Ellis
Island takes its name from Samuel
Ellis, a Welsh immigrant who owned
the island during the late 1700s and
kept a tavern, serving sailors and
local fishermen. The federal immigration
station opened on January 1, 1892
and was closed in November 1954 but
not before processing more than 12
million immigrants. For more than
40 years prior to this over 8 million
immigrants were processed locally
by New York State officials at Castle
Garden Immigration Depot in Manhattan.
At Ellis Island, only about 2 percent
were denied admission to the U.S.
and sent back to their countries of
origin for reasons such as chronic
disease, criminal background, or insanity.
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