Immigration then and now

By Nancy Battick

Immigration is a hot-button issue, one where people hold strong opinions one way or the other. It may surprise you to learn it’s always been controversial. 

Even in pre-colonial days when non-British Isles people came to what is now the U.S., there were regulations and suspicion of the newcomers. I’ve heard many people say they’d like immigration handled as it used to be.  For them I’m giving a summary of the rules of immigration in the past. 

There’s no one size fits all with immigration.  Laws were changed periodically. This column will deal with the laws of the early 1900s.

Most immigrants to the U.S. came by passenger liners, Asians into San Francisco, Europeans into New York, though any U.S. port dealt with immigrants. Passenger liners earned their bread and butter carrying steerage passengers who hoped to build a new life in America. These liners screened passengers before they boarded, since any not meeting U.S. immigration standards were sent back at the shipping company’s expense. 

The incoming ships created a ship’s passenger list, which they submitted to Customs and Immigration officials when they landed. Everyone seeking admission to the U.S. had to be listed by name, age, gender, country of origin, sometimes ethnicity, and port of departure, though other information was usually recorded. 

And no, surnames were never changed at ports of entry, no matter what you’ve been told. The name on the passenger list was the name you entered the U.S. with. If the name was an error, it was the fault of the officer who made out the original passenger list.

Once would-be immigrants arrived, they underwent a thorough health inspection. People with communicable diseases were treated. The mentally ill or frail were refused entry.

Everyone stated where they were going in the U.S. All had to be met in person or were traveling to meet a relative or close friend, and that person’s name, address and occupation were recorded. This was an attempt to weed out immigrants recruited en masse to work as cheap labor in industries such as coal mines. The immigrant had to have enough money to prevent from becoming a public charge. Unlike today, immigrants could find work immediately, keeping them from needing welfare assistance. 

Political views were scrutinized. Anarchists were immediately returned to their ports of departure. Polygamy was another unacceptable issue. 

It wasn’t necessary for an immigrant to indicate they intended to remain in the U.S. Some later returned to their homelands. Most remained and became naturalized Americans, though some never became citizens. I’ve come across people who lived here for 50 years but remained registered as aliens.

Literacy could also be one of the questions asked of immigrants. 

Most immigrants were families or men traveling alone. Women traveling alone were scrutinized. Sex trafficking occurred then, too.

You can learn more about immigration in the past online, at the Ellis Island website or in numerous books on the topic.

Columnist Nancy Battick of Dover-Foxcroft has researched genealogy for over 30 years. She is past president of the Maine Genealogical Society, author of several genealogical articles and co-transcribed the Vital Records of Dover-Foxcroft. Nancy holds an MA in History from UM. Reader emails are welcome at nbattick@roadrunner.com.