American Samoa Genealogy
Guide to American Samoa ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| American Samoa Wiki Topics | |
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| Beginning Research | |
| Record Types | |
| American Samoa Background | |
| Local Research Resources | |
Country Information[edit | edit source]
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States in the Pacific Ocean whose nearest neighbors are the Cook Islands, Tonga, and Samoa. The official languages are Samoan and English.[1]
Getting Started[edit | edit source]
Getting Started with American Samoa ResearchLinks to articles on getting started with American Samoa research. |
American Samoa Research ToolsLinks to articles and websites that assist in American Samoa research. FamilySearch Articles:
External Links:
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American Samoa Map[edit | edit source]
Genealogy records are kept on the local level in American Samoa.
Districts[edit | edit source]
Genealogy records are kept on the local level in American Samoa. American Samoa is divided into three districts: Eastern, Western, and Manu'a. It also has two unorganized atolls, Swains Island and Rose Atoll (which is uninhabited). These districts and atolls are divided into 74 villages.
Naming Conventions[edit | edit source]
Samoan names are often part of the Matai title system. Here are several resources:
- Nobility - This is a FamilySearch Wiki article on nobility and how that factors into people's Matai names
- Naming Conventions in Samoa -- Wikipedia section of Fa'amatai (the chiefly system of Samoa)
- Trying to Understand Matai Titles/Surnames -- a message board article at Ancestry.com
- Names of villages in American Samoa -- some of these village names may be used in the Matai titles
- An account of Samoan History up to 1918 -- contains a lot of matai title name history
FamilySearch Resources[edit | edit source]
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.
- Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
- Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
- Historical Records
- Family History Center locator map
Online Records[edit | edit source]
- 1850-1972 - American Samoa, Vital Records, 1850-1972 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1918-1965 - American Samoa, Passenger Lists and Travel Documents, 1918-1965 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1929-1954 - American Samoa, Census Records, 1900-1945 at FamilySearch — index
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "American Samoa," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Samoa, accessed 6 May 2016.
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