Since Ellis Island opened in 1892, what was the primary port of entry for north

Question:

Since Ellis Island opened in 1892, what was the primary port of entry for north Europeans prior to that??

A huge amount of our family arrived here in the late 1700's and I haven't been able to determine what there port of entry was.

Most all are North Eropeans Irish, Dutch, German, & English.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: To build on what others said, Ellis Island was the nation entry point for people landing at the port of New York. People who landed in Boston were processed there.

Also, there might be different ports for different nationalities. You'll find that a lot of Irish and English actually arrived in Boston after the Revolutionary war. I''m guessing that the Dutch would have arrived in New York while the Germans could have also entered through Philadelphia as well.