I have always been so interested and fascinated by Ellis Island and the amount of people from all over the world who took the risk to voyage over to America for a better life. The trip was not a smooth, peaceful ride over, though. The ships were dirty and crowded which made the spread of diseases very easy.

Lawrence Meinwald recalled his journey from Poland as a five year old little boy. He explained the harsh conditions his family endured. They slept in steerage and were often starving. Lawrence and his father would sneak up to where the first class passengers would stay and found garbages in the corner where they would sneak over to and steal the leftover food they disposed of.

The doctors at Ellis Island came up with a system called the six second physical, which was used to identify immigrants who needed medical attention. Doctors would look for any signs of illness or diseases and also if they had trouble walking or shortness of breath.

If someone was considered a risk to the public, the doctors would mark their clothes with a piece of chalk. Below is a list of things immigrants could be marked with. For example, an X meant mental defects, a H meant heart and an Sc meant scalp. These immigrants who were marked were taken out of line and were looked at for further examination.

These people did not have it easy, and it is really interesting to read all of these immigrants’ stories and hear their audios about the journey and risk they took just to make a better life for their families and future family members. As a granddaughter of Irish immigrants, it is really quite amazing to know my family came to Ellis Island to start a new life.

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