immigration

A Greek-American pushcart vendor in Chicago circa 1935. The picture was taken by a Federal Writers Project photographer. Photo courtesy of the Illinois State Historical Library.

"Most Americans trace their roots to a homeland outside the United States. Your parents may have recently immigrated from Central America, or perhaps your great-grandparents arrived in New York from Russia then settled in Pennsylvania. Do you live in northern California because your ancestors came from China or Korea? Over one hundred years ago, Africans were forced into immigrating to America and elsewhere as slaves.

"In the early days, most people came to America by boat, landing at Ellis Island in New York, or perhaps the ports at New Orleans or San Francisco. Today, some immigrants still arrive by boat while others land at any airport.

"If records of arrival exist, it might be possible to trace your ancestor to a homeland where his or her parents were born, and their parents, and so on. Just think of what a discovery such as that would do to your pedigree charts!

"From the 1600s through the early 1900s, most immigrants entered the US by ships. Sometimes, they were counted before they left the port in Europe or Asia. If they survived the journey, they were counted again when they landed in America, and their names entered on a ship's passenger list. These passenger lists contain vital information for ancestor detectives. They include such things as the immigrant's name, age, marital status, occupation, and nationality.

"The year 1907 holds the record for the year with the most immigration, boasting 1,285,000 people. Unfortunately, in 1897, a fire broke out on Ellis Island and destroyed most of the records for immigrants arriving before 1855.

"Typically, when an immigrant wanted to become a citizen, he would file a 'Declaration of Intent' with his local county courthouse. Between two to five years later, he would petition the court for citizenship. If all went smoothly, the immigrant would be accepted as a citizen. Along the way, other documents might be created.

"Not only are naturalization records interesting alone, but they also provide clues to the ancestor's country of origin, his date of arrival in America and sometimes and even what ship he arrived in.

"More than one ancestor detective has heard an immigrant story from their oral history gathering and set out to find that ancestor's immigrant records. Many of these exuberant family historians found out that, after sometimes years of researching, they had the wrong name, or the wrong year of arrival.

"Even if you think you know the name of your immigrant ancestor, don't begin your family history search there. Start with yourself and work backwards in time. Use census records to confirm where your parents, grandparents and their parents lived. Religious records will help fill in the blanks, and perhaps even tell you if your ancestor has moved to the area from another state or another country.

"Eventually, you'll look for naturalization records, since this event is closer to you in time then the actual immigration."

Myra Vanderpool Gormley
Author and professional genealogist