I have uploaded a page from 1920 Ellis Island as

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM82789

There are 5 check marks (v) and one check/cross mark at the far left.
One check mark is made at "can read", one for "can write".
Leaving 3 more marks.

One name has been edited, the one that was printed as Mrs. I Brieff
was corrected/added by hand to show the name.

You can see that the marks to the right of the name are from
2 different people (pay attention to the size and color), were
people lined up according to the manifest page at EI?

Was the marks to the right of the name made before reaching EI
on the boat or point of embarkation?

The husband knew Yiddish, Romanian and probably some English, they
had lived in London and Isidore had been in the British Army (US volunteer
to battalion 39).

Are the marks different because they were sent back to the office/recorder
to get a name corrected?

The marks to the left of the name seem to be more controlled and
uniform. The last entry is not crossed, but stamped "deported".

One the next pages - not scanned - there are instructions about what the
agents at EI may change, the name is not one of these.

A comment about "his name was changed - many names may have been changed
if the person did not have original documents with English spelling. There are
names that are written differently if heard in English or Hebrew. The name
"Dan" in English is pronounced as D+ann, but the name is from the
Hebrew and is neither Dan or D+on. The German word/name Zucker is
not pronounced in English. In the end, if a Pole boards in Manchester,
the name may have been changed due to accents and knowledge of
the agents at embarkation.

Again. I am interested in the check marks.

Dani
TZUCKER, LIISBICKY, BRIF, SKLAWER - each with numerous "official" spellings.

When you start to read readin,
how do you know the fellow that
wrote the readin,
wrote the readin right?

Festus Hagen
Long Branch Saloon
Dodge City, Kansas
(Gunsmoke)

Hi Dani,

Regarding your question of check marks on a manifest.

Each person on that page (except two) has a check mark with a line through the check mark to the left of their name.

The person who is deported only has the line to the left, with no check mark.

The person in-transit has no check mark, or line to the left.

Total guess on my part:  A check mark with line to the left of the name means that person got off the ship and entered the U.S.

Even if my guess is correct, that does not mean that system of check marks was used on all ships and/or in other time frames.

Regards,

Sherri Bobish
Princeton, NJ