Texas, Val Verde, Del Rio, Indexes and Manifests of Arrivals at the Port of Del Rio - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions

*If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.

*If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county. 

*Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.

*Remember that sometimes individuals went by [http://usgenweb.org/research/nicknames.html nicknames] or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for [http://genealogy.about.com/od/first_names/fl/nickname-given-name-equivalents.htm these names] as well. 

*Look for the Declaration of Intent soon after the immigrant arrived. Then look for the Naturalization Petition five years later, when the residency requirement would have been met. Look for naturalization records in federal courts, then in state, county, or city courts. An individual may have filed the first and final papers in different courts and sometimes in a different state if the person moved. Immigrants who were younger than 18 when they arrived did not need to file a Declaration of Intent as part of the process.

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