Bentley, Elizabeth Petty. The Genealogists's Address Book. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1991. (FHL book 973 D24ben.)

Filby, P. William, comp. Directory of American Libraries with Genealogy or Local History Collections. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources, 1988. (FHL book 973 A3fi.)

Inventories, Registers, Catalogs. Many archives and libraries have catalogs, inventories, guides, or periodicals that describe their holdings. If possible, study these guides before visiting a repository. Copies at the Family History Library are listed in the Locality section of the Family History Library Catalog under [STATE or PROVINCE], [COUNTY], [CITY] - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARY - INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS. One such guide for the University of Minnesota is—

Moody, Suzanna, and Joel Wurl, eds. The Immigration History Research Center: A Guide to Collections. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991. (FHL book 977.658 A3i.)

Biography

The Family History Library and other major research libraries have thousands of biographical books, articles, films, and microfiche. Such works often provide exact information on an immigrant's origin. If not, they may have clues that could help you find it. Biographies may suggest an ethnic background or give the original spelling of the surname or locality.

Biographical sketches are often found in local collective biographical works and local histories. These were very common in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Many other biographical records have been published.

Two sources that can help you find out if a biographical sketch may have been written about your ancestor are—

Slocum, Robert D. Biographical Dictionaries and Related Works. 2 vols., 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1986. (FHL book 016.92 SLo53 1986.) This bibliography lists over 16,000 collective biographies from around the world.

Herbert, Miranda C., and Barbara McNeil, eds., Biography and Genealogy Master Index. 8 vols., 5 vols., 3 vols, and annual supps. since 1990. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1980, 1985-. (FHL book Ref 016.92 G131.) This work indexes more than eight million biographies of nearly three million individuals. It indexes about 2,000 volumes of nationwide sources, but it does not include local biographical sources. Most large libraries will have it.

Business Records and Commerce

Business records include many different sources. Their content ranges from giving just a person's name to giving a complete profile, including a summary of professional background, age, birth date and place, the names of parents, and the names of his or her spouse and children. Occupational records include apprenticeship or labor union records and professional associations such as “the Bar” for lawyers and the American Medical Association for doctors. However, relatively few immigrants pursued professional occupations. Records of employment with larger companies may include biographical information about recent immigrants.

Many immigrants were indentured servants, apprentices whose masters paid for their passage in return for labor. Indenture records often mention birthplace or residence. Examples of these kinds of records are—

Coldham, Peter Wilson. Child Apprentices in America From Christ's Hospital, London, 1617-1688. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1990. (FHL book 942.1/L1 J2cp.)

——. The Bristol Registers of Servants Sent to Foreign Plantations, 1654-1686. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. (FHL book 942.41/B2 W2c.)

You can find similar records in the Locality section of the Family History Library Catalog under [COUNTRY or STATE] - BUSINESS RECORDS AND COMMERCE or under [COUNTRY or STATE] - OCCUPATIONS.

Clues to an immigrant's occupation are in family sources, census records, city directories, and even ship's passenger lists. Local histories, maps, census records, and city directories can help identify nearby businesses or companies that may have needed the immigrant's skills.

Cemeteries

Tombstone inscriptions and sextons' records sometimes list a foreign birthplace—often a country, less often a county or city. This is more likely in cemeteries maintained by certain churches. For example, counties of origin are often listed on tombstones of Irish immigrants buried in Roman Catholic cemeteries. In Presbyterian cemeteries, the shire and even the town where a Scottish immigrant was born may be on the tombstone.

When the birthplace is not listed, a tombstone inscription or a sexton's record may furnish that information for a relative buried nearby. However, even if a birth date and place is furnished, the relative who supplied the information may not have been correct, especially if the birthplace was in a country unfamiliar to that person.

If you cannot visit the cemetery, search any transcriptions that may have been made. The Family History Library and state and provincial archives have collections of published and manuscript tombstone inscriptions and some sextons' records. Others are at county and local genealogical and historical societies.

Census

Most countries periodically take censuses that list much of their populations. Censuses identify where a person was living at a specific time. Look for indexed censuses first. If you know where the immigrant lived during the year a census was taken, you can use unindexed census records.

More recent censuses usually have the most information. For example the 1900, 1910, and 1920 United States censuses provide the individual's country of birth, year of arrival, if naturalized, and occupation. The 1920 United States census should list the province (state or region) or city of birth for people (or their parents) born in Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, or Turkey. Some state censuses, such as the 1925 New York census (which gives the date and place of naturalization) contain more information than federal censuses. Remember that birthplaces given in census records usually refer to the state or country, not a specific town.

Spain and France took some early colonial censuses of areas in North and South America, some of which are more detailed than others. If the census is not in the archives of the former colony, it may be in the archives of the mother country and be more difficult to access. England has no census records for her North American colonies, although some colonies (states) took censuses that still exist.

Church Records

While church record-keeping practices varied greatly, many denominations (particularly Lutheran, Reformed, and Roman Catholic) kept excellent records. Marriage and death records are the most likely to mention the town where an immigrant was born. Monthly Meeting Records of the Quakers (Society of Friends) in the country of arrival sometimes name the Monthly Meeting in England a new member came from. Early Dutch and German Reformed Church records often refer to overseas origins.

Roman Catholic marriage records, especially French Canadian records, often give brides' and grooms' places of origin. The brides' and grooms' parents are often listed in records of Acadia and Quebec along with the parish they were from. The parents were sometimes residents of a parish in France.

Members of smaller religious bodies, such as the Mennonites and Doukhobors, moved in large groups from specific locations in Europe to new countries. When original church records are not available, encyclopedias and history books about such groups often contain valuable clues on the overseas origins of these people.

The Family History Library has religious records from many parts of the world. They are usually listed in the Locality section of the Family History Library Catalog under the name of the city where the congregation or parish was located. A few are listed under the name of the state or province.

Some church records must be examined at the parish or the church archives where the records are stored. See the state, provincial, and national research outlines for addresses of major church archives and for more information about church records.

Court Records

Court records may name family members and may mention property descriptions from the country of origin. They are more helpful for colonial times than later periods because colonial court record transcripts are usually published with comprehensive indexes. Examples of sources taken from court records are—

True, Ransom B. Biographical Dictionary of Early Virginia 1607-1660. Richmond: Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, 1982. (FHL fiche 6331352.) This work lists every name in pre-1660 Virginia court records.

Tardif, Phillip. Notorious Strumpets and Dangerous Girls: Convict Women in Van Diemen's Land, 1803-1829 (Tasmania). North Ryde, Australia: Angus & Robertson, 1990. (FHL 994.6 D3t.)

Court records are valuable in establishing origins—especially when the emigrant ancestor was involved as a plaintiff, defendant, or witness. More than 50,000 English immigrants to colonial America and 150,000 to Australia were exiled convicts. Courts watched such immigrants closely.

Immigrants who had business or professional employment are more commonly listed in court records than are laborers and farmers. Once you know an immigrant ancestor was involved in a court case, review all documents related to the court action. The case file, or packet, is particularly vital because it contains the testimony transcripts, depositions, affidavits, and other documentary evidence. Depositions and affidavits are the documents most likely to cite places of origin.

Emigration and Immigration

Passenger arrival lists are some of the best sources for documenting an ancestor's immigration. Most immigrants should be sought in arrival lists. However, lists were not kept for every immigrant, some lists have been lost, and others are not indexed.

Immigration lists vary in content and availability depending on the time period and the port of arrival. Earlier records seldom give the immigrant's town of origin. They often give only the immigrant's name, age, and country of origin or the ship's last port-of-call. More recent lists tend to give more detailed information, often including the place of origin.

Some governments kept comprehensive arrival lists called manuscript ship manifests. However, these records vary from country to country. The United States did not require passenger arrival lists until 1820. Canada did not keep them until 1865. Australian lists date from 1826. However, some port authorities kept lists for earlier years because of local laws.

To find an immigrant on a passenger list, you need to know the immigrant's name, port of arrival, and the date of arrival. If you do not know the specific date, you may be able to find it by using a ship arrival list if you know the year of arrival and the ship's name.

Passenger arrival lists for most ports are indexed, so approximate dates are sufficient for these lists. Unfortunately, some ports, such as New York City (from 1846 to 1897) do not have complete indexes. Such records are so vast that a more precise date (within about a week) is needed. Various fragmentary indexes are available to partially overcome this problem.

Most early lists (prior to 1820) have been published, especially for North America. A growing number of later lists are being published. Significant published arrival lists for the United States include—

• Irish arrivals at New York from 1846 to 1852.
• Dutch arrivals from 1820 to 1880.
• German arrivals from 1727-1808; 1850-1870 (ongoing series).
  

These sources are generally found in the Family History Library Catalog under—

[STATE], [COUNTY], [CITY] - EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATIONUNITED STATES - EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION

An excellent bibliography of over 2,600 published lists of immigrants is—

Filby, P. William. Passenger and Immigration Lists Bibliography 1538-1900. Rev. ed. Detroit: Gale Research, 1988. (FHL book 973 W33p 1988.)

About half of the above lists are indexed in—

Filby, P. William. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981-. (FHL book 973 W32p and supps.)

The Family History Library has copies of most available arrival lists for most destination countries. Lists are also available from the national archives of the various countries. Specific lists are described in the research outline for applicable countries.

Additional types of immigration records are available for some countries, including Canadian border crossings into the United States. There are also card indexes of Austrian settlers in Galicia (Ansiedlerkartei nach Galizien 1782-1805) and in the Banat (Ansiedlerakten 1686-1855). Passports may have been issued to immigrants by the country of arrival if they were returning to visit relatives in the country of origin. The records will usually indicate a birthplace or destination, which is likely near the place of origin. Passports were often not required until the twentieth century, but were available as early as 1795 for travelers from the United States.

Genealogy

A genealogy links a family through several generations. Genealogies are valuable because they may mention an immigrant's place of origin and may contain clues about the date of immigration. When trying to find places of origin, genealogies should be one of the first records you search. Some genealogies have information found nowhere else. They can save time and avoid duplication of work. There are several types of genealogies:

Global Indexes and Collections. Databases, such as Ancestral File and the International Genealogical Index, are important places to search first.

Family Histories. Family histories often go back to the original immigrant and contain information such as ethnic and geographical beginnings. They generally include all that was known of the family at the time it was written. Family histories must be used with care due to possible inaccuracies. Thousands of family histories are listed in the Surname section of the Family History Library Catalog. The catalog does not index every surname in a history but lists the four or five most prominent.

Genealogical Bibliographies and Indexes. The catalogs of genealogical institutions may be useful in finding published genealogies. Among them is—

Kaminkow, Marion J., ed. Genealogies in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography. 2 vols. Baltimore: Magna Carta Book Co., 1972, 1977, 1987. (FHL book 016.9291 K128g.)

Most archives, historical societies, and genealogical societies have similar special collections and indexes of genealogies.

Many other kinds of indexes exist. For example, a helpful index that discusses 3,500 immigrants to America before 1657 is—

Colket, Meredith B. Founders of Early American Families. Rev. ed. Cleveland: Founders and Patriots of America, 1985. (FHL book 973 W2cm.)

To find bibliographies and indexes, look in the Family History Library Catalog under—

[COUNTRY] - GENEALOGY[COUNTRY] - GENEALOGY - BIBLIOGRAPHY

Genealogical Compendia. Collected lineages are often published in genealogical dictionaries and periodicals. Complete indexes increase the research value of these collections. Many focus on immigrant families. Two such collections are—

Gillen, Mollie. The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet. Sydney: Library of Australian History, 1989. (FHL book 994 D3g.)

De Villiers, C.C. Genealogies of Old South African Families = Geslagregisters van die ou Kaapse families. 3 vols. Cape Town: A.A. Balkema, 1966. (FHL book 968 D2v.)

There are dozens of compendia about immigrant families, including—

• French families to Québec (to the early 1800s).
• Maine and New Hampshire families (pre-1700).
• Eighteenth century Germans in New York.
• Schwenkfelders to Pennsylvania (1731-1737).
  

History

Published histories of the town, county, or region where an ancestor lived are often the key to identifying his or her national and ethnic origin. Histories of churches, schools, and industries may mention immigrants. In addition, they often identify records that may include the immigrant ancestor. If an ancestor was among the area's founding families or was a prominent citizen, a local history may have an account of his or her life.

Local histories include less prominent immigrants as well. Immigrants often considered it a mark of success to have a biographical sketch in the typical local histories of the nineteenth century, even if they had to pay to be included. Immigrants could be on lists of early settlers into a valley, members of a founding church, original town settlers, landholders, or school teachers. Bibliographies of local histories are available for most countries, states, and provinces. The Family History Library has an excellent collection of local histories.

Histories are available for many ethnic and religious groups. Many immigrants were part of an ethnic community in their new country. Many were also members of a religious group. Histories of smaller ethnic and religious groups often identify all or most of the members of that group. Excellent examples include—

Ulvestad, Martin. Nordmændene i Amerika [Norwegians in America]. 2 vols. Minneapolis: History Book Company's Forlag, 1907-10. (FHL book 973 F2u.)

Rosicky, Rose. A History of Czechs (Bohemians) in Nebraska. Omaha, Neb.: Czech Historical Society of Nebraska, 1929.

Histories also exist for most religious groups. A good example is—

Holsinger, Henry R. History of the Tunkers and the Brethren Church.... North Manchester, Ind.: L.W. Shultz, 1962. (FHL book 286.5 H741h.)

Even histories of larger ethnic and religious groups, such as Germans or Episcopalians, can provide valuable background information about migration and settlement patterns.

Land and Property

Many immigrants left their homelands for the chance to obtain inexpensive land in a new country. Land records, therefore, contain many immigration clues, even if the place of origin is generally not given. Information about an immigrant's old hometown will more likely be found in records of land purchased directly from the government (such as homesteads) rather than from private individuals.

Most deeds indicate the purchasers' and the sellers' residences. If the immigrant purchased land right after arriving in the new country, the deed could reveal the place of origin. For example, “headrights” (the head of house's right to land for settling a colony) can show places—usually the country—of origin. Headrights are indexed in books like—

Nugent, Nell Marion. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1732. Reprint. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1983. (FHL book 975.5 R2n.)

Many places required that an immigrant be a citizen or that an immigrant file a declaration of intent to become a citizen before buying land. Land records may include copies of naturalization records or lead to them. An excellent set of land records with immigration data, on 1,641 rolls of microfilm, is—

Saskatchewan Homestead Records, 1870-1930, and Index. Ottowa, Canada: Canadian Department of the Interior, Dominion Lands Office.

Military Records

Many immigrants served in the military of their new countries. Thousands served in the United States' army during the nineteenth century. As a result, some military records provide clues to immigrant origins. The following are especially helpful:

• Pension Application Papers. These may include name; rank; military unit; period of service; residence; age; place and date of birth, marriage, and death; and the nature of disability or proof of need.
  
• Service records. Service records document a soldier's involvement in the military. Descriptive rolls or enlistment papers may also list the birthplace.
  

Census records may indicate that the immigrant served in the military. For example, the 1910 United States census identifies soldiers who served in the American Civil War. Sometimes a separate schedule (that may not show birthplace) was taken of veterans, such as the 1890 United States census.

Other records that could list birthplaces include unit histories with unit rosters, veteran organization records (such as the Grand Army of the Republic), cemetery records, and old soldiers' home records.

Immigrants honorably discharged were usually eligible for citizenship based on their military service. The naturalization process was often simplified for them, and separate records of soldier naturalizations may have been kept.

Naturalization and Citizenship

The naturalization process varies by country, state, and time period. The records also vary. Earlier records usually give the immigrant's name, age, and country of origin. More recent records tend to be more informative. Some give a wealth of data about the immigrant and his or her family, including specific places of origin.

Not all immigrants were naturalized. In many countries, adult males were the only immigrants to be naturalized because women and children had citizenship if their husbands or fathers were citizens.

Naturalization was generally not required if the immigrant settled in a colony of the mother country. Thus there are no naturalization records for British settlers of the United States before the Revolutionary War or in Canada before 1947. (Before 1947, British subjects entering Canada were considered Canadian citizens without naturalization.) During colonial times, each colony established its own laws regarding naturalization.

Although the specifics vary by place, the naturalization process was similar for most immigrants. After a specified period of residency, the alien filed a declaration of intent to be naturalized. Later he or she petitioned a court for naturalization. Seek the records for each of these steps. Declarations of intent to become a citizen and petitions for naturalization usually provide the most information.

An excellent study of United States emigration laws and records is—

Newman, John J. American Naturalization Processes and Procedures 1790-1985. Indianapolis, Ind.: Indianapolis Historical Society, 1985. (FHL book 973 P4n.)

Newspapers

Newspapers also provide immigration information. Search both the local newspapers where the immigrant settled and the ethnic newspapers in the immigrant's language or for his or her cultural group. In addition to obituaries (described next), newspapers from the immigrant's lifetime may list—

• Passengers or new arrivals.
• Immigrants treated in a local hospital.
• Immigrants who came as indentured servants or apprentices.
• Missing relative or friend queries.
• Marriage announcements.
• Notices of estate probates.
  

An example of an index of immigrants in early newspapers is—

Harris, Ruth Ann M., and Donald M. Jacobs, eds. The Search for Missing Friends: Irish Immigrant Advertisements Placed in the Boston Pilot 1831- 1850. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1989. (FHL book 974.461 H29s.)

Current newspapers from the area where the immigrant settled may have genealogical columns or print queries. You can generally get newspapers through your local public library. Public libraries have bibliographies you can use to identify useful newspapers. They can usually order copies through interlibrary loan.

Additionally, ethnic immigrant newspapers often carried regular notices from correspondents in various locales. Also, many serials and newspapers of political, cultural, fraternal, religious, and other groups printed abundant news of their individual members. Good examples of ethnic newspaper bibliographies are—

Wynar, Lubomyr R., and Anna T. Wynar. Encyclopedic Directory of Ethnic Newspapers and Periodicals in the United States. 2nd ed. Littleton, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1976. (FHL book 973 E4w.)

Arndt, Karl J.R. German-American Newspapers and Periodicals, 1732-1955. New York: Johnson Reprint, 1985. (FHL film 824091.)

Obituaries

Obituaries are an excellent source of biographical information about immigrants. In addition to names and death dates, you can learn about surviving family members, church affiliations, spouses, parents, occupations, burial places, and hometowns in the old country. Even if a place of origin is not given, an obituary may provide additional research clues, such as the date or ship of immigration or traveling companions. Much of this information cannot be found in other sources. For many immigrants, an obituary is the only “biographical sketch” ever written about them.

Obituaries were usually published in local and church newspapers. Some also appear in church, professional, company, and school periodicals. Contact institutions an immigrant may have joined and ask if they had obituary notices. Although brief death notices appear in the earliest newspapers, traditional obituaries are most common after the mid-1800s. You are most likely to find obituaries of immigrants who lived in rural areas rather than in large cities.

Search smaller, local newspapers that feature community news. Many such newspapers are available on microfilm. The Family History Library has few newspapers, but your local library can usually get copies through interlibrary loan. Local historical societies and libraries where the newspaper is published may have obituary files or indexes as well as copies of the newspapers. Many North American newspapers are listed in—

Newspapers in Microform: United States. 2 vols. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1984. (FHL book 011.35 N479 1984.)

It is helpful to know the exact death date before searching for an obituary. If you have the death date, search papers beginning the day after the death and search for a full week or more. For weekly papers, search at least two issues after the death. If you do not know the death date, a local library may have an index to the obituaries in that newspaper. If the paper or its successor is still being published, the publisher may have back copies or an index to obituaries. In addition to obituaries, you may find other references to the immigrant's death in a newspaper, including death and funeral notices, condolences of friends, and thank you notices from the family.

Pensions

A pension is money paid to an individual (or surviving relatives) on a regular basis because of his or her past service or employment. It is most often given after retirement and meeting specific conditions (usually age and years of service). This group of records is distinctive because of these conditions. Because age was a factor, the applicant had to provide proof of birth. When the benefit went to a pensioner's heir, the heir had to prove his or her relationship. Thus, many pension files contain pages torn from family Bibles, original marriage certificates, or affidavits from family and friends documenting the vital events of the pensioner's life and that of his or her family. These files are sometimes the only place you can find this information.

Although many countries have granted land or pensions for military service since the late eighteenth century, most pension records are a relatively modern record type. (See the “Military Records” section of this outline.) Pension records of private and public companies can be very informative, but they are generally available only since the early 1900s. You must usually contact the company or successor company to get copies of pension records.

Social Security and Government Pensions. Most modern federal governments provide some kind of pension to many of their citizens. In the United States, the Social Security Act, passed in 1935, provides this. Many early applicants were born between 1850 and 1880. In general, the application form provides the date of the application, the name and address of the applicant and the employer, the applicant's birth date and place, and the parents' full names (including the mother's maiden name).

The records for living individuals are restricted. However, records of people who have already died generally are not. You must know the individual's name and any government-assigned number to request a copy of the application form. You need to provide evidence that the individual is deceased and pay any government fees. In the United States, send your request to the—

Social Security Administration
ATTN: Freedom of Information Officer
4-H-8 Annex Building
6401 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21235

The individual's pension number may appear on his or her death record. For United States citizens, you can search the Social Security Death Index. This file is part of the FamilySearch™ computer system at the Family History Library and many family history centers. This file includes Social Security card holders who died between 1962 and 1988.

Return to top of page

Previous Document   Next Document

©1998, 2001 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. No part of this document may be reprinted, posted on-line, or reproduced in any form for any purpose without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
[FamilySearch^TM: Research Guidance
Version of Data: 6/9/2001]