District of Columbia Emigration and Immigration: Difference between revisions

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''[[United States]]  [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]]  [[District of Columbia Genealogy|District of Columbia]]  [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]]  [[District_of_Columbia_Emigration_and_Immigration|Emigration and Immigration]]''
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[[United States Emigration and Immigration]] lists several important sources for finding information about immigrants to this country. [[Tracing Immigrant Origins]] introduces the principles, research strategies, and additional record types you can use to identify an immigrant’s original hometown.  
[[United States Emigration and Immigration]] lists several important sources for finding information about immigrants to this country.  


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|<div id="fsButtons"><span class="online_records_button">[[United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records]]</span></div>
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==How to Find the Records==
== Online Resources ==
*'''1500s-1900s''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7486/?arrival=_iowa-usa_18&count=50 All U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s] at Ancestry - index only ($); includes those with Destination of Iowa; ''Also at [https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-10017/passenger-immigration-lists-1500-1900?s=1&formId=pili&formMode=1&useTranslation=1&exactSearch=&action=query&initialFormIds=immigration&p=1&qimmigration=Event+et.immigration+ep.Iowa+epmo.similar MyHeritage]''; index only ($)
*'''1895-1956''' [https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-10942/united-states-border-crossings-from-canada-1895-1956?s=1&formId=collection_10942:searchFormDef&formMode=1&useTranslation=1&exactSearch=&action=query&initialFormIds=master,immigration&p=1&qevents-event1=Event+et.any+ep.Iowa+epmo.similar&qevents=List United States, Border Crossings from Canada, 1895-1956] at MyHeritage - index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Iowa
*Immigrants would have initially arrived at one of the many ports on the coast. To search additional records, see [[United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records|'''United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records.''']]
==== Passport Records Online  ====
*'''1795-1925''' {{RecordSearch|2185145|United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925}} at FamilySearch — index & images
*'''1795-1925''' [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1174 U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925] Index and images, at Ancestry ($)


=== Immigrants  ===
===Offices to Contact===
Although many records are included in the online records listed above, there are other records available through these archives and offices. For example, there are many minor ports that have not yet been digitized. There are also records for more recent time periods. For privacy reasons, some records can only be accessed after providing proof that your ancestor is now deceased.
====National Archives and Records Administration====
*The [https://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/overview '''National Archives (NARA)'''] has immigration records for arrivals to the United States from foreign ports between approximately 1820 and 1982. The records are arranged by [https://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/passenger-arrival.html#https://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/passenger-arrival.html#where '''Port of Arrival (See Part 5).''']
:*You may do research in immigration records in person at the National Archives Building, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20408-0001. 
*Some [https://www.archives.gov/locations '''National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) regional facilities'''] have selected immigration records; call to verify their availability or check the online Microfilm Catalog.
*Libraries with large genealogical collections, such as the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog '''FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah'''] and the [https://acpl-cms.wise.oclc.org/genealogy '''Allen County Piblic Library'''] also have selected NARA microfilm publications.
:*Order copies of passenger arrival records with [https://www.archives.gov/files/forms/pdf/natf-81.pdf '''NATF Form 81'''.]


The first land grants to English settlers, in what is now the District of Columbia (then Charles County, Maryland), were made in 1663. Scottish immigrants founded Georgetown in 1751. Only a few people lived in the area when the federal government offices were moved there from Philadelphia in 1800. The city grew slowly until the 1860s, when the population more than doubled during and after the Civil War.  
====U.S. Citizenship and and Immigration Services Genealogy Program====
The [https://www.uscis.gov/records/genealogy '''USCIS Genealogy Program'''] is a fee-for-service program that provides researchers with timely access to historical immigration and naturalization records of deceased immigrants. If the immigrant was born less than 100 years ago, you will also need to provide proof of his/her death.
=====Immigration Records Available=====
*[https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/genealogy/historical-record-series/a-files-numbered-below-8-million '''A-Files:'''] Immigrant Files, (A-Files) are the individual alien case files, which became the official file for all immigration records created or consolidated since April 1, 1944.
*[https://www.uscis.gov/records/genealogy/historical-record-series/alien-registration-forms-on-microfilm-1940-1944 '''Alien Registration Forms (AR-2s):'''] Alien Registration Forms (Form AR-2) are copies of approximately 5.5 million Alien Registration Forms completed by all aliens age 14 and older, residing in or entering the United States between August 1, 1940 and March 31, 1944.
*[https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/genealogy/historical-record-series/registry-files-march-2-1929-march-31-1944''' Registry Files:'''] Registry Files are records, which document the creation of immigrant arrival records for persons who entered the United States prior to July 1, 1924, and for whom no arrival record could later be found.
*[https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/genealogy/historical-record-series/visa-files-july-1-1924-march-31-1944'''Visa Files:'''] Visa Files are original arrival records of immigrants admitted for permanent residence under provisions of the Immigration Act of 1924.<ref>"Genealogy", at USCIS, https://www.uscis.gov/records/genealogy, accessed 26 March 2021.</ref>


The District of Columbia did not attract much overseas immigration during the nineteenth century, but a large transient population came from all parts of the nation to work as government officials and congressional staffers. Permanent residents also came from all of the states, but especially from the middle Atlantic region and from the upper tier of southern states.  
=====Requesting a Record=====
*[https://genealogy.uscis.dhs.gov/ '''Web Request Page'''] allows you to request a records, pay fees, and upload supporting documents (proof of death).
*[https://www.uscis.gov/records/genealogy/genealogical-records-help/record-requests-frequently-asked-questions '''Record Requests Frequently Asked Questions''']


Black Americans constituted about one-fifth of the population prior to the Civil War and one-third after. By 1970, the population of the District of Columbia was 70 percent black. Slavery was abolished in the District of Columbia in 1862. For records of slave emancipations and manumissions from 1851 to 1863, see {{FHL|441240|subject_id|disp=District of Columbia - Slavery and Bondage}}. Additional records on blacks are in the [[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]].
==Finding Town of Origin==
Records in the countries emigrated from are kept on the local level. You must first identify the '''name of the town''' where your ancestors lived to access those records. If you do not yet know the name of the town of your ancestor's birth, there are well-known strategies for a thorough hunt for it.
*[[U. S. Immigration Records: Finding the Town of Origin|'''U. S. Immigration Records: Finding the Town of Origin''']]


Foreign and domestic birthplaces of members of a nineteenth-century District of Columbia private association are identified in records of The Association of Oldest Inhabitants of the District of Columbia, which is deposited at The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. (MSS. 422) and has also been published:
==Background==
*The first land grants to English settlers, in what is now the District of Columbia '''(then Charles County, Maryland)''', were made in 1663.
*'''Scottish immigrants''' founded Georgetown in 1751.
*Only a few people lived in the area when the federal government offices were moved there from Philadelphia in 1800.
*The city grew slowly until the 1860s, when the population more than doubled during and after the Civil War.
*The District of Columbia did not attract much overseas immigration during the nineteenth century, but a '''large transient population''' came from all parts of the nation to work as '''government officials and congressional staffers'''. Permanent residents also came from all of the states, but especially from the '''middle Atlantic region''' and from the '''upper tier of southern states'''.
*African Americans constituted African American. Slavery was abolished in the District of Columbia in 1862.
==Immigration Records==
'''Immigration''' refers to people coming into a country. '''Emigration''' refers to people leaving a country to go to another.  Immigration records usually take the form of ship's '''passenger lists''' collected at the port of entry. See [[District of Columbia Emigration and Immigration#Online Resources|'''Online Resources'''.]]
===What can I find in them?===
====[[District of Columbia Emigration and Immigration #Online Resources|Information in Passenger Lists]]====
*'''Before 1820''' - Passenger lists before 1820 included '''name, departure information and arrival details'''.  The names of wives and children were often not included.


*Gart, Jeanne Brooks. "The&nbsp;Association of Oldest Inhabitants of the District of Columbia," ''National Genealogical Society Quarterly'', Vol. 82, No. 4 (December 1994):292-295. {{FHL|39597|item|disp=FHL Book 973 B2ng}}
*'''1820-1891''' - Customs Passenger Lists between 1820 and 1891 asked for '''each immigrant’s name, their age, their sex, their occupation, and their country of origin''', but not the city or town of origin.


=== Passenger Lists ===
*'''1891-1954''' - Information given on passenger lists from 1891 to 1954 included:
**name, age, sex,
**nationality, occupation, marital status,
**last residence, final destination in the U.S.,
**whether they had been to the U.S. before (and if so, when, where and how long),
**if joining a relative, who this person was, where they lived, and their relationship,
**whether able to read and write,
**whether in possession of a train ticket to their final destination, who paid for the passage,
**amount of money the immigrant had in their possession,
**whether the passenger had ever been in prison, a poorhouse, or in an institution for the insane,
**whether the passenger was a polygamist,
**and immigrant's state of health.
 
*'''1906--'''  - In 1906, the '''physical description and place of birth''' were included, and a year later, the '''name and address of the passenger’s closest living relative in the country of origin''' was included.
 
====[[District of Columbia Emigration and Immigration#Passport Records Online|Information in Passports]] ====
Over the years, passports and passport applications contained different amounts of information about the passport applicant. The first passports that are available begin in 1795. These usually contained the individual's name, description of individual, and age. More information was required on later passport applications, such as:
 
*Birthplace 
*Birth date
*Naturalization information
*Arrival information, if foreign born
 
==In-country Migration==
=== Migration Routes  ===
 
[[Chesapeake and Ohio Canal]]{{·}} [[Cumberland Road]]{{·}} [[Fall Line Road]] (or Southern Road){{·}} [[King's Highway]]{{·}} [[National Road]]{{·}} [[Potomac River]]{{·}} [[Atlantic Coast Ports]]
 
==For Further Reading==
The FamilySearch Library has additional sources listed in their catalog:
*{{FSC|United States, District of Columbia - Minorities|subject|subject-id=99091006|disp=United States, District of Columbia - Minorities}}
 
==References==
<references/>


The port of entry in the District of Columbia was Georgetown, but most ship passengers whose official arrival records date from 1800 landed at [[Maryland Emigration and Immigration#Baltimore_Arrivals.2C_1820_to_1891|Baltimore]] and [[Pennsylvania Emigration and Immigration#Records|Philadelphia]]. The [[Family History Library]] and the [[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]] have passenger lists for Georgetown only for the years 1820 and 1821. {{FHL|66154|item|disp=FHL film 830234}}


{{District of Columbia|District of Columbia}}  
{{District of Columbia|District of Columbia}}  


[[Category:Washington, D.C., United States|Emigration and Immigration]][[Category:United States Emigration and Immigration]]
[[Category:Washington, D.C., United States|Emigration and Immigration]][[Category:United States Emigration and Immigration|1]]

Revision as of 00:32, 11 February 2025

District of Columbia Wiki Topics
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United States Emigration and Immigration lists several important sources for finding information about immigrants to this country.

How to Find the Records[edit | edit source]

Online Resources[edit | edit source]

Passport Records Online[edit | edit source]

Offices to Contact[edit | edit source]

Although many records are included in the online records listed above, there are other records available through these archives and offices. For example, there are many minor ports that have not yet been digitized. There are also records for more recent time periods. For privacy reasons, some records can only be accessed after providing proof that your ancestor is now deceased.

National Archives and Records Administration[edit | edit source]

  • You may do research in immigration records in person at the National Archives Building, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20408-0001.

U.S. Citizenship and and Immigration Services Genealogy Program[edit | edit source]

The USCIS Genealogy Program is a fee-for-service program that provides researchers with timely access to historical immigration and naturalization records of deceased immigrants. If the immigrant was born less than 100 years ago, you will also need to provide proof of his/her death.

Immigration Records Available[edit | edit source]
  • A-Files: Immigrant Files, (A-Files) are the individual alien case files, which became the official file for all immigration records created or consolidated since April 1, 1944.
  • Alien Registration Forms (AR-2s): Alien Registration Forms (Form AR-2) are copies of approximately 5.5 million Alien Registration Forms completed by all aliens age 14 and older, residing in or entering the United States between August 1, 1940 and March 31, 1944.
  • Registry Files: Registry Files are records, which document the creation of immigrant arrival records for persons who entered the United States prior to July 1, 1924, and for whom no arrival record could later be found.
  • Visa Files: Visa Files are original arrival records of immigrants admitted for permanent residence under provisions of the Immigration Act of 1924.[1]
Requesting a Record[edit | edit source]

Finding Town of Origin[edit | edit source]

Records in the countries emigrated from are kept on the local level. You must first identify the name of the town where your ancestors lived to access those records. If you do not yet know the name of the town of your ancestor's birth, there are well-known strategies for a thorough hunt for it.

Background[edit | edit source]

  • The first land grants to English settlers, in what is now the District of Columbia (then Charles County, Maryland), were made in 1663.
  • Scottish immigrants founded Georgetown in 1751.
  • Only a few people lived in the area when the federal government offices were moved there from Philadelphia in 1800.
  • The city grew slowly until the 1860s, when the population more than doubled during and after the Civil War.
  • The District of Columbia did not attract much overseas immigration during the nineteenth century, but a large transient population came from all parts of the nation to work as government officials and congressional staffers. Permanent residents also came from all of the states, but especially from the middle Atlantic region and from the upper tier of southern states.
  • African Americans constituted African American. Slavery was abolished in the District of Columbia in 1862.

Immigration Records[edit | edit source]

Immigration refers to people coming into a country. Emigration refers to people leaving a country to go to another. Immigration records usually take the form of ship's passenger lists collected at the port of entry. See Online Resources.

What can I find in them?[edit | edit source]

Information in Passenger Lists[edit | edit source]

  • Before 1820 - Passenger lists before 1820 included name, departure information and arrival details. The names of wives and children were often not included.
  • 1820-1891 - Customs Passenger Lists between 1820 and 1891 asked for each immigrant’s name, their age, their sex, their occupation, and their country of origin, but not the city or town of origin.
  • 1891-1954 - Information given on passenger lists from 1891 to 1954 included:
    • name, age, sex,
    • nationality, occupation, marital status,
    • last residence, final destination in the U.S.,
    • whether they had been to the U.S. before (and if so, when, where and how long),
    • if joining a relative, who this person was, where they lived, and their relationship,
    • whether able to read and write,
    • whether in possession of a train ticket to their final destination, who paid for the passage,
    • amount of money the immigrant had in their possession,
    • whether the passenger had ever been in prison, a poorhouse, or in an institution for the insane,
    • whether the passenger was a polygamist,
    • and immigrant's state of health.
  • 1906-- - In 1906, the physical description and place of birth were included, and a year later, the name and address of the passenger’s closest living relative in the country of origin was included.

Information in Passports[edit | edit source]

Over the years, passports and passport applications contained different amounts of information about the passport applicant. The first passports that are available begin in 1795. These usually contained the individual's name, description of individual, and age. More information was required on later passport applications, such as:

  • Birthplace
  • Birth date
  • Naturalization information
  • Arrival information, if foreign born

In-country Migration[edit | edit source]

Migration Routes[edit | edit source]

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal · Cumberland Road · Fall Line Road (or Southern Road) · King's Highway · National Road · Potomac River · Atlantic Coast Ports

For Further Reading[edit | edit source]

The FamilySearch Library has additional sources listed in their catalog:

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Genealogy", at USCIS, https://www.uscis.gov/records/genealogy, accessed 26 March 2021.


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