. Thank you very much for this video.
Stories like those amaze me. I can't express how much I admire and respect the bravery. These days, we can't get one state over without extensive googling and GPS.
My great grandparents also came from Italy, and spoke little to no English. My great grandfather was a landscaper for a wealthy businessman and he learned English quickly. My grandmother was the first child born in America (she was one of 8) and she grew up speaking little to no Italian. Its crazy how quickly people adapted to American lifestyles (whether by choice or because it was safer to "fit in".)
My grandmother, Sasha Best came through about 1912. I have researched her entry with no luck. They could have written Besh, which is how it is pronounced, but still have not found her on the lists.
Woah, woah ... I can't let this go without saying something. "Ellis Island Changing Names is a Myth" ... FALSE. My legal Last Name is "Steinberg" ... but that is not my ACTUAL family name. When my great grandparents came to America, it was 'Stenborg-Isacson' ... but immigration decided that was not a "Real Name" ... so it was changed to "Steinberg" instead, since that name was more familiar sounding. That is my family's Truth ... Not a "Myth".
They were probably just happy to be in America and not that bothered by the name change unlike nowadays where everyone is offended by everything and everyone.
Yeah I don't know how they messed up their research that badly for that. When my great great grandfather came to america it changed our last name slightly. Removing the ä and replacing it with an ae. Even today my brother does taxes for immigrants and names have to be changed sometimes because not every country uses only 3 names, or an English alphabet.
My great-grandfather's family were O'Malley but when they heard it was hard for Irish to get work in the states they dropped the "O" and told them they were English, which they beloved because they had left from a British-controlled port. It was a voluntary change but still not just a myth.
Actually the changing of names did happen to a small number of immigrants. I had a friend in highschool who's family came thru Ellis island before WW2 broke out when Hitler was invading Poland. His grandfather's last name was changed by a person on Ellis island. He said it was only changed cause the person couldn't understand him thru his polish accent. It was basically spelled with an ES now instead of ei or something. The family still pronounces it with polish way but they spell it now the butchered way.
No, they actually did change names at Ellis Island! My family's name was changed. I have seen both the birth certificate's of Grandfather and Granduncle that they brought from their homeland, the ship manifest records, and what Ellis Island had placed on their records because simply "they couldn't pronounce it so they spelled it to as close as to what it sounded like in American English. So Yes, they did change names. Mostly for speed and government worker laziness.
Name changes did occur, which is is where the myth originated from, but they weren't changed at Ellis Island. They didn't even write down names there; they just verified the details listed on the ship's manifest. Name changes, assuming they weren't a mistake, were usually done by the immigrants themselves before they left, often to make it easier to spell or because they were concerned about discrimination due to their "ethnic-sounding" names. www.nypl.org/blog/2013/07/02/name-changes-ellis-island
My family came from the Caribbean to the states in the 80s and I was the first kid to be born here. I'm glad they didn't have to go through this. Coming to America was hard/bad enough, I can't imagine how it would have been if it were any time earlier than the 80s.
Want to learn more about the history of ostomies: colostomy, ileostomy and urostomy. The evolving bags people got to wear on their body to “catch” whatever Ostomy they had. I know it didn’t start pretty… but who came up with the ostomy anyway and how and when? How were people treated in the old days? How did the material progress?
I would absolutely love a video about GE Kincaid finding supposed ancient Egyptian artifacts in the Grand Canyon and the Smithsonian supposed cover-up. It's always really interested me
My great-grandmother, grandpa, great-aunt and great-uncle came through Ellis Island from the UK in 1923. I have photos of the ship and the manifest. The other side of my family came long before Ellis and helped settle Staten Island.
My paternal grandparents came through Ellis Island at the beginning of the 20th century when they immigrated from Sweden. My maternal great-grandparents came to the United States in the mid-1800s because of the potato famine in Ireland
My Great Great Grandpa came from Norway to Ellis Island. His name actually was changed by officials, from Ole Jurgen Stainson to George Stevenson, my Grandma heard it straight from his mouth.
The ship at 9:45 is a former Chesapeake Bay excursion vessel which ended up as the EXODUS ship in 1947 (see the sign). As I recall, there is quite a convoluted story from the Chesapeake Bay to Israel. For any history buffs who may be interested in this little tidbit.
Most of my family arrived through Ellis Island. My maternal grandfather and my maternal great grandmother (not mother and son) both came through. My father’s side of the family have been here since we swindled Manhattan from the natives. So proud
You asked for questions. Here's one. What were the different classes served, food wise and drink, aboard the great ship? Was it different from other ships at the time? Thank you for your informative programs.
It happened, it's just that it was more voluntary then forced and the main cases where it was forced when the name wasnt written in the english version of the latin script (such as foreign alphabets or letters like ö). My paternal grandmother's family were asked what their last name was and when they gave a long Norwegian name (it sounded like Lindysfarne but I dont know how it was spelled) my grandmas dad said "how about Linny?"
It did happen but I think it was more about illiteracy. Our last name is of Polish ancestry. Was definitely changed to an Americanized spelling, as the great grandparents were illiterate. Lacoskie is our spelling now. This is definitely not a Polish spelling. So no, perhaps the name change was not deliberate, however, in order to help illiterate immigrants, changes were definitely made.
My Mother’s entire family came through Ellis Island at one point or another. The only Person gained that I know of was my grandmother, who had Scarlet Fever. She stayed in one the infirmaries until she was well. She was about 4 years old or so. She told me, much later as an adult, that the only really bad thing about it was being separated from family members scared her.
Weird History should do a video on the ship shown at 9:45! The story behind that ship is pretty wild! If you're interested you can look up SS Exodus or Exodus 1947. But I think it would make a very interesting Weird History video!
This makes me wonder how did bimaristan, the medieval Islamic hospitals, work and function? Do they function similarly or differently? So if this channel's team have time, may you guys provide us the answer for this question, please?
My own Maternal Family name was changed at Ellis Island in the 1890s. "Too many Carlsons" they were told. "Your name is now L-E-A-F" They were Swedes for heaven sakes! They didn't speak English in the home, until the youngest of 7 started school & the Teacher knocked on the door telling them "Little Violet is having a hard time wanting to learn English in class. It's about time all of you use English, all the time."
He is actually in accurate regaurding the name changing once a person entered Ellis island. My ex husbands great grandmother and her husband entered into ellis island from italy in 1920 and their last name was Espenllolata and because the person checking them in had complications pronouncing their name, they literally were given a list of names to choose from to enter america. And it was changed to Rivers. Alot of the immigrants last names tended to favor indigenous peoples sir names or names in general.
I had four sets of great grandparents who immigrated here in the 1880-1890s. I don't think any of them came thru Ellis island....maybe it was closed by then.
I know for sure that my Grandfather came here as Sophocles Demetroules and since the person checking him in could not speak Greek and he could not speak their language or English they recorded him into Ellis Island as Frank Davis and we have family paper work to prove it. It is not a myth.
In Melbourne, Australia, when you went through immigration they actually DID change your name. Its mind blowing and I don’t understand why. Maybe Australians were more racist than Americans in the 50s and 60s
Names were changed due to the people processing them not being able to pronounce them. It had nothing to do with racism. If that was the case they wouldn't let them in to begin with. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
My grandmother told me she was held at Ellis island Hospital for a month because of her lazy eye. My grandmother was 5 years old the year was 1921. Wow, that was 100 years ago. I just realized.
You should do a story on Angel Island. It was known as Ellis Island of the west and sits in the San Francisco Bay. Most folks don't know about it because of always being in the shadow of Ellis Island.
Thanks for all you do here.
Agreed!!
The west coast also used quarantine ships like big cities on the east coast. I forget the name but there were also similar islands to angel island or Ellis island in the Puget sound.
And on that side of the country you would have had a lot of people coming in from Asia. I can imagine the treatment of those immigrants was probably worse...
Yes, Angel Island is often forgotten. Immigrants coming from Latin America and Asia mostly came through Angel Island. I sometimes hear people say "send those foreigners home", but what they don't realize is most of oir ancestors came here with a dream in mind.
I’ve been to Angel Island
My grandfather came over from France as an infant. He was later sold the a Scottish family because his parents had such a hard time keeping work. He went on to be an officers cook in the army during WWII, bought a huge corn farm where he and my gram raised 3 children, 1 of those was adopted, and he was a mechanical engineer helping to build 3 Mile Island and the St Laurence Seaway.
I hope you do a video on what life was like on the transports and for those quarentined on Ellis; what they ate too 😀
My Great Grandfather was part of that 2% rejected because an ear infection he caught in the ship. He was send alone to Argentina, he was only 16. In a positive note I'm alive thanks to that ear infection :)
How?
Bob HOPE and his family came from England and he didn't want to have a shot and he went nuts
Bob HOPE and his family came from England and he didn't want to have a shot and he went nuts
Every time I listen to your vids I feel like I'm listening to a history channel doc, I love your narration 😁
Ikr
Better than the "history" channel now. Aliens, Pawn Stars, Swamps, Hitlers secret sex life. Load of rubbish! Weird History is on point.
Who is this mystery man?!??
Think that’s the point
@@yee3771 That’s what I want to know lol
My grandmother (we called her Nonni) was sent through Ellis Island from Italy in 1914 after becoming an orphan through horrific circumstances, witnessing the murders of her parents in Sicily. She was sent to live in the US with extended family who she’d never met, just a month after her parents were buried. She was only 8 years old. The nuns took the risk that she would be allowed to enter since she had relatives already in the US. Otherwise her prospects for survival in Sicily were grim at best. Unfortunately her US (distant) family sponsors didn’t have proof of financial resources showing their ability to support her as guardians. As a result she was held for 3 weeks while the family got things together with help from the local parish priest.
Most Americans don’t realize that many thousands of unaccompanied children came through Ellis Island. Some were sponsored by US family members, some by charities but many were stowaways-usually orphans-searching for a better life. I can’t imagine how terrifying it was for a little girl who just watched the brutal murders of her parents, being forced to leave her younger sisters behind then placed on a ship bound for an unknown place, alone, to live with total strangers, but only after and if she passed an inspection given by people she couldn’t understand and who couldn’t understand her either (she only knew how to say a few words the nuns taught her). My Nonni was incredibly strong, brave and resilient. She learned English while working as a school janitor and eventually became a teacher herself. She had married my grandfather in 1921 when she was only 15 and went on to have 9 children (2 of whom died in childhood), before being widowed at 38 while still raising her youngest kids at home. All of her kids went on to college and became contributing members of the community, with all 5 sons serving in the military. Her family eventually grew to include 21 grandchildren and 46 great grandchildren, whose included educators, doctors, musicians, therapists, business owners, lawyers, construction contractors, scientists, artists, producers, architects, government officials, nurses, mathematicians, pilots, bankers, accountants and engineers. My Nonni came from nothing, was sent to the US with less than nothing and lived with distant relatives who didn’t want her since she was another mouth to feed and they could barely feed themselves. She was successful because of hard work, dedication and sheer determination to make a better life for herself. And for every story like hers there are literally thousands more-of children who arrived without permission and weren’t immediately turned away but rather were held until they located family or a charity groups or even private citizens offered to adopt or place them in a private group home.
In 1988 I was given a in-depth tour of Ellis Island in order to document the Coast Guard's use of the island as a training facility during World War II.There were a couple of rooms where the walls had the different signal flags painted on them so the Coast Guardsmen could learn how to read them. What I found amazing was that there were still large areas filled with personal possessions of immigrants that were never claimed - including player pianos. The other interesting part of my tour was seeing the medical wings which included autopsy theaters where doctors from New York would come over and watch the autopsies.
I remember visiting Ellis island when I was on a field trip back in the 3rd grade! Not all of the island was accessible and some of the exhibits were closed but it was still an exciting visit. I think one of the custodial workers there was giving my class a short lecture about some of the exhibits we couldn’t see that day and shared some of the more interesting places to see while we were there.
Make a video about Transylvanian history and culture and Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.
Dracula was based on Vlad the impaler
We needed it like yesterday.
Oh yesssss
Omg yes
Great suggestion
Grandparents came through Ellis Island. It was a HUGE process.
My Great Grandparents came through Ellis Island in 1913 so I found this really interesting. I have also been to Ellis Island and looked up their immigration details in the records department. I would recommend anyone who is interested in their family history visit Ellis Island if you ever find yourself in NewYork. Thank you Weird History.
My great grandma, Eva came through there. They were all so brave and strong.
where did she immigrate from?
Grandfather, Great grandmother, and Great Uncle immigrated together from England after WWII and they went through Ellis Island. I can't imagine how big the crowds were.
names WERE indeed changed! my oldest 2 children's ancestors were changed from Probst to Brobst. 2 brothers from germany by the name of Probst came to Ellis. the clerk misspelled it, changing it to Brobst. every brobst comes from those 2 brothers.
Yes but they didnt completely switch the names, like snijder to green, simple mistake, they arent in control of the names, and they couldve told him how to spell it
My grandfather was an immigrant. His name got changed by the US Army. Apparently, someone couldn't pronounce Ewalt Malinowski, so it got changed to the name of his brother-in-law. Paul Herman.
Thànk you! Wànted 2 comment but honestly "chickened out". Of obvious Hellenic decent, the names of my forefathers were not "changed" Chatzipapadimitrakopoulos is definitely a mouthful even 2day. So there are plenty of Chatzis, papas, poulos and best case scenario Dimitrakopoulos😂
Can confirm. My great grandparents moved from Russia to Canada to America. In Russia, their name was Dobrodub, in Canada it was changed to Dobrovitch, and in America it was changed to Dubrove.
I also have a friend who doesn't know his great grandfather's original name because it was changed to Brayman. The guy at immigration misunderstood him and wrote down the city he sailed from (Bremen) as his name.
Name changes absolutely happened. In many cases it was due to misunderstandings, but I'm convinced that in other cases it was a deliberate attempt to "Americanize" the new arrivals. I'm sure this is an honest mistake on Weird History's part, but I feel that it needs to be corrected.
I agree! The names were changed when they got here, many times unfortunately
One big myth is the Titanic was supposed to come to Ellis Island, when it was actually supposed to go to Pier 59 in New York!
What a pleasure it is to listen to you,, sir.. Giving us a wide range subjects. I find them interesting. Very entertaining. You have yet to bored the hell out of me.
Man, this is something else. It's hardly ever talked about. Though millions of immigrants passed through Ellis Island, little is known about the health of their wellbeing and such.
That's weird. We were taught about it in most history classes when I was a kid starting in middle school in washington. It was even specifically mentioned in our state history class since that involved the settlers moving her in the 1800s and they mentioned similar west coast island processing centers and quarantine ports
Even back then there was a process.
They needed money and a place to stay before they could even come over.
They stayed with friends and family.
They went out IMMEDIATELY searching for work.
Now they get cell phones and fancy airplane flights and fancy hotels and TONS of fancy food that "don't like" which goes to waste every single day.
Now we let them in no matter what.
Back then at least we checked for criminal history and diseases.
Now we let in whoever whenever however.
To the tune of 11 Million Illegal Immigrants that we pay for and do not work. Even a modest estimate would say that 35% of them are criminals.
But nah... let's use the excuse that "mUh, bAcK tHeN wE lEt eVerYoNe iN!"
Which never was the truth to begin with.
My grandpa came over by a boat at the young age of 14! He was from England. This was in the late 1890s early 1900s
Thanks weird history for teaching us things that are rarely taught in class and available in some history books. Great content
This is so amazing. You guys impress me more and more with each video that you upload. I work in the medical field so this is especially interesting to me. I would love to hear more about the history of substance abuse treatment and especially drug abuse during the wars. Like the soldiers that came home with opiate addictions during Vietnam or the use of amphetamines during World War II.
You ALWAYS make history so interesting
I never knew that any particular health measure were taken at Ellis Island.. I LOVE this channel! Even with topics I am well-educated on I ALWAYS learn something new!!!
A history of Wallachia would be awesome!
my nana josephine went through this. it’s so interesting. thank you for making this!
Officials at the Ellis Island facility did INDEED change last names they could not pronounce. My great grandpa arrived at Ellis Island from Sicily and his last name was "Gioia", they ended up changing it to Joyere...
Actually, a friend of mine who's Grandmother came through Ellis Island from Sicily had her last name recorded as Palermo the city/region from were she came. The family still use's Palermo as their surname.
Same for my Italian side. They definitely changed names.
My father's parents (and older brother) arrived at Ellis Island around 1895. Apparently, they made it through because I never heard anything to the contrary. My grandmother never really learned how to speak English, but my grandfather, I'm told, knew English and about 9 other languages and could probably answer questions or translate things for her. BTW, I have an idea of how it feels to go to a foreign country with little to know knowledge of the language. I went to Israel in 1969 not yet able to speak Hebrew. Fortunately, many people spoke English and I had books with me (not like today with translating apps on your phone). Believe me, I learned that language quickly.
My maternal great grandparents went through Ellis Island in the early 1900s. It was a very moving experience to find the records of their arrival from the digitized records that I got copies of. I don't know if any of us could go through the trials ,tribulations and anxiety they went through not sure they would even be allowed to pass through to the mainland. Thank goodness the majority of them were able to pass and what a relief it wads when it was over.
My grandpa and his brother came over through Ellis Island in the 30’s. Their name is on the circular wall, I got to see it last summer. Ellis island is a must if you visit New York City
My mother's parents came through the Island (but not at the same time). My grandmother had to have someone sponser her (her sister was living here by then) Her sister got sick during grandma's voyage and wasn't able to pick her up, so grandma was put into the hospital for a few days before they threatened to send her back. Fortunetally my aunt got better intime to pick her up, but even she had to be checked out to make sure she was healthy enough. BTW my grandmother was 13 when she came here. (Ireland).
my Great Grandfather was rejected. he was only 16. the rest of his family stayed in USA and they send him to Argentina
My grandma was as well, back in the 1910’s. She had to be sponsored, she came over without her parents she was just a young teenager. I can’t imagine how brave all of these people were. My grandfather also came over as a teen and immediately went into the Army for WWI when he turned 18
My immigrant Norwegian grandfather was one of the doctors examining those coming through Ellis.
The French writer Céline wrote a great book, "Journey to the End of the Night". He went through Ellis Island 20's, and as a doctor he was recruited to work there. He has one or two chapters about his experience. It is quite an insight. Céline was aware of the need for cleanliness. He had written a thesis on Doctor Ignaz Semmelweis who was among the first to stress the need for an antiseptic approach. If American medical staff were not aware, then they had not been paying attention. Another possibility is that the channel got it wrong.
I'm a Land Surveyor so if you did a video on the "Weird History" of the Mason-Dixon Line then you'd be one cool ass muja muja in my book! Ya know, because it's probably America's most famous property line & what not.
yeah!!!!
My paternal great-great grandparents emigrated from Germany sometime in the early 1900's, and so likely passed through Ellis Island.
My great great grandpa immigrated from Sweden and pass through Ellis Island on his way to Minnestoa
My family changed their name from Von Hoffmann to Hoffman when they came to the US from Austria. I know names were changed when people migrated to America because of what happened with my family when they came. Although I do believe that was a choice my family made rather than something that was forced upon them.
Back in 2019, my grandson and I had the opportunity to visit Ellis Island and see the buildings that the immigrants were processed in, it was mind boggling. If you ever get such a chance, please make time for a visit. We only had a few days in the city and we tried to see as much as we could but we didn’t even scrape the surface, history wise.
My grandparents came through Ellis Island from Italy
Hygiene there in those days was exactly like it is in either Arkansas or Maine today !
One of my either 3 or 4x great grandmother came through. She changed her name and age to get away from the Irish Potato Famine.
Low lie the field of athenry 🎵❤🇮🇪
This is a damn good episode, Weird History! 😎😎
Thanks for this! 🛁
Teddy knows best. If he didn't made any instructions to improve hygiene and safety, then our medical protocols would have been mediocre at best and cost lives.
Not entirely true about the name changes. I have several relatives on mine and my ex-husbands family tree that came from Russia, Poland and Czeckoslovakia that had their names changed. One example: Miroslav was changed to Myron. He was my father in law.
When I was in school in NYC a classmate from the West Indies told me her Grandparents surname was changed at Ellis Island.
My family's name was also changed. It was only by one letter but they still changed it. I always thought it was by mistake because both letters sound the same.
WHAT IS THE CHECH REPUBLIC OF CHINA??????
My mother was a WW 2 war bride. That's all I know. Now everyone is gone, there's no one to ask.
I hope you can find a way to get information. I'm sure there is a lot to learn from your mom's story. Wishing you luck with this!
I knew my adopted great grandfather did after WW1. At that time in modern day Ukraine, his village was targeted by the Russian Tsar and his family where he brought people over as a sponsor later on also helped all his siblings to get into The United States, he was 82 when he passed from a fatal stroke in 1971.
My great grandmother and her family were travelling to the USA in the beginning of XX century. They didn't know English but they stayed for a while there. In my opinion the conditions in this hospital were quite high related to period. :)
My great grandfather died in this hospital. He arrived with tuberculosis and died there and buried in an unmarked grave. The rest of the family was allowed in though. Imagine leaving your father or married partner while being allowed in the country. My great grandmother never recovered from her loss.
A lot of the people in this country are descendants of pain. I hope we all move forward with this in mind and love each other more.
Both of my great grandparents came here from Ireland in the early 1900s through Ellis Island. I just found out recently that my mom and her cousins had their names added to the plaque of immigrants there as a present for their parents. So my great grandparents’ names are at Ellis Island.
Mine too. I have a etching of it from when I’ve been there. Very cool
those gloveless doctors touched peoples eyes? that's like the number one way to get sick
@Echo Echo Are you insinuating immigrants no longer have to go through medical checks? If so, why do you think this?
@Echo Echo You didn't answer my question.
They didn't care
@Echo Echo You really think immigrants don't have health inspections anymore?
My great grandmother's parents went thru Ellis Island in 1899 and 1901. Her mother was a stow away and detained for a few days, then released. Then my great grandfather in 1911. They were Italian immigrants from Venafro and Luzzano. The rest of my family have been in the US since the 1600s and 1700s.
Thank you for this video ! 😊🌹
If all that is presented here is true, I am much more impressed with the Ellis Island experience. Before now it sounded so cruel and indiscriminate but now it doesn't appear quite so mean to me. My maternal grandmother and grandfather both came through Ellis Island. I regret not being mature enough to ask them everything before they passed. It is at least good that their health and other things were far more considerate, although tough, than I thought. Thank you very much for this video.
I don't know how my dad's parents got through, as they spoke no English. They wouldn't let my dad or his siblings speak Italian once they were born.
i get it but that's so sad 😭 bless them
Stories like those amaze me. I can't express how much I admire and respect the bravery. These days, we can't get one state over without extensive googling and GPS.
My great grandparents also came from Italy, and spoke little to no English. My great grandfather was a landscaper for a wealthy businessman and he learned English quickly. My grandmother was the first child born in America (she was one of 8) and she grew up speaking little to no Italian. Its crazy how quickly people adapted to American lifestyles (whether by choice or because it was safer to "fit in".)
My great great grandparents came from Europe on the same ship, but they didn't know each other then. They met some years later in Chicago.
My grandparents were born in Italy 🇮🇹 my father is first generation born in America in 1948
My great grandparents came through here from Italy and Sicily ❤️
My grandmother, Sasha Best came through about 1912. I have researched her entry with no luck. They could have written Besh, which is how it is pronounced, but still have not found her on the lists.
Woah, woah ... I can't let this go without saying something.
"Ellis Island Changing Names is a Myth" ... FALSE.
My legal Last Name is "Steinberg" ... but that is not my ACTUAL family name. When my great grandparents came to America, it was 'Stenborg-Isacson' ... but immigration decided that was not a "Real Name" ... so it was changed to "Steinberg" instead, since that name was more familiar sounding.
That is my family's Truth ... Not a "Myth".
They were probably just happy to be in America and not that bothered by the name change unlike nowadays where everyone is offended by everything and everyone.
Yeah I don't know how they messed up their research that badly for that. When my great great grandfather came to america it changed our last name slightly. Removing the ä and replacing it with an ae. Even today my brother does taxes for immigrants and names have to be changed sometimes because not every country uses only 3 names, or an English alphabet.
Ours was changed too. They took some letters out
My great grandfather had his last name changed phonetically. They just spelled it the way it sounded.
My great-grandfather's family were O'Malley but when they heard it was hard for Irish to get work in the states they dropped the "O" and told them they were English, which they beloved because they had left from a British-controlled port. It was a voluntary change but still not just a myth.
Actually the changing of names did happen to a small number of immigrants. I had a friend in highschool who's family came thru Ellis island before WW2 broke out when Hitler was invading Poland. His grandfather's last name was changed by a person on Ellis island. He said it was only changed cause the person couldn't understand him thru his polish accent. It was basically spelled with an ES now instead of ei or something. The family still pronounces it with polish way but they spell it now the butchered way.
I heard that too..
What is the family name I bet I couldn't pronounce it
No, they actually did change names at Ellis Island! My family's name was changed. I have seen both the birth certificate's of Grandfather and Granduncle that they brought from their homeland, the ship manifest records, and what Ellis Island had placed on their records because simply "they couldn't pronounce it so they spelled it to as close as to what it sounded like in American English. So Yes, they did change names. Mostly for speed and government worker laziness.
Agreed. My great-grandparents came over from Italy and had their name changed.
Mine as well from norway. Its ANDRESEN and was changed to ANDERSON.
My Italian great grandparents went through Ellis island and settled in PA, and my German great grandma went through Ellis to New Jersey. ❤️
some of my family came through ellis island,
and they DID change our name, to the name
of the town we were coming from in norway.
Our name was changed too I have proof lol
Name changes did occur, which is is where the myth originated from, but they weren't changed at Ellis Island. They didn't even write down names there; they just verified the details listed on the ship's manifest. Name changes, assuming they weren't a mistake, were usually done by the immigrants themselves before they left, often to make it easier to spell or because they were concerned about discrimination due to their "ethnic-sounding" names.
www.nypl.org/blog/2013/07/02/name-changes-ellis-island
@@raze3297 Thank you!
How did they catch any illnesses with only 25 doctors working at most? Can you imagine if they used this process today?
My family came from the Caribbean to the states in the 80s and I was the first kid to be born here. I'm glad they didn't have to go through this. Coming to America was hard/bad enough, I can't imagine how it would have been if it were any time earlier than the 80s.
Want to learn more about the history of ostomies: colostomy, ileostomy and urostomy. The evolving bags people got to wear on their body to “catch” whatever Ostomy they had. I know it didn’t start pretty… but who came up with the ostomy anyway and how and when? How were people treated in the old days? How did the material progress?
I would absolutely love a video about GE Kincaid finding supposed ancient Egyptian artifacts in the Grand Canyon and the Smithsonian supposed cover-up. It's always really interested me
Awesome video as always
My grandpa Joe came in the early 1900’s and a young boy. Somehow, the family name got changed from Sharpless to Sharples.
And I though migrating my account from Google + was a hassle...
Thanks for sharing😊
Yes I had family that went through Ellis Island..from Ireland and East Europe.
My great-grandmother, grandpa, great-aunt and great-uncle came through Ellis Island from the UK in 1923. I have photos of the ship and the manifest. The other side of my family came long before Ellis and helped settle Staten Island.
My paternal grandparents came through Ellis Island at the beginning of the 20th century when they immigrated from Sweden. My maternal great-grandparents came to the United States in the mid-1800s because of the potato famine in Ireland
My Great Great Grandpa came from Norway to Ellis Island. His name actually was changed by officials, from Ole Jurgen Stainson to George Stevenson, my Grandma heard it straight from his mouth.
I love this channel.
I would love to hear more about life/hygiene/other conditions on those steamships!
The ship at 9:45 is a former Chesapeake Bay excursion vessel which ended up as the EXODUS ship in 1947 (see the sign). As I recall, there is quite a convoluted story from the Chesapeake Bay to Israel. For any history buffs who may be interested in this little tidbit.
Most of my family arrived through Ellis Island. My maternal grandfather and my maternal great grandmother (not mother and son) both came through. My father’s side of the family have been here since we swindled Manhattan from the natives. So proud
You asked for questions. Here's one. What were the different classes served, food wise and drink, aboard the great ship? Was it different from other ships at the time? Thank you for your informative programs.
Weird history is always in search of the strange mystery.
It’s kind of weird how the myth of name changes at Ellis Island is more prevalent than the truth.
Because it still did happen to some people.
It happened, it's just that it was more voluntary then forced and the main cases where it was forced when the name wasnt written in the english version of the latin script (such as foreign alphabets or letters like ö). My paternal grandmother's family were asked what their last name was and when they gave a long Norwegian name (it sounded like Lindysfarne but I dont know how it was spelled) my grandmas dad said "how about Linny?"
It did happen but I think it was more about illiteracy. Our last name is of Polish ancestry. Was definitely changed to an Americanized spelling, as the great grandparents were illiterate. Lacoskie is our spelling now. This is definitely not a Polish spelling. So no, perhaps the name change was not deliberate, however, in order to help illiterate immigrants, changes were definitely made.
My Mother’s entire family came through Ellis Island at one point or another. The only Person gained that I know of was my grandmother, who had Scarlet Fever. She stayed in one the infirmaries until she was well. She was about 4 years old or so. She told me, much later as an adult, that the only really bad thing about it was being separated from family members scared her.
Weird History should do a video on the ship shown at 9:45! The story behind that ship is pretty wild! If you're interested you can look up SS Exodus or Exodus 1947. But I think it would make a very interesting Weird History video!
My relatives did go thru Ellis Island and their names were changed in several instances.
No matter how bad it might have been on Ellis Island, it was infinitely better than it was in the country they left.
My great grandparents did! Though they went back to Ireland and here I am!
This makes me wonder how did bimaristan, the medieval Islamic hospitals, work and function? Do they function similarly or differently? So if this channel's team have time, may you guys provide us the answer for this question, please?
Thanks you .great history Channel
My own Maternal Family name was changed at Ellis Island in the 1890s.
"Too many Carlsons" they were told. "Your name is now L-E-A-F" They were Swedes for heaven sakes!
They didn't speak English in the home, until the youngest of 7 started school & the Teacher knocked on the door telling them "Little Violet is having a hard time wanting to learn English in class. It's about time all of you use English, all the time."
My grandmother(father side) went through Ellis Island from ireland during 1900's. Very interesting when i found her name in records.
He is actually in accurate regaurding the name changing once a person entered Ellis island. My ex husbands great grandmother and her husband entered into ellis island from italy in 1920 and their last name was Espenllolata and because the person checking them in had complications pronouncing their name, they literally were given a list of names to choose from to enter america. And it was changed to Rivers. Alot of the immigrants last names tended to favor indigenous peoples sir names or names in general.
Can you please make a video on what the health was like on the Titanic thank you
A lot of "Sea Sickness" was there for sure.
Perfect segway into a video of hygiene of early 1900's food production. UA-cam version of "The Jungle" !!!
Does weird history have a video on the Bermuda Triangle 🤔
Next chapter: Angel Island, the Ellis Island of the west?
I had four sets of great grandparents who immigrated here in the 1880-1890s. I don't think any of them came thru Ellis island....maybe it was closed by then.
Still trying to find my ancestors first & last names. Any videos on that?
I know for sure that my Grandfather came here as Sophocles Demetroules and since the person checking him in could not speak Greek and he could not speak their language or English they recorded him into Ellis Island as Frank Davis and we have family paper work to prove it. It is not a myth.
In Melbourne, Australia, when you went through immigration they actually DID change your name. Its mind blowing and I don’t understand why. Maybe Australians were more racist than Americans in the 50s and 60s
Unfortunately this is one thing they got wrong. They absolutely changed people's names.
Names were changed due to the people processing them not being able to pronounce them. It had nothing to do with racism. If that was the case they wouldn't let them in to begin with.
🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
I got a fantastic ad placement at 05:40: “…they had to endure quarantine without the benefit of… VAGINAL CREAM! NOT A TABOO ANYMORE!”
Wtf I’m dying 😂🤣
My grandmother told me she was held at Ellis island Hospital for a month because of her lazy eye. My grandmother was 5 years old the year was 1921. Wow, that was 100 years ago. I just realized.
I want to about each vaccine and how people react to them