for those who may not be aware, this is an extremely valuable site. hopefully, you will all find someone you are seeking. personally, i found the record of my wife's grandfather entering this great country. good hunting and find true joy --in your work! allen murray list administrator Dear Friend of The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation,   Thank you for visiting our website, <A HREF="http://email.ellisislandrecords.org/ellis.asp?mid=42&lid=1&id=10466891">www.ellisisland.org</A>. We hope you found the Ellis Island records database helpful in your search for an ancestor. Like millions of Americans, you can probably trace at least one ancestor who arrived in America through Ellis Island or the Port of New York.   We hope you will return to <A HREF="http://email.ellisislandrecords.org/ellis.asp?mid=42&lid=2&id=10466891">www.ellisisland.org</A> and continue your research. Here are FIVE HELPFUL HINTS to make your search easier!   1. Is your ancestor’s name spelled correctly? Can you think of alternate spellings? HELPFUL HINT: Some names may have been misspelled at the time the manifest was recorded, which always took place at the port of departure in the Old World where clerical errors may have been made. If you don’t find a match for exact spelling, our database offers alternate spellings.   2. Even if you know the person’s first name, search with just the first initial and last name, or don’t use a first name in your search at all.             HELPFUL HINT: Not only were last names changed by immigrants, often first names were anglicized from the original spelling. Irving Berlin’s name, for instance, was actually “Israel Beilin” – and you can find his original manifest in our database!   3. Most manifests are actually two pages, not one. The most important is the first page, with the passenger’s name on the far left side.             HELPFUL HINT: Sometimes the second page of the manifest turns up on your computer screen first. Make certain you are looking at the proper page. There is a button you can click (it looks like a magnifying glass) to enlarge the screen view of the manifest. When you’ve enlarged the image, scroll down the left side of the screen and look for passenger names. If you can’t find any, then you are not on the first manifest page. Here’s what you do: click where it says “Close Window,” which brings you back to the search results page (that’s the page with the magnifying glass). Right above the magnifier you will find “Previous” and “Next” buttons. Click on those to work your way backward or forward through the manifest pages. Be aware that the pages are not necessarily in order. It takes some effort, but it can be worthwhile.   4. These records are not a perfect collection.   HELPFUL HINT: Sometimes you may not find an ancestor’s name where the database says it should be on a particular page; if that is your case, try clicking the “Previous” or “Next” buttons on the search results page to expand your search. You might very well find the name on a manifest located nearby in our collection.   5. Don’t be discouraged! HELPFUL HINT: No one ever said the search for genealogy was going to be easy. Although this website is the most efficient way to find your ancestors’ arrival records to this country, it might take you a few tries to get your match. And don’t assume too much about family lore. Oftentimes, information passed down over the generations can prove unreliable. Perhaps Grandmother did not actually arrive in 1905, but another year. Or the name was spelled differently than anyone in your family can recall. Or Great-Grandad was listed as a laborer, not the lawyer he turned out to be in the New World. There are all sorts of possibilities. Be creative, and keep at it!