One hundred years in America...
Back in 1906 Ferencz Ujlaki set off for America in search of a better life for himself and his young expectant wife, Ilona. I've often wondered what he might have taken with him, what his journey was like, and how his new world might have looked to him upon arrival.
Now, thanks to YouTube, I have a glimpse into what he might have seen on the happy day that his ship arrived at Ellis Island.
The video above (which has no sound), depicts (according to its description at YouTube) "scenes at the Immigration Depot and a nearby dock on Ellis Island. Appears to show, first, a group of immigrants lined up to board a vessel leaving the island, then another group arriving at the island and being directed off of the dock and into the Depot by a uniformed official."
The video was filmed in the very same year that Ferencz Ujlaki arrived: 1906. What an amazing window into the world of my great-grandfather, the new immigrant arriving in New York more than one-hundred years ago.
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