Just off the boat. (Found them at last!)

It's been quite a day. I finally found the immigration records for my grandfather and for my grandmother's parents.

I'd been looking around that Ellis Island website for a few years, on and off. For the last two weeks, I've been searching one of the big subscription genealogy sites (Ancestry.com). But no luck.

Finally, today I read the fine print. I checked out the search instructions I'd ignored. I figured out how to use the "wild card" search feature, where you simply approximate the name you are searching for.

My eyes are crossed and my neck is sore. I've been poring over passenger manifests. I've seen more variations than I care to recall on Adamic-Adamick-Adamich, Strukel-Struckel-Strukelj, and Kozlevcar-Kozlevchar-Kozleviar (not to mention Louis, Alois, Alvis, Aloije, Josephine, Josefa, Pepa.)

And wouldn't you know, my elusive Grandpa Carr (aka Kozlevcar) seems to have come through by way of Philadelphia, rather than New York. No wonder I couldn't find him on that Ellis Island site!

I feel like a very successful P.I.