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Researching your Immigrant Researching your Immigrant Ancestors’ arrival to the United Ancestors’ arrival to the United
StatesStates
Kathy PetlewskiGenealogy & Local History Librarian
Plymouth District Library2012
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• Question must be answered in the context of history.
• Were they leaving for a reason, or coming for a reason?
• Reasons for leaving: Religious persecution, crop failures, military conscription, no land in the family, outstanding crimes…
• Reasons for coming: abundance of land, promised jobs, freedom of religion, stable government.
Why Did Our Ancestors Come to Why Did Our Ancestors Come to America?America?
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When Did They Come; Major When Did They Come; Major Waves of Immigration after 1800Waves of Immigration after 1800
• First wave: 1815-1862- Irish, British, German, Scandinavians
• Second wave: 1865-1890 – Asians, & northwestern Europeans, mostly German
• Third wave: 1890-1914 – eastern & southern Europeans (Russian, Greek, Italian, Slovak, Romanian, Turkish, Austro-Hungarian)
• Fourth wave: 1965 to present – Asian, Latin American & Caribbean, Middle Eastern
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Where Did They Land in the U.S.?Where Did They Land in the U.S.?
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Ports of Entry – New YorkPorts of Entry – New York
• Over 70 Federal Immigrant Stations along the coast of the United States
• Of the 5.4 million who arrived in US between 1820 & 1850, 2/3 entered through New York.
• By 1860, ¾ of immigrants arrived through New York.
• By 1890, 4/5 of immigrants came in through the Port of New York.
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History of N.Y. Port StationsHistory of N.Y. Port Stations• Castle Garden Castle Garden
Immigration StationImmigration Station – 1855-1890. Eight million immigrants passed through there. Inadequate to meet later demands.
• The Barge OfficeThe Barge Office – 1890-1892, 1897-1900
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History of N.Y. Port StationsHistory of N.Y. Port Stations
• Ellis Island Ellis Island Immigration Station Immigration Station 1892-1954
• Typical price for trip was $35. (steamer)
• Approximately 100 million people came through the portals of this center.
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Other Major PortsOther Major Ports• Locust Point Locust Point
(Baltimore, MD)(Baltimore, MD) – 2nd leading port of entry between 1867 and 1914. Used by the North German Lloyd Steamship Line which had an agreement with the B & O Railroad.
• World War I put an end to most business.
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Angel Island – San Francisco BayAngel Island – San Francisco Bay
• Between 1910 and 1940, This place served as the primary debarkation point for immigrants from Punjab, the Philippines, Japan, China, Mexico & Australia. Because of harsh conditions here for the Chinese, and strict laws, it was called Guardian of the Western Gate.
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• Philadelphia PAPhiladelphia PA – Much more important in 18th Century than later. Only 5% of immigrants came through here in 19th Century.
• Boston, MA
• Charleston, SC
• Savannah, GA
• New Orleans, LA – Germans went up river to St. Louis & established the beer industry.
• Mobile, AL
• Galveston, TX
Lesser Ports in the 19Lesser Ports in the 19thth Century Century
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Finding Passenger Ship RecordsFinding Passenger Ship Records
• Pre – 1820
• No Records exist in the National Archives
• Most have been published as printed lists in books.
• After 1820• Microfilmed copy of lists
at the National Archives or at the Family History Library.
• You may also find information online at sites such as Ellisislandrecords.org or Castlegarden.org..
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Using Using AncestryAncestry for Passenger Lists for Passenger Lists
• Ancestry Library Ancestry Library EditionEdition
• Must be used in the Library
• Both pre 1820 & post 1820
• Info also taken from books.
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Passenger List – Philadelphia 1912Passenger List – Philadelphia 1912
• This is the U.S. Form that was filled out for an arrival in 1912.
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Hamburg Emigration ListsHamburg Emigration Lists
• Passenger Lists were also made at the port of departure for many immigrants.
• Some on Ancestry & others at LDS Family History Library.
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Emigration Indexes on AncestryEmigration Indexes on Ancestry
• Baden, Germany Emigration Index, 1866-1911
• Brandenburg, Prussia Emigration Records
• Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934
• Hamburg Passenger Lists, Handwritten Indexes, 1855-1934
• Irish Canadian Emigration Records, 1823-1849
• Swedish Emigration Records, 1783-1951
• Swiss Emigrants in the 18th Century
• Wuerttemberg, Germany Emigration Index
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Using Using FamilySearchFamilySearch for Passenger Lists for Passenger Lists• Border Crossings From Canada to United States, 1895-1956
• Border Crossings From Mexico to United States, 1903-1957
• Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Lists, 1820-1891
• New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924
• New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891
• New York, Northern Arrival Manifests, 1902-1956
• Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Case Files of Chinese Immigrants, 1900-1923
• Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Passenger Lists
• 25 collections as of May 1, 2012(Some are indexed and some are browsing images only!)
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Other Sources for Passenger ListsOther Sources for Passenger Lists
• National Archives – National Archives – AAD web siteAAD web site
• http://aad.archives.gov/aad
• Choose “genealogy” & then “passenger lists.”
• Have both name files and ship files
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What info should you have before What info should you have before looking for Ship Records ?looking for Ship Records ?
1. Full name of your ancestor.
2. Approximate age at arrival in America
3. Approximate date of arrival in America
Where in the world do I find all of this ?
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Places to lookPlaces to look
• Birth and/or Death Certificates
• Marriage Licenses
• Newpaper Obituaries
• Tombstones
OR…. The United State Census Records !
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United States Census RecordsUnited States Census Records
• In 1870 Census, in column 19, there was a check mark if the male was a US citizen.
• In the 1900, 1910, 1920 & 1930 Censuses, there is a spot to mark if foreign-born was:−NA = Naturalized American Citizen−AL = Alien−PA = First Papers filed toward citizenship.The 1900 & 1910 Census lists the year of immigrationThe 1920 Census also lists the year of naturalization.
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1910 Census for Michigan1910 Census for Michigan
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1920 U.S. Census for Michigan1920 U.S. Census for Michigan
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Naturalization ProcessNaturalization Process
• According to Act of January 29 1795.
• Declaration of Intention filed 3 years before admission as a citizen. (In 1824 this was shortened to two years.)
• Residence of five years in the United States, one in state where naturalization takes place.
• Oath of Allegiance and be of good moral character
• Renunciation of any title of nobility and foreswearing of allegiance to foreign power.
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Naturalization Process – Naturalization Process – Exceptions to the RuleExceptions to the Rule
• Derivative citizenship granted to wives and minor children of naturalized men. From 1790 – 1922, wives of naturalized men automatically became citizens.
• In 1922, women who were 21 years of age and older were entitled to citizenship. Residency requirement to file a declaration of intention was waived.
• From 1824 to 1906, minor aliens who had lived in the US five years before their 23rd birthday could file both their declarations & petitions at the same time.
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Naturalization Process – Naturalization Process – More Exceptions to the Rule More Exceptions to the Rule
• With the passage of the 14th Amendment in 1868, African Americans automatically became citizens.
• Special Consideration given to veterans – After 1862, any veteran could become a citizen after having been here only 1 year. (1918 law allowed over 192,000 aliens from WW I to become citizens immediately after serving in the War.)
• The Citizen Act of 1924 provided that all “non-citizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States” be citizens.
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Naturalization RecordsNaturalization Records• Pre-1906• No uniform standards for amount or type of
information asked on Naturalization Records.
• No special place to store these records – could be in any court of record, in libraries, archives – or destroyed.
• Very little biographical information found in these older records.
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Naturalization RecordsNaturalization Records• After Sept. 27,1906• Bureau of Immigration & Naturalization required
standardized forms including age, occupation, personal description, date & place of birth, citizenship, present & last foreign addresses, ports of embarkation & entry, name of vessel and date of arrival in US.
• Duplicate copies of these forms were sent to Bureau of Naturalization in Washington DC & a third copy kept in naturalizing court. (Original went to citizen.)
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Naturalization ProcessNaturalization Process 1. Declaration of Intent 1841 1. Declaration of Intent 1841
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Naturalization ProcessNaturalization Process2. Petition for Naturalization2. Petition for Naturalization
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Naturalization ProcessNaturalization Process3. Certificate of Naturalization3. Certificate of Naturalization
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Declaration of Intention 1915Declaration of Intention 1915
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Declaration of Intention, 1930Declaration of Intention, 1930
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Finding Records OnlineFinding Records Online
• Ancestry Library Edition Ancestry Library Edition –− U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995 −Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - Original
Documents, 1790-1974 −U.S. Naturalization Records - Original Documents,
1795-1972 (World Archives Project) − Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in New
York City, 1792-1989−Pennsylvania, U.S. Naturalization Originals, 1795-
1930
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Finding Records OnlineFinding Records Online
• Fold3.com Fold3.com –−Naturalization petitions for the Southern District Of
California, 1887-1949.−Naturalization records in this publication include
petitions and oaths for new citizens in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1838 to 1861.
−Petitions and records of naturalizations of the U.S. District and Circuit courts of the District of Massachusetts, 1906-1929.
− Index cards for locating naturalization records for soldiers serving in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I.
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Finding Records OnlineFinding Records Online
• FamilySearch.org FamilySearch.org –−Wisconsin, Dane County Naturalization Records,
1887-1945−West Virginia, Naturalization Records, 1814-1991−United States, New England Naturalization Index,
1791-1906−Texas, Naturalization Records, 1906-1989−California, Northern U.S. District Court
Naturalization Index, 1852-1989− Illinois, Northern District Naturalization Index,
1840-1950
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Ordering Records OnlineOrdering Records Online
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Questions & CommentsQuestions & Comments