5 Steps to Research

"Pier 21 reached out and greeted all who disembarked"

In 1929, young Tynne Johanna Saarinen left her Finnish family and home with twenty-five dollars to her name, took a ship from Sweden, and endured a seasick journey to a New World and a new life. Entering through Pier 21, she began her new life as a Canadian.

Halifax's Pier 21 was Canada's equivalent of New York's Ellis Island. Not the only entry port to the country, but probably the best known. Over the years hundreds of thousands of immigrants were greeted into Canada's heart through the facilities of Pier 21.

Now, like the restoration efforts at Ellis Island, the facilities of Pier 21 are being preserved for the future. While a trip to visit Halifax would be pleasant, for too many of us it isn't possible. Instead, we must rely on the new Nova Scotia website devoted to the history of Pier 21, the immigrants who entered Canada through its doors, the volunteers who eased their entry, and the history they made together.

The Pier 21 website includes several immigrant stories from those who came to Halifax from various parts of the globe. Each personal story includes photographs and a sense of the motivating reasons behind each immigration. The online stories include not just "regular" immigrants, but also the tales of "war brides" from World War 2, "guest children" who were sent to safety in America during the war, refugees from the European war theater, and soldiers who left Canada through Pier 21.

There is a very good bibliography of printed and even online resources on Pier 21, and an excellent (but as yet incomplete) list of ships that departed from or arrived at the port facilities in Halifax. This list is arranged by topic (displaced persons, evacuees, war brides, soldiers, etc.), then alphabetic by the name of the ship. Some of the ships' names are linked to separate pages with a picture of the ship, a physical description, and a short summary of its service.

A visit to the Pier 21 website can be an excellent introduction to the history of Canada's most famous immigration station, or your constant assistant as you track down the details of an immigrant ancestor's arrival in Canada.

Resource:

The Pier 21 Society