Researching Your Family Tree Online - Moving Past Beginner Basics

Knowledge of the basic types of genealogical records and the years and locations for which they are available, are very important in genealogy research. Taking the time to research census records prior to immigration records would have told the author that her husband's great-grandfather immigrated to the U.S. about 1885. A basic search for information about Ellis Island would have made it obvious that is wasn't the right port of entry. Ellis Island didn't even open as an immigration station until 1892. Martin Jewel and his parents could, however, have immigrated through Castle Garden which served New York City during those years, as well as Boston, Philadelphia or even Baltimore.

Since we have the year of naturalization and know from census records where they were living at the time, it might make more sense in this example to look for naturalization records before trying to locate the port of immigration. Ancestry.com lists a Julius Jewel living at 271 W. 17th St., working as a tailor, who was naturalized in NY County Superior Court on January 7, 1892 - something to follow up in court records.
More: Did My Ancestor Come Through Ellis Island? | Locating U.S. Naturalization Records