Ellis Island Database Name Permutations

written by Edward Rosenbaum

The Ellis Island Passenger Manifest database, located at http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/ is a great resource to genealogists.   It contains information on over 22 million immigrants that came through Ellis Island between the years 1892 and 1924.

However, there are serious problems in trying to search the database. These problems have to do with the inconsistent spelling of surnames. Many passenger ship manifests are hand written, and can be hard to read. Add to this the fact that ethic names may not translate into English, and you get a great database where it can be next to impossible to find your ancestors.

That is where this program can help.   Simply enter the surname you are researching, and a list of possible alternate spellings will appear.   Click on a button, and you can get a custom web page with links to the Ellis Island database for each possible spelling, and a research log to help you keep track of what you have done so far.

Why use this program instead of the search page at the Ellis Island Database website?   

Speed...  Searching the Ellis Island site requires you to first go to their search page to enter your surname.   Then you press SEARCH to get to information that you really want.   Do you want to modify your search and enter an age...  you need to go to another web page.  This program eliminates the need to use the Ellis Island Database search page, and gets you directly to the immigrant names.   So now you can do your research in less then 1/2 the time.

Spelling variations... Searching the Ellis Island site requires you to know how your ancestor spelled their name.  The Ellis Island Database Name Permutations program will show you

1. Alternate spellings based upon confusing letters like "i", which could have been entered into the database as an "l", a "j", or maybe even a "y".
2. Alternate spellings based upon the American soundex system.
3. Alternate spellings based upon the Daitch-Mokotoff soundex system.

Example...  Let us assume that you are researching the surname BELLER.  The Ellis Island Database Name Permutations program will determine that there are 162 possible alternate spellings based upon letters that can be confused for each other, 2 alternate spellings based upon the American soundex coding system, and 9 alternate spellings based upon the Daitch-Mokotoff soundex coding system.  You can then further refine your search by gender, age at arrival, year of arrival, and/or the first letter of the first name.  When you are done, the program will then create a customized web page for you, containing links to the Ellis Island Database for each alternate spelling.  Click here to see an example of the customized page created for males with the surname BELLER who arrived between 1895 and 1903.

Alternate spellings based upon easily confused letters	American soundex alternatives	Daitch-Mokotoff soundex alternatives
Bcller, Bebler, Beiler, Belber, Belier, Bellcr, Bellen, Bellor, Boller, Bcbler, and 152 others...	Beler, Beller	Aueler, Beler, Fbeler, Feler, Peler, Pfeler, Ppheler, Veler, Weler

What people are saying...

From Avotaynu's "Nu? What's New? - Vol. 2, No. 10",  "One demonstration of the inadequacy of the current Ellis Island database (EIDB) environment is that there is already third-party software being developed to combat the shortcomings of the system.  Edward Rosenbaum, president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Bergen County (New Jersey), is a computer analyst. He has developed shareware that provides possible alternate spellings of names that you cannot find in the EIDB." 

From Schelly Talalay Dardashti, "I think the main problem with the Ellis Island Database is that people need to be creative about the spellings our ancestors used, those written down by the passenger manifest recorders, as well as having to be super creative to figure out what the transcribers of the EIDB actually wrote down.  I use both the Ellis Island Database Name Permutations program and Stephen Morse's web site to double-check, and to provide  new leads.  Both are necessary for the lists they produce, and together they provide me with many more possibilities."

Version 1.6.5 is now available.

The latest version of the program 

1. Corrects an error than unregistered users were getting 
2. Allow you to search by ethnicity.  A list of all the ethnicities in the Ellis Island Database is shown, and you simply check off those that you want.
3. Allow you to search by ship.  A list of ship names in the Ellis Island Database is shown, and you simply select the ship that you want.
4. Search by as little as one letter of the surname.
5. Search for records that exactly match the name you entered, start with the name you entered, or both.
6. Has a cleaned up display, which makes the program easier to use.

Upgrading from a prior version?

1. Download the upgrade to your PC.  Remember the name of the directory that you download this file to.
   
   If you have problems downloading the file, please see I am having problems downloading the program.
   
2. When asked for the file name, enter "upgrade-eidb.exe"
3. In Windows Explorer, click on upgrade-eidb.exe in the directory that you downloaded the file into.  
4. Follow the on-screen instructions.   By default, the program will install into the directory "c:\program files\EIDB_permutations".
5. If you did not change any of the default options, you can run the program at "c:\program files\EIDB_permutations\EIDB_Permutations.exe"  

Trying it for the first time?

If you have not yet installed the "Ellis Island Database Name Permutations" program, you may do so using the instructions below.  Please be aware that the program costs $9.99 to register.  For this price, you will be given a registration key that will give you full access to the programs features, and will entitle you to updates as they become available.  If you choose not to register the program, you will only have limited access to the program.

NOTE: Currently this program is only available for IBM-compatibles.

1. Download the program to your PC.  Remember the name of the directory that you download this file to.
   
   If you have problems downloading the file, please see I am having problems downloading the program.
   
2. When asked for the file name, enter "setup-eidb.exe"
3. In Windows Explorer, click on setup-eidb.exe in the directory that you downloaded the file into.  
4. Follow the on-screen instructions.   By default, the program will install into the directory "c:\program files\EIDB_permutations".
5. If you did not change any of the default options, you can run the program at "c:\program files\EIDB_permutations\EIDB_Permutations.exe" 

Purchase the program:

Version history:

1.5.0 Modifications

1. Now creates links to both the Ellis Island Database, and to Stephen Morse's 'Searching the Ellis Island Database in One Step' website.
2. The lower case letters "g" and "y" are now possible alternatives of each other.

1.4.0 Modifications

1. Displays an easier to read customized web page.  Click here for an example.
2. Allows you to optionally generate the American soundex and/or Daitch-Mokotoff alternate spellings

1.3.0 Modifications

1. allowed you to indicate you want to see the possible alternate spellings for your surname if it was entered into the Ellis Island database in UPPER case, Proper case, or lower case letters.
2. added "L", "S", and "P" as possible alternatives of each other.
3. fixed a minor error in the Daitch-Mokotoff soundex. 

1.2.0 Added alternate spellings of your immigrants name by the American soundex code, and by the Daitch-Mokotoff soundex code
1.1.2 Corrected an error that would cause a program abort on names with many permutations
1.1.0 Added the ability to specify the gender, age upon arrival, year of arrival, and/or the first letter of your immigrants first name.  
1.0.2: Possible spelling are now presented with the closest possibilities first.
1.0.1: Added 'b' as a possible letter for 'l'.

FAQ:

• I am getting the error 'No CE Signature Found' when trying to install the program
• I am getting the error 'RUN TIME ERROR "13"' when trying to run the program
• I am getting the error 'The file may not be supported by AOL.  AOL will try to open it as a test file if you choose to continue' when trying to install the program
• I am having problems downloading the program
• I cannot see the entire screen.  The right side and bottom are missing.
• I downloaded the files, but do not know what to do with them
• I downloaded the permutation software, but am unable to open the .ex file
• I want to uninstall the program.  How do I do this?
• Is there a MAC version?
• It seems that not all variants of the exact same Daitch-Mokotoff soundex code are produced.  Why not?
• The list of ethnicities is very long, and contains many that I will never use.  Is there any way that I can get rid of those ethnicities that I do not want?
• The list of ships is very long, and contains many that I will never use.  Is there any way that I can get rid of those ships that I do not want?
• There are ethnicities missing from the list that is shown
• There are ships missing from the list that is shown
• What are people are saying about the Ellis Island Database Name Permutations program?
• Why is searching the Ellis Island Database so difficult?
• Why use this program instead of the search page at the Ellis Island Database website? 
• Why use this program instead of Stephen Morse's free web site?
• I still have questions.  What do I do?

Question: I am getting the error 'No CE Signature Found' when trying to install the program

This error is caused when the file download did not complete successfully.  Please download the file again.  If you continue to have problems, look at I am having problems downloading the program.

Question: I am getting the error 'RUN TIME ERROR "13" when trying to run the program

This error was corrected in version 1.4.1.  Please download the latest update.

Question: I am getting the error 'The file may not be supported by AOL.  AOL will try to open it as a test
file if you choose to continue' when trying to install the program

If America Online is your default Web browser, use Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator as your default Web browser.  For information about changing your default Web browser, see the online Help in Internet Explorer or Navigator, or contact AOL for instructions.

Question: I am having problems downloading the program

You may be having problems downloading the file due to its size.  I would suggest that you download and install Netscape's SmartDownload.  

"SmartDownload is a service from Netscape Netcenter designed to assist you with downloading files from the Internet. Key features of SmartDownload are its ability to pause and resume downloads, recover from a dropped Internet connection, and show informative content from Netcenter while downloading."  

Read more about SmartDownload 

Download SmartDownload

If you continue to have problems downloading the file, please contact me, and I will email you the file.

Question: I cannot see the entire screen.  The right side and bottom are missing.

One of two things can cause this problem.

1. Your computer resolution is set to 600x480.  This program requires a minimum resolution of 800x600.  To change the resolution of your monitor, please do the following

1. Minimize any programs that you have running so that you can see your computers desktop.
2. Click on MY COMPUTER
3. Click on CONTROL PANEL
4. Click on DISPLAY
5. Click on the SETTINGS tab
6. Change the resolution to 800x600
7. Click on OK

or

2. Your computer is set to LARGE fonts.  This program requires SMALL fonts.  To change the font size, please do the following

1. Minimize any programs that you have running so that you can see your computers desktop.
2. Click on MY COMPUTER
3. Click on CONTROL PANEL
4. Click on DISPLAY
5. Click on the SETTINGS tab
6. Click in the ADVANCED button
7. Change the FONT SIZE to SMALL
8. Click on OK
9. Click on OK again

Question: I downloaded the permutation software, but am unable to open the .ex file

1. In Windows Explorer, please rename the file from "setup-eidb.ex" to "setup-eidb.exe", and then click on "setup-eidb.exe".  
2. Finish the installation by following steps 4-8.

Question: I downloaded the files, but do not know what to do with them

1. When you downloaded the file setup-eidb.exe, you indicated where on your computer the file should be saved.  Let us assume the name of this directory is c:\windows\temp.   Using Windows Explorer, go to this directory and run setup-eidb.exe (it might appear as setup-eidb application).  setup-eidb.exe is a self extracting zip file, and will prompt you for where the extracted files should go.  Enter the directory on your computer that the extracted files should go, and press FINISH.
   
2. Once you have run the setup-eidb.exe program, use Windows Explorer and go to the directory that you 'unzipped' the files to.   In this directory you need to run the file setup.exe (it might appear as setup application).  Follow the on-screen instructions to install the "Ellis Island Database Name Permutations" program.

Question: I want to uninstall the program.  How do I do this?

1. Using Windows Explorer, delete the "c:\program files\eidb_permutations" folder.

Question: Is there a MAC version?

Unfortunately, there is currently no MAC version available.  

Question: It seems that not all variants of the exact same Daitch-Mokotoff soundex code are produced.  Why not?

The Ellis Island Database Name Permutations program will only display up to 500 different Daitch-Mokotoff soundex alternate spellings.  If the surname you entered has more then 500 alternate spellings, then the program will only show those names with the same first letter as what you entered.

Question: The list of ethnicities is very long, and contains many that I will never use.  Is there any way that I can get rid of those ethnicities that I do not want?

The list of ethnicities can be edited to get rid of those that you do not want.  Simply click on HELP and then EDIT ETHNICITIES.  Put an asterisk (*) in front of each ethnicity that you do not want to see, and then save the file.  The next time you run the Ellis Island Database Name Permutations program, the displayed list of ethnicities will no longer include these.  If you decide at a later date that you want these ethnicities to display again, simply check HELP, EDIT ETHNICITIES, and remove the asterisk.

Question: The list of ships is very long, and contains many that I will never use.  Is there any way that I can get rid of those ships that I do not want?

The list of ships can be edited to get rid of those that you do not want.  Simply click on HELP and then EDIT SHIPS.  Put an asterisk (*) in front of each ships that you do not want to see, and then save the file.  The next time you run the Ellis Island Database Name Permutations program, the displayed list of ships will no longer include these.  If you decide at a later date that you want these ships to display again, simply check HELP, EDIT SHIPS, and remove the asterisk.

Question: There are ethnicities missing from the list that is shown

I tried to include all the ethnicities, but I may have missed some.  Please email me and let me know what I missed.

Question: There are ships missing from the list that is shown.

I tried to include all the ships, but I may have missed some.  Please email me and let me know what I missed.  You can also edit the list of ship names by clicking on HELP and the EDIT SHIPS.  Add the missing ships to the file and then save it.  The next time you run the Ellis Island Database Name Permutations program, the displayed list of ships will include these.

Question: Why use this program instead of Stephen Morse's free web site?

Stephen Morse's web site addresses several of the problems with the Ellis Island website and lets you

1. Enter all of your criteria on one page
2. Do name searches using as few as one letter
3. Search on any ethnicity, port, or boat for any leading portion of a name

The Ellis Island Database Name Permutations program offers many of the same features...

1. Enter all of your criteria on one page
2. Do name searches using as few as one letter
3. Search on any boat for any leading portion of a name

    plus...   

3. Alternate spellings based upon confusing letters.
4. Alternate spellings based upon the American soundex system.
5. Alternate spellings based upon the Daitch-Mokotoff soundex system.
6. A customized web page with links to both the Ellis Island database for every alternate spelling, and to Morse's "Searching the Ellis Island Database in One Step".  All you need to do is point and click.
7. A customized research log to help you keep track of which names you have researched, and which names you still need to do.

With the release of version 1.5.0 of the Ellis Island Database Name Permutations program, you can now have the best of both worlds.  Use the Ellis Island Database Name Permutations program to look for alternate spellings, and then let the program create a customized web page to both the Ellis Island Database, and to Morse's "Searching the Ellis Island Database in One Step" website.