|
“Identification with our nation’s
history will foster assimilation and participation in common goals that promote good citizenship and civic involvement”
This
is a genealogical website for the Pilipinos, who came to the United States through the Ellis Island in New York.
The
inspiration for this website came from an article of Ms. Cristina DC Pastor that was published in the Philippine News
on December 8, 2004 titled:
Wanted: A Filipino 'processed' at the Ellis Island
The
article asked this-
That
of more than twelve million immigrants who had entered the United States
through Ellis Island-
not one was a Filipino?
The
article, also quoted Dr. Janet Levine of the Ellis Island Oral History Project, that Filipinos may not figure prominently
in the wave of immigrants that swarmed Ellis Island from the late 1800s to the 1950s and that the explanation for this,
has to do with geography. Filipinos from an Asian country located in the Orient would understandably enter the United States from a West Coast port like Hawaii and
that the first batch of immigrants from the Philippines landed in Hawaii in 1906 to work in agricultural lands.
But,
then we, the Pilipinos ask you these-
Had
geography deterred Spain in the 1500's to man her galleon ships
that plied from Manila to Acapulco for two hundred fifty years
with able-bodied seafaring Indios from the Philippines?
Had geography
deterred Pilipinos and other people from Asia in sailing to the western, eastern,
northern and southern shores of far-away lands?
Ms.
Levine further stated in the article that many ethnicities have come forward with their Ellis Island stories, but "there is
no Filipino".
This
website now proudly comes forward, proud as our ancestors had come and gone to these shores, as one of the
many, in this "Nation of Immigrants".
And
who are we?
We are the mariners, the seamen, the seafarers, working in
the ships that brought your ancestors-the immigrants to Ellis Island from the old European world to the new world of the Americas.
We also carried and supplied the United States overseas
military troops, sailed under fire and death is our fate when enemies sank our ships in times of war.
We are the soldiers who answered your call, fought and shed our blood for United States' cause.
We are the Presidents of the Philippine Commonwealth, the Pilipino members of
the U.S. Congress, the diplomats, the civil employees, in quest for our country's freedom, nurturing
our new government, so we may unshackle the chains that bind us anew to another colonial ruler of our native land.
We are the pensionados, the students, the businessmen eager
to learn new crafts and culture that we may bring them home to our people.
We are the Malays, the Moros, the Tsinoys, the Kastilaloy-Indios, the Amboys, the Pinoys,
the Pinays and other people representatives of our valiant East-West nation.
For
those of you, who wondered that if somehow, somewhere out there was a Pilipino who had entered United States passing
through the "Gateway to America," wonder no more, because-
We are the Pilipinos and Pilipinas'processed' at Ellis Island
We, like people from the other nations, had passed thru the "Magnificent Statue of
Liberty"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Additional Notes by M.E. Embry:
The Ellis Island ship manifest form mandated by law for completion by the ship captain has the following
List of Races or Peoples:
Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and East
Indians
Separate
category for Filipinos does not exist & ship captains were listing Filipinos under the East Indians, Pacific Islander
and other categories. Description written in by ship captains for Filipinos are Filopino,
Philippino, Phillipino, Philopino, Philipines, U.S. or Spanish citizen, Mulatto, Malayan, Mongolian, etc.
Some
of the Ellis Island ship manifests are colorful source of information about individuals not only of birthdata, family, destination,
but also about tattoos, weights, heights, etc.
Please visit
our websites:
for the arrival in Ellis Island of Japanese, Chinese, East Indians, Koreans and Thais
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Guest Webpages
(blue colored weblinks located @ the upper right corner of
this website)
Filipino Arrivals @ Angel Island
Filipino Seamen Hostage in Somalia
Filipino Seamen OFW
Have Come,
Am Here
Jose Garcia Villa
This website will always be a work in progress
For any comments please send e-mail:
Antioch, California
& Cabayaosan, Paniqui, Tarlac
Philippines
FAIR USE
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research,
critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must
obtain permission from the copyright owner
|
