April 17, 1907 was a landmark day in American immigration, marking the busiest day at Ellis Island, where over 11,747 individuals were processed by immigration officials through the famed receiving station to begin their new lives in America. It was the highpoint of 1907 when 1,285,349 immigrants entered the United States, with Ellis Island processing nearly 80 percent of those new arrivals. The country would not welcome as many immigrants again until 1990. In the century that has passed, that single day marks the culmination of a peak period for immigrant arrivals through the "Golden Door" to America.

10 Tips for Searching the Free Ellis Island Database - A free database of passenger manifests for ships arriving at Ellis Island, NY

Passenger Lists 101 - You can learn a lot from passenger lists, and millions of them can be searched and viewed online.

Castle Garden Immigration Center - Not all immigrants who arrived in New York came through Ellis Island!