The purpose of this training

1
U. S. IMMIGRATION

• The purpose of this training
• is to acquaint you
• with records for finding immigrant ancestors.

2
Passenger Lists

• Over a million immigrants came to the United
  States before 1820, but few names of passengers
  were recorded.
• U. S. Customs Passenger Lists began in 1820, so
  before then you must rely on books compiled from
  other sources.

3
U. S. Immigration Before 1820

• To search for immigrants to the United States
  before 1820, you need to know at least your
  ancestors
• Full name _________________________
• Approximate date of arrival in U.S. _____
• Approximate age on arrival ___________

4
U.S. Immigration Indexesfor Immigrants arriving
before 1820

• Filbys Passenger and Immigration Lists Index
• BYU Family History Library has 42 volumes and
  includes the 2008 supplement Religion / Family
  History Reference CS 68.P36.
• Also indexed are naturalizations, oaths of
  allegiance, and other immigrant resources.
• Lists over 3.5 million names found in
  more than
  3000 sources.
• Supplements are published
  annually.

5
There are several other U.S. Immigration
Indexesfor Immigrants arriving before 1820 on
the Religion / Family History Reference shelves.
Check general immigration indexes, as well as
nationality and port departure and arrival
indexes.
6
Pre 1820Passenger and Immigration Lists Indexes
Internet

• Available at www.ancestry.com gt Search gt
  Immigration and Emigration
• Search the Family History Library Catalog using
  the Place Search under UNITED STATES, or the name
  of the state, and the topics EMIGRATION AND
  IMMIGRATION.
• Look at Cyndis List under Ships and Passenger
  Lists for links to other internet sites with
  information on immigrant ships and passenger
  lists.

7
U. S. Immigration After 1820

• To search for immigrants to the United States in
  passenger lists after 1820, you need to know at
  least your ancestors
• Full name _________________________
• Approximate date of arrival in U.S. _____
• Approximate age on arrival ___________
• U.S. port of arrival __________________
• If you do not know the year of arrival, search
  the 1900, 1910, 1920, or 1930 census for this
  information.

8
U.S. Customs Passenger Lists began in 1820 and
can include

• Name
• Age
• Sex
• Occupation
• Country of Origin
• Port of Departure
• Destination
• Date of Arrival
• Name of the Vessel

9
Immigration lists or Ship Manifests were
first used in 1883

• May include exact birthplace, last residence,
  physical description, town of last residence, and
  names and addresses of relatives in the U.S. and
  in the old country.

10
PASSENGER ARRIVAL LISTSAfter 1820
Between 1820 and 1920, 35 million immigrants
arrived at U.S. ports, and 82 percent of these
arrived at the port of New York.
CASTLE GARDEN was Americas first official
immigration center. It was located at the tip of
New Yorks Manhattan and is now known as Castle
Clinton National Monument . The CastleGarden.org
database has information on 10 million immigrants
from 1830 through 1892, the year Ellis Island
opened.
11
ELLIS ISLAND
Ellis Island opened in 1892. There are many
indexes and passenger lists for this New York
port. Try the Family History Library Catalog,
ancestry.com, and the Ellis Island Web site
www.ellisislandrecords.org.
NEW YORK
12
FOUR OTHER U.S. PORTS TO CHECK FOR IMMIGRANT
ARRIVALS

• Baltimore New Orleans
• Philadelphia Boston

CANADIAN BORDER CROSSINGS AND PASSENGER LISTS
Some immigrants arrived at Canadian ports and
then moved to the United States. There are FHLC
microfilms and internet (ancestry.com) resources
for border crossing records from Canada into the
U.S.
13
PUBLISHED LISTS OF IMMIGRANTS

• The Religion / Family History
• reference shelves contain
• many indexes for different nationalities
• and their immigration to America.
• Look for references for
• German, Irish, Italian, Dutch, and others.

14
U.S. NATURALIZATION RECORDS

• Naturalization occurs when people who were
  born outside the United States are granted U.S.
  citizenship. When a man was naturalized, his
  wife and children (until 1922) also became
  citizens.

Most people who were naturalized between 1790 and
1952 filed A DECLARATION OF INTENTION and A
PETITION FOR NATURALIZATION. These documentations
may be found in either federal, state, county,
or municipal court records.
15
Can you answer these 6 basic questions about
Immigration Records?

• 1. Very few immigrant passenger names were
  recorded before what year?
• Answer 1820
• 2. What information should you know about an
  ancestor before beginning a search for an
  immigration record?
• Answer NAME, AGE, SEX (also the PORT if
  after 1820)
• 3. What is the name of the best index for
  passenger lists before 1820?
• Answer Filbys Passenger and Immigration
  Lists Index
• 4. What kind of information might you find on a
  Passenger List or Ships Manifest?
• Answer NAME, AGE, SEX, OCCUPATION, COUNTRY
  OF ORIGIN, PORT OF DEPARTURE, DESTINATION, DATE
  OF ARRIVAL, NAME OF VESSEL, PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION,
  LAST RESIDENCE, RELATIVES NAME
• 5. Most immigrants arrived at what U.S. port?
• Answer New York
• 6. Most people who desired naturalization filed
  two records. What were they?
• Answer 1)Declaration of Intention 2)
  Petition for Naturalization

16

• Dont leave them LOST AT SEA