United States, Panama Canal Zone, Employment Records and Sailing lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

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United States, Panama Canal Zone, Employment Records and Sailing lists, 1905-1937 CID2193241 {{{CID2}}} {{{CID3}}} {{{CID4}}} {{{CID5}}} {{{CID6}}} {{{CID7}}} {{{CID8}}} {{{CID9}}}
This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.
Panama Canal Zone, United States
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Record Description
Record Type	Employment and Sailing Lists
Record Group	RG 185: Records of the Panama Canal, 1848-1999
Collection years	1905-1937
National Archives Identifier	514
FamilySearch Resources
Panama Genealogy
Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone Records
Related Websites
NARA Article on Panama Canal Research
National Archives Records of the Panama Canal
Archive
National Archives and Records Administration

What is in This Collection?

The collection consists of an index and images of employee records (service history cards), sailing lists of contract laborers, and employee identification records (metal check cards and applications). This collection corresponds to NARA Record Group 185, Records of the Panama Canal, 1848-1999. Index to applications for Photo Metal Checks, 1918-1919 courtesy of the National Archives.

• Metal Check Issue Cards,NAID 7226555
• Applications for Photo-Metal Check,7/1918-7/1919 NAID 6821421
• Sailing Lists of Contract Laborers,1905-1910 NAID 7226554
• Service Record Cards,1904-1920 NAID 7226556

To Browse This Collection

You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for United States, Panama Canal Zone, Employment Records and Sailing lists, 1905-1937.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?

The records may include the following information:

• Name
• Age
• Birth place
• Residence
• Change in status
• Position or job
• Service dates
• Salary
• Where Appointed
• File number
• Remarks

Collection Content

Sample Images

• Panama, Employment Records from the Panama Canal
• 

  Service Record Card (front)

• 

  Service Record Card (back)

• 

  List of Contract Laborers

How Do I Search This Collection?

To begin your search it is helpful to know:

• The full name of your ancestor
• The birth date and birth place of your ancestor
• The residence of your ancestor
• The approximate dates of employment

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page

1. Select Record Description to view the images.

With either search keep in mind:

• There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
• You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name
• Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life

What Do I Do Next?

When you have located your ancestor’s employment record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details about your ancestor. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

• Compile a list of other personnel with the same surname. This is especially helpful if the surname is unusual
• When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

• Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names
• Look for another index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
• Search the indexes and records of nearby counties
• Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor

Citing This Collection

Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation

"United States, Panama Canal Zone, Employment Records and Sailing lists, 1905-1937." Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing NARA Record Group 185. College Park, Maryland: National Archives and Records Administration, Archives II, n.d.

Record Citation: When looking at a record, the citation can be viewed by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Document Information.

Image Citation: When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen.

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National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.