Happy Thanksgiving to Chuck and the list, Hope you all are watching the parade as we are. Ronald McDonald is a little slow, so thought I would comment on your comment while I watch. Yes, they were bunked in on most ships, had a crowded dining area on the same level, no privacy, and ceilings were sometimes only 6 feet high. Some ship trips divided the families: the men were in one section and women and children in another. Others had men sleep in one area, but all could eat together. The steerage passengers were down deep in the ship and were not allowed "up". When most ships landed, they would stop at NY pier (not the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island or Castle Gardens) and they would let the 1st class passengers debark. THEN they would go to Castle Garden and later - when it opened - Ellis to unload the steerage passengers. Actually, the steerage passengers were allowed quite a few pieces of luggage. My one family brought 19 pieces (so the manifest states). You probably all know that if your family landed at Ellis after 1892 when it opened, you can get a copy of the original manifest with authority paper. It can be ordered from Ellis. ($25 a sheet. One of my families was on 2 pages, so I had to pay $50.) My one grandmother arrived at 7 yrs old with her family just weeks after it opened, so I am sure it was a very nice experience. No one was allowed out of the "privacy fence" nor were the hawkers allowed in. They gave the passengers towels and soap to take showers in the large shower rooms. They did have men selling bread to the travelers. The ships would usually unload late in the day, because there was no place to sleep at Ellis. Then, they had the trains right there waiting to take the immigrants inland; when the immigrants boarded the trains, kids were sleepy and everyone slept through the night. If any of you have been on a cruise ship and were in an "inside" cabin, you know how teeny and close everything is. Bunks are narrow, aisles are narrower, and no windows. Luxury compared to what these people had. (And no one stays in their room while on a cruise ship!) Regards from Texas, USA Nellie, a 68-yr-old root digger