Lebanon Emigration and Immigration

Return to Lebanon Genealogy main page

'From the early 16th Century until World War I, Syria and the Mount Lebanon region were part of the Ottoman Empire. For this reason, most Lebanese and Syrians immigrating before 1918 had Turkish passports, and were grouped in U. S. Census Abstracts under the heading "Turkish" or "Asian." After the First World War, Lebanon and Syria operated under French mandate, gaining independence in the 1940s.

The close relationship of these two countries from the earliest days of recorded history helps explain a present-day puzzle. Until the 1950s, most of the immigrants referred to themselves as "Syrian" whether they came from Syria or the Mount Lebanon region. One explanation is that at the time of their heaviest immigration, "Syria" was a familiar word in the United States, and "Lebanon" was not; to simplify things, they said "Syrian." ' by Sandra Hasser Bennett, Genealogy Today

Family History Library holdings

 * De líbano a México : crónica de un pueblo emigrante. A chronical of Lebanese immigration to Mexico in 1920 and after.
 * Diccionario enciclopédico de Mexicanos de origen Libanés y de otros pueblos del Levante Encyclopedic dictionary of of Mexicans of Lebanese origin, and from other parts of the Levant (Middle East). Includes bibliographical references.
 * La emigración libanesa en Costa Rica. Lebanese immigration to Costa Rica.
 * The Lebanese in Australia.
 * Libaneses en Mexico. Data base of 5527 immigration forms (F-5 and F-14) of Lebanese immigrating into Mexico between 1882 and 1940.
 * Registros del Consulado Español en Trípoli, Libia. Digital images of originals housed at the Archivo General de la Administración, Madrid, Spain.To view digital images of these Spain, Consular Records of Emigrants, click here. Not available on microfilm.
 * A stream out of Lebanon : an introduction to the coming of Syrian/Lebanese emigrants to Prince Edward Island.