Talks & Presentations

Genealogy has been one of the fastest growing hobbies over the last few years. Why are there so many shows on TV about genealogy? Why do people spend so much time looking for their ancestors or lost branches of their family? How would you get started? Where would you look for this information? How has the Internet changed the way hobbyists and professionals do their research? And what about those DNA tests? Mr. Voss has been a professional genealogist for over 10 years and will try to answer these and other questions you might have about this popular hobby.

This lecture is delivered as a 45-55 minute presentation with Q&A afterwards.

Ellis Island opened on January 1, 1892 as the nation's first federal immigration entry point. During the next 32 years, it was by far the busiest US inspection station, processing 12.5 million people, each hoping for a chance at a new life. It is estimated that 40% of all Americans can trace their roots back to immigrants who came through Ellis Island.

Did you have relatives who came through Ellis Island? Did the inspectors detain them? Were they treated at the island's hospitals? Did your family names get changed by the inspectors?! Fred Voss is a professional genealogist and a volunteer tour guide at Ellis Island National Park. He will give an illustrated talk about the past, present, and future of this iconic landmark as well as sharing some of his favorite immigration stories.

Mr. Voss will provide an overview of the workings of the Island—how immigrants arrived, how they were processed through the different parts of the Island, and what might mean a long stay on the Island or a return-ticket home. He will also dive into those squiggles on the manifest and how to decipher them.

This lecture can be delivered as either a 45-55 minute or 75 minute presentation with Q&A afterwards.

From 1892 to 1954, more than 12.5 million immigrants were processed through Ellis Island. Coming from all corners of the world, these souls—whom nearly 40% of Americans can call "family"—left behind possessions and family to reinvent themselves in America. Most were processed through Ellis Island without incident. But some immigrants found themselves detained due to mental or physical illness, because their paperwork was not in order, or because those who were due to receive them did not show. What kind of stories could they tell?

Mr. Voss is a professional genealogist and a former volunteer tour guide at Ellis Island National Park. His talk will explore the personal, sometimes heartbreaking, stories of those who came through the facility, those whose visit to the US ended there, and those whose stay on the island was unexpectedly lengthy.

This lecture is delivered as a 45-55 minute presentation with Q&A afterwards.

At the intersection of Knickerbocker Road and Madison Avenue in Cresskill, NJ is a traffic circle. In that traffic circle is the 65 foot Washington Monument-like obelisk called the Camp Merritt Memorial. The memorial takes us back in time to Bergen County during World War I.

As 1917 began, Bergen County, New Jersey was a quiet, sparsely settled area northwest of New York City that was mainly farms, orchards and deep woods. Most towns had less than 1,000 residents. But as the United States entered World War I, it was necessary for the US Army to build an embarkation camp for 45,000 soldiers in the midst of this quiet region. In just over 2 years, over one million soldiers either going to or returning from Europe passed through this camp.

Mr. Voss will talk about the history of the camp and how it affected the local population, as well as how signs of the camp which was closed in 1918 can still be seen today.

The lecture is delivered as a 45-55 minute presentation with Q&A afterwards.

How do you find those ancestors who immigrated from the Old Country? Shipping manifests can contain valuable information about that ancestor and where they came from. And if we are unsure when they came to America, the naturalization papers and petitions can often fill that gap. Find out more about finding and interpreting these interesting records.

Mr. Voss is a professional genealogist, educator and a volunteer tour guide at Ellis Island National Park. His talk will explore where shipping manifest records and deportation hearing documents, as well as naturalization records can be found and what information is stored on these pages.

This lecture is delivered as a 45-55 minute presentation with Q&A afterwards.

Every ten years since 1790, the United States has done a national census. These records provide some of the best and most interesting information about ancestors. Find out what information is available as well as tricks for finding "missing" relatives.

Mr. Voss is a professional genealogist, educator and a former volunteer tour guide at Ellis Island National Park. His talk will explore where these records can be found, what information is stored on these pages, and strategies on how to get the most out of these records.

This lecture is delivered as a 45-55 minute presentation with Q&A afterwards.