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Tracing Immigrant Origins Research Outline |
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Part 1. Search Strategies
Step 1. Identify What You Know About The Immigrant
Step 2. Decide What You Want To Learn
Step 3: Select The Records To Search
Step 4. Find And Search The Records
Step 5. Use The Information
Part 2. Country-of-arrival Records
Part 3. Country-of-origin Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions
History Histories about the country of origin and emigration from that country can reveal much about an emigrant, including the circumstances of the departure. Histories often give clues to emigration patterns and processes. They may also suggest sources of information about specific individuals. One such history is—
Bolognani, Bonifacio. A Courageous People from the Dolomites: The Immigrants from Trentino. Trento, Italy: Province of Trent, 1981. (FHL book 973 F2b.)
While they may not help localize the surname, histories may identify regions from which most emigration took place. Local histories are even more helpful. Many early emigrants (especially before the 1850s) left from small areas within the old country and settled together in the same area of the new country. Local histories often include lists of local inhabitants who emigrated or indicate places they settled in the new country. Even without names of emigrants, local histories usually include the names of many local families. They are an easily searched source that may identify an individual emigrant, or at least help localize the surname
If the emigrant owned property in the country of origin and sold it before emigrating, land and property records may reveal the place of origin. In countries where deeds and other land transactions were registered, indexes of grantors list emigrants selling property. Since most countries do not have nationwide land indexes, use this source after you know where the emigrant left from.
Even if an immigrant did not own land, land and property records could be helpful if the immigrant was a tenant on an estate and was helped by the land owner to emigrate. For example, during the great potato famine in Ireland, land owners found it easier to help their impoverished tenants emigrate rather than feed, clothe, and house them. To see what records are available, look in the Locality section of the Family History Library Catalog under [COUNTRY] - LAND AND PROPERTY.
An example of land and property records is—
Mitchell Brian. Irish Emigration Lists 1833-1839: Lists of Emigrants Extracted from the Ordinance Survey Memoirs for Counties Londonderry and Antrim. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1989. (FHL book 941.6 W2m.)
For most countries, military records provide—
Military records can be a valuable tool for learning the origins of emigrants. However, most military records are not indexed, and they are often inaccessible or organized in a way that makes research impractical.
Military Service before Emigration. Military service was required of most young men in many countries. Although some emigrants left to avoid serving in the military, most emigrated after fulfilling their military duty. For this reason, and because they are usually kept by country, military records are often an excellent place to seek an emigrant's origin if you know only the country. For example, many British soldiers moved to Canada after their discharge. These records are in British sources. Many European military records have been microfilmed, including thousands of rolls of Austrian Empire records from the Vienna War Archives. The Austrian records include 673 rolls of individual muster sheets.
Generally you must know the soldier's regiment to search the records. Family records, such as photographs and certificates of military release, may prove an emigrant was in the military and identify which regiment. A useful reference for determining which British regiments were in certain places at certain times is—
Kitzmiller, John. In Search of the Forlorn Hope. 2 vols. Salt Lake City, Utah: Manuscript Publishing Co., 1988. (FHL book 942 M2kj.)
Emigration During Military Service. Some emigrants settled in a new country during or immediately after serving there in their homeland's military. Local histories may identify immigrants as former soldiers. In such cases, search the military records of the country of origin, specifically looking for references to deserters. A growing number of such references are being published. An excellent example is—
Hessische Truppen in Amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskreig (HETRINA)
. Particularly useful town histories include the Norwegian bygdbøker and German Ortssippenbücher (especially for Baden). Of course, local histories can only be useful if you know where the emigrant came from. However, they are easier to search (when available) than most other local records.
Land and Property
Military Records
Surname books and other similar sources may provide places of origin for family names, but they are not available for every country. Such books are especially useful for localizing the surname. Examples of surname books Meier, Emil, et al. Familiennamenbuch Der Schweiz [Register of Swiss Surnames]. 3rd ed. Zürich, Switzerland: Polygraphischer Verlag, 1989. (FHL book Ref. 949.4 D4f 1989 vols. 1-3.) The register of surnames contains the names of families that had citizenship in a Swiss community in 1962. The families are listed by the canton and village of origin and give the date when the family name first appears.
Meertens, Dr. P.J. Ed. Nederlands Repertorium van Familienamen [Bibliography of Dutch Family Names]. Several vols. Assen, Netherlands: Van Gorcum & Comp. N.V., 1963. (FHL book 949.2 D4n.) Volumes for each province and several larger cities are available.
Etymology books study the origins of words. Name etymologies help identify the region a name comes from, its meaning, and common spelling variations. For less common surnames, these books may help localize the surname. Etymologies exist for most major countries of origin. A useful etymology for German names is—
Bahlow, Hans. Deutsches Namenlexikon [German Name Dictionary]. München: Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1972. (FHL book 943 D4ba.)
Current newspapers can help you find living relatives of an ancestor. Find a newspaper that covers the area you think the emigrant came from. If you only know the country, find a newspaper with as wide a coverage as possible. If you know a county or state, choose a newspaper that covers that area. Directories of newspapers are available for most countries. They tell the coverage of the paper and give addresses. One such directory is—
Benn's Media Directory International. Tonbridge, Kent, England: Benn Business Information Services.
Place an advertisement or ask the editor to run an article in the newspaper requesting information on relatives of an emigrant or anyone having information about an emigrant. Sometimes living relatives of your ancestor will respond. Write to the newspaper first to determine prices and procedures. The editor of a local paper may take an interest in your story and publish it at no cost to you. If a foreign language is involved, you might need to have the letter or advertisement translated.
Newspapers published at the time the ancestor left the country of origin may identify the emigrant's origin. In some areas, newspapers listed people who were leaving. Newspapers may also contain advertisements for missing people, runaways, or people who emigrated without the family's knowledge. Many newspapers refer to births, marriages, and deaths. These have often been indexed. Newspapers with large coverage or from earlier time periods are less likely to mention people from lower social classes.
Copies of old newspapers and indexes to the newspapers are generally found in libraries, record offices, or national archives. A directory or bibliography of newspapers identifies what newspapers exist or existed. Some professional researchers who specialize in tracing emigrants keep files of newspaper announcements. They usually advertize in genealogical periodicals.
Periodicals published by genealogical or historical societies in the country of origin can help you trace an emigrant's origin. Periodicals are most helpful if you know which region in the country your ancestor is from. Most periodicals cover a county or state within a country and generally deal with only the records and the people of that area. The articles of particular interest to tracing emigrants include lists of surnames members are researching, inquiries, departure lists, and indexes.
Many periodicals have a section where society members (and sometimes others) place inquiries asking for information on a particular ancestor. This is a way to find living relatives and others who are tracing the same family. It is often free for members, but there is usually a fee for nonmembers. You can either place an inquiry or look for inquiries in previous issues that might be about your ancestors. Many periodicals contain indexes to various types of records. Some have indexes to people leaving an area or country.
You will find periodicals in many libraries, archives, and record offices. Some bibliographies list genealogical periodicals. Genealogical society directories list organizations likely to publish genealogical periodicals. The Family History Library's research outlines for various countries and states identify major periodicals and any significant indexes to periodicals of that country or state.
Some countries kept records of their citizens, temporary residents, and transients. This was especially true in large cities and seaports. The Family History Library has few of these records. However, if you know where the emigrant lived or the port he or she left from, write to the city or regional archives to see if such records are available.
Police Registration Hotel Registers. Population Registers
Probate records in the country of origin can be a very valuable source for finding the emigrant's place of origin. Probate jurisdictions covered wide areas, and the records are usually well indexed. If the emigrant still held property in the homeland when he or she died, a probate record should exist in the records of that country. If the emigrant still had family in the country of origin, he or she may be named in a relative's probate.
Published probate information is often available for early years in both the country of origin and the country of arrival. Excellent examples include—
Coldham, Peter Wilson. English Estates of American Colonists: American Wills and Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1610-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980-81. (FHL book 942 P2cpw.)
Waters, Henry F. Genealogical Gleanings in England: Abstracts of Wills Relating to Early American Families. 2 vols., reprint 1901, 1907. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981. (FHL book 942 D2wh 1981).
South Africa maintained death notices
Genealogical and historical societies can help you find an ancestor's place of origin. They are usually helpful if a request takes into account the staff's (usually volunteers) limited services, budget, and time. Through a society, you can find living relatives, others researching the same family, and records or indexes revealing your ancestor's place of origin.
Some societies, such as the Institut für pfälzische Geschichte und Volkskunde [Institute for Palatine History and Folk Culture] (Benzinoring 6, Postfach 2860, W-6750 Kaiserslautern, Germany) maintain files of emigrants from the area the society is interested in. Important directories of societies include—
Johnson, Keith A., and Malcolm R. Sainty, eds. Genealogical Research Directory...and Guide to Genealogical Societies.
Thode, Ernest. Address Book for Germanic Genealogy. 4th ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1991. (FHL book 943 D27t.)
Tax records can substitute for census records to find where families with a selected surname are most concentrated. For example, the Ireland Householders Index helps locate families in the absence of a general census. It indexes two sets of tax records, the Tithe Applotment books
See “Civil Registration.”
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Names, Personal
for Switzerland and the Netherlands are—
Newspapers
Periodicals
Population
. In Germany and other European countries, the police registered citizens and transients. The Family History Library has registers of transients in Hamburg that give places of origin. You need to know the year the emigrant was in Hamburg to use the indexes to these records.
Some seaports and larger cities kept hotel registers of temporary residents and transients, including those awaiting emigration. The Family History Library does not have these records, but you can write to local archives and see if they exist for your seaport. For example, in Antwerp, Belgium, hotel registers were kept (with gaps) from 1834 to 1898. These are located at the Municipal Archives in Antwerp.
. Population registers, similar to ongoing household censuses, were kept in Belgium and in the Netherlands. They can be extremely valuable in determining places of origin when families moved frequently. They list birthplaces or previous residences, but they can usually only be used if you know where the family lived.
Probate Records
that were included in a decased person's estate file. These are full of information such as the deceased's place of birth or origin, parents' names, and children's names. They are easily accessible due to their arrangement.
Societies
Taxation
(1820-1840) and Griffith's Land Valuation books (1840-1860). Both records identify where heads of households were living.
Vital Records
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