When we genealogists think of immigration through New York City, which was the gateway for millions of our American ancestors, we tend to envision the huge facility Ellis Island, now a museum and research center.

But there was another such facility before Ellis Island through which millions of our ancestors passed.

That is Castle Clinton (formerly known as Castle Garden) at the foot of Lower Manhattan, near the spot where genealogists and other visitors today board the ferry for Ellis Island.

This past summer Family Tree Magazine published an article on Castle Clinton and its role in shaping America, reprinted recently in the fall edition of “The Heritage,” the newsletter of the Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society.

Restored recently as Castle Clinton National Monument, the site

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