United States Cultural Groups

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United States

Cultural Groups

Introduction

It is important to learn the history of the ethnic, racial, and religious groups your ancestors belonged to. For example, you might study a history of the Irish in New York or Huguenot immigration to the United States. Some people have American Indian ancestors. Many people came to America as indentured servants or enslaved from other countries. This historical background can help you identify where your ancestors lived and when they lived there, where they migrated, the types of records they might be listed in, and other information to help you understand your family's history.

Individuals from other cultures usually appear in the same records as other Americans, so search in the same records you would search for anyone else. Then search for additional records of a particular cultural group.

For most cultural groups in the United States, some unique records and resources are available. These include histories, newspapers, and periodicals (such as The Swedish-American Historical Quarterly). In addition, various local and national societies have been organized to gather, preserve, and share the cultural contributions and histories of many groups. Some examples are the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies in Philadelphia and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia in Lincoln, Nebraska.

African Americans

See African American Genealogy.

Danish

The Danish American Archive and Library
1738 Washington Street
Blair, Nebraska
Telephone: (402) 426-7910
The collection consists of books, recordings, photographs, and unpublished written materials relating to the people of Danish extraction in North America.

Filipinos

• Filipinos in the United States

German

• United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012 at FamilySearch — index & images

Italian

• 1855-1900 Italians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage - index ($)

Japanese

• 1942-1946 Japanese Americans Relocated During World War II 1942-1946 at MyHeritage - index ($)

Jewish

Holocaust Survivors and Witnesses' Testimonies - University of Southern California's Shoah Foundation Institute 54,140 audiovisual testimonies of Holocaust witnesses. You can view samples of some interviews and locate institutions which provide access to full interviews.

Under the heading “JEWS” you can find this excellent handbook: Kurzweil, Arthur. From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Personal History. New York, New York: William Morrow, 1980. (FS Library book FS Library|202019|title-id|disp=929.1 K967f}}; film 1055468 item 4.)

• See United States Jewish Research and Jewish Genealogy Research.

Lebanese

• Lebanese in the United States

Norwegian

• Norwegian Settlement in the United States
  
• Norwegian American

Palestinians

• Palestinians in the United States
• al- Sūrīyūn fī al-Wilāyāt al-Muttaḥidah al-Amīrkīyah by Hitti, Philip K. (Philip Khuri). Miṣr:Maṭbaʻat al-Muqtaṭaf, 1922. Online at: New York University; Statistics and overview of Syrian integration into US society.
  • .السوريون في الولايات المتحدة الأميركية .فيليب ك. حتي (فيليب خوري) مصر:مطبعة المقتطف ,1922

Polish

Polish Genealogical Society of America

Russia

• 1834-1897 Russians Immigrationg to the United States at MyHeritage - index ($)

Scottish

• 1625-1825 U.S., Directory of Scottish Settlers in North America, 1625-1825 at Ancestry - index & images ($)

Spanish

Index to the Enciclopedia Heráldica Hispano-Americana of Alberto and Arturo García Carraffa - The work treats Spanish heraldry in the first two volumes, and with volume three begins the Diccionario Heráldico y Genealógico de Apellidos Españoles y Americanos, or a listing of over 15,000 names with their respective genealogical histories (with color illustrations of representative crests) of Spanish and Spanish-American families.

Syrians

• Syrians in the United States
• Fī al-ʻālam al-jadīd by Ṣaqqāl, Fatḥ Allāh. No Publisher Information. Online at: New York University; Syrians in the United States.
  • .في العالم الجديد .فتح الله الصقال No Publisher Information
• al- Sūrīyūn fī al-Wilāyāt al-Muttaḥidah al-Amīrkīyah by Hitti, Philip K. (Philip Khuri). Miṣr:Maṭbaʻat al-Muqtaṭaf, 1922. Online at: New York University; Statistics and overview of Syrian integration into US society.
  • .السوريون في الولايات المتحدة الأميركية .فيليب ك. حتي (فيليب خوري) مصر:مطبعة المقتطف، 1922

Maps

• Map Showing the Distribution of the Slave Population of the Southern States of the United States. Compiled from the Census of 1860, Drawn by E. Hergesheimer, Engr. by Th. Leonhardt. Published by Henry S. Grahm, 1860. ReevesMaps.com includes a scaled-down version of the map.

References

Brief histories, addresses of societies, periodicals, handbooks, and other resources for minority research are available. The FamilySearch Library and most large libraries have books like the following:

• African American Genealogical Sourcebook. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1995. (FS Library book 973 F27afg.)

• Blessing, Patrick Joseph. The Irish in America: A Guide to the Literature and Manuscript Collection. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 1992. (FS Library book 973 F22bpj.)

• “Canada.” Volume 1, Chapter 12, and “Ontario.” Volume 2, Part 2, Chapter 1 of Genealogical Research: Methods and Sources. Revised Edition. Two Volumes. Washington, D.C.: American Society of Genealogists, 1980-1983. (FS Library book 973 D27gr 1980.)

• Colletta, John Philip. Finding Italian Roots: The Complete Guide for Americans. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1993. (FS Library book 973 F2cf.)

• Hispanic American Genealogical Sourcebook. New York, New York: Gale Research, 1995. (FS Library book 973 F2hag.)

• Native American Genealogical Sourcebook. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1995. (FS Library book 970.1 B991n.)

• Smith, Jessie C., editor. Ethnic Genealogy: A Research Guide. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1983. (FS Library book 973 D27sj.)

• Thernstrom, Stephen, editor. Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1980. (FamilySearch Library Ref 973 F2ha, fiche 6051321.)

• Tracing Immigrant Origins Research Outline. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch Library, 1992.

NOTE: All of the information from the original research outline has been imported into the FamilySearch Wiki and is being updated as time permits.

In the FamilySearch Catalog, look for published histories and other minority records in these searches:

In the Place Search, see [STATE] - MINORITIES.

In the Subject Search, look for:

• The name of the minority, such as BLACKS, AFRO-AMERICANS, JEWS, AMERICAN LOYALISTS, ITALIANS - NEW YORK, or QUAKERS.
• Handbooks on how to research specific groups (such as Czech, German, Hispanic, Indian, Irish, Polish, etc.). For example under the heading “POLES - UNITED STATES,” you can find a book called Polish Genealogy & Heraldry.