Handouts for Finding 
Immigrant Ancestors -- 


 

Where oh where 
 in the old country?

Locating the exact origins of your 
immigrant ancestor in Europe is one the 
greatest research challenges facing the 
family historian. And, before you can 
continue your genealogical research, you 
must know where your ancestors came from 
because records in Europe were kept on a 
local basis.
If your ancestors came to America in the 
past 100 years or so, you may be able to find 
information in records that are still in the 
possession of family members.  These might 
include:
  Birth, death and marriage certificates
  Family Bibles
  Baptismal certificates
  Funeral cards
  Obituary notices
  Diaries
  Photo albums,
  Passports
  Old letters (always check envelopes for 
postmarks and addresses)
  Prayer books
  Military records
  School records
  Insurance papers.

Ask your older family members and cousins 
if they have any of these. Exhaust sources in 
America before you try to cross the Atlantic 
armed only with the notation your ancestor 
came from Germany, Italy or Poland.

Among the most helpful sources for 
determining your ancestor's place of origin 
are:

Naturalization papers 

Immigrants were not required to become 
U.S. citizens, but many filed a declaration 
of intention and a petition to become a 
naturalized citizen. These records may give 
the place and date of birth, date of 
emigration, and the port and date of arrival. 
Records prior to 1906 may be at one or 
more federal, county or city court. Records 
after Sept. 27, 1906 are available from: 
Office of Immigration and Naturalization, 
425 I Street, NW., Washington, DC 20530. 

Census records after 1850

These seldom give the specific birthplace, 
usually only state, country or province are 
given. However, the 1920, 1910 and 1900 
census give the year of immigration -- a 
date needed to find other records.  On the 
1920 census enumerators were instructed to 
report the province (state or region) or city 
of persons who declared that they or their 
parents had been born in Austria-Hungary, 
Germany, Russia or Turkey.  For others, 
only the name of the country was recorded.
U.S. Passenger Arrival Lists. While 
earlier ship passenger lists seldom are of 
value in determining where an immigrant 
was from, the arrival lists in the late 1890s 
and 1900s often given the immigrant's 
specific birthplace. The National Archives 
in Washington, D.C. has the most complete 
set of passenger lists and indexes, dating 
from 1820 to about 1950. It will send you a 
copy of a passenger list entry -- if you can 
supply specific information on the port of 
entry and arrival date. There are many 
published immigrant indexes that give or 
can lead you to the exact places of origin. 
Check Passenger and Immigration Lists 
Index, a multi-volume series by P. William 
Filby, available in many public libraries.

Vital records

Marriage and death records may give place 
of birth. Check these for your immigrant 
ancestor, and also check the records of his 
or her siblings or any of his children that 
were born in 

Obituaries & funeral records. 

Obituaries usually provide more details than 
a death certificate. These were printed in 
the local newspaper where the death 
occurred or where the deceased resided for 
many years. You also may find information 
in the records of the funeral home and in 
the cemetery sexton's records.

Passport applications

Many of our immigrant ancestors returned 
to the old country to visit relatives or find 
spouses. They may have obtained a 
passport, especially if they were men who 
might have been subject to conscription in 
the old country. The Family History Library 
now has passport applications dating from 
1795 to 1891, with an index up through 
1920. The National Archives has additional 
passport records.

Local histories &
historical societies

Printed and manuscript local histories often 
give details about local personalities, and 
may include the place of origin of 
immigrants.

Miscellaneous sources:

Other sources which may give your 
ancestor's birthplace include: insurance 
records, employment records and Social 
Security applications. See attached form for 
obtaining copies of SS-5 from SSA.

Remember that events of the 20th century 
have caused many changes in the 
boundaries of European counties so that 
your ancestor's place of origin may now be 
in a country other than what has been 
recorded. 

Ship Passenger Lists

Probably more time is spent hunting for 
ancestors on ship passenger lists than any 
other type of research. In our naiveté we 
assume these records will reveal exactly 
where in the "old country" our ancestors 
came from. It is not always that simple. 
Depending on when your immigrant 
ancestors arrived, ship passenger lists may 
or may not provide this information. In 
some instances your research problem can 
be solved by tracking down naturalization 
papers, rather than ship passenger lists.
1891-1954 Arrivals
If your ancestors arrived between 1891 and 
1954, Immigration Passenger Lists are 
valuable. Immigrants were asked to provide 
information such as:
  Marital status
  Last residence
  Final destination in the U.S.
  If ever in the U.S. before, when, where 
and for how long.
  If going to join a relative, the relative's 
name, address and relationship

In 1906 and 1907 more questions were 
added to the above list. They are:
Personal description: height, complexion, 
color of hair and eyes, identifying marks
Place of birth -- the exact city, town or 
village.
Name and address of closest living relative 
in native country.
1820-1890 arrivals
However, if your ancestors landed between 
1820 and 1890, you need to search what's 
known as Customs Passenger Lists. These 
contain only the following data:
  Name of ship
  Name of its master
  Port of embarkation
  Date and port of its arrival
  Each passenger's name, age, sex, 
occupation and nationality.
Contrary to popular belief, the National 
Archives does not have copies of all ship 
passenger lists. It does have a microfilm 
copy of passenger lists that were turned over 
to it by the Customs Service and the 
Immigration and Naturalization Service 
when this federal repository was established 
in 1935. Inbound federal ship passenger 
arrival records at the National Archives 
date back to 1820 for most East Coast and 
Gulf Coast ports and a few lists dating back 
to 1800 for Philadelphia. The archives staff 
will you search available INDEXED lists 
for you (first request NATF Form 81 from 
Reference Services Branch (NNIR), 
National Archives, 8th and Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20408). You 
must supply the following:
Full name of the passenger
 Port of entry
Approximate date of arrival
Major indices exist for:
Baltimore, 1820-1952
 Boston 1848-91, 1902-20
New Orleans 1853-1952
New York City, 1820-46, 1897-1943
Philadelphia 1800-1948
Minor ports, 1820-74 and 1890-1924 

Charge is about $10 per search -- if the  
records are found. You also can search 
indexes and passenger lists yourself through 
the FHL system. There were no federal laws 
requiring ship passenger lists be recorded 
prior to 1820. However, some lists exist and 
have appeared in print in various 
publications. The best source for pre-1820 
records is the multi-volume series, edited by 
P. William Filby, entitled Passenger and 
Immigration Lists Index -- widely available 
in public and academic libraries.
Hamburg Passenger Lists -- 
1850-1934
Nearly one-third of the people who 
emigrated from central and eastern Europe 
between 1850 and 1934 sailed from 
Hamburg, Germany. These records usually 
include the ancestral homes of the 
immigrants. The Hamburg Passenger Lists 
are on microfilm and available through the 
FHL. They are made up of two sections:
1. The Direct Lists (with index) -- those 
who sailed directly to their destination 
without stopping at other European ports.
2. The Indirect Lists (with index) -- those 
who stopped at another European port 
before sailing to their final destination. 
About 20 percent of the immigrants took 
indirect routes (they were cheaper).
These records are on 486 rolls of microfilm 
at the FHL. To find the film numbers search 
the Locality section of the FHL Catalog 
under:
GERMANY, HAMBURG,
HAMBURG--EMIGRATION and 
IMMIGRATION. 
If using the compact disc version 
(FamilySearchR), select the computer 
number search and enter 11064. 
Indices 
The 15-year index arrange all names on the 
direct lists from 1856 to 1871 in one 
alphabetical index. It's convenient, but is 
not complete. Check both direct and 
indirect indexes. Direct indexes are for 
1854-1934; indirect indexes are from 1854 
to 1910.
Photos of ships
For available pictures and technical 
information about the ship that brought 
your ancestor to America in the 19th and 
20th centuries contact:
  Steamship Historical Society of 
America, Langsdale Library, University 
of Baltimore, 1420 Maryland Ave., 
Baltimore, MD 21201 
  Mystic Seaport Museum,  50 
Greenmanville Avenue, Mystic, CT 
06355
  Peabody Museum, East India Square, 
Salem, MA 01970
  Mariners Museum, 100 Museum Drive, 
Newport News, VA 23606

Also consult Ships of Our Ancestors by 
Michael J. Anuta, which includes many 
pictures. This book can be obtained from 
Genealogical Publishing Co., 1001 N. 
Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21202, (1-800-
296-6687) for $37.95 postpaid.

For additional guidance on finding and 
using ship passenger lists, read John P. 
Colletta's They Came in Ships, available 
from Ancestry, POBox 476, Salt Lake City, 
UT, 84110-0476 (1-800-531-1790) for 
$11.95 postpaid.
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