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BY DAVE IRWIN
I had tried for years to locate the ship passenger record of my great grandfather Irwin who had left Ireland for America in 1882. This quest remained only a dream, one of those genealogy mysteries that seemingly could never be solved. I had researched every genealogy site that offered ship passenger records to no avail and my frustration was beginning to grow with each dollar I spent on the numerous paid site services.
Many of you are probably well aware of all the press coverage of Ellis Island and the numerous immigrants who first came to America through this port of disembarkation. Ellis Island first opened in 1892 which was ten years after my great grandfather first stepped foot in America. What was his story and the port on which he landed and disembarked? The press in America seem to have forgotten about Castle Garden which first started out as a fort, then a concert hall and finally the reception center for immigrants from 1856 until Ellis Island opened in 1892. It was the main port of disembarkation for the bulk of America's Irish immigrants including my great grandfather.
Lucky for me and millions of others whose ancestors arrived prior to 1892 there is now a free site dedicated to those immigrants who first arrived in America via Castle Garden. Genealogists and others can now locate their ancestor's records at http://www.CastleGarden.org/
Not only was I able to locate my great grandfather's date of arrival which was 6 April 1882 but I was also able to locate the name of the ship which was the Parthia. In short order I was holding a piece of history in my hands as another one of my genealogy mysteries was solved.
For more useful information in solving your genealogy mysteries go to http://www.yourancestralfamily.com/.
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