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

• 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?

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

Where Did They Land in the U.S.?Where Did They Land in the U.S.?

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

• 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

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..

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.

Passenger List – Philadelphia 1912Passenger List – Philadelphia 1912

• This is the U.S. Form that was filled out for an arrival in 1912.

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.

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

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!)

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

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 ?

Places to lookPlaces to look

• Birth and/or Death Certificates

• Marriage Licenses

• Newpaper Obituaries

• Tombstones

OR…. The United State Census Records !

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.

1910 Census for Michigan1910 Census for Michigan

1920 U.S. Census for Michigan1920 U.S. Census for Michigan

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

Naturalization ProcessNaturalization Process 1. Declaration of Intent 1841 1. Declaration of Intent 1841

Naturalization ProcessNaturalization Process2. Petition for Naturalization2. Petition for Naturalization

Naturalization ProcessNaturalization Process3. Certificate of Naturalization3. Certificate of Naturalization

Declaration of Intention 1915Declaration of Intention 1915

Declaration of Intention, 1930Declaration of Intention, 1930

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

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.

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

Ordering Records OnlineOrdering Records Online

Questions & CommentsQuestions & Comments