Tracing Immigrants Arrival Search Tactics: Difference between revisions

The general strategy is to search family sources first, then records of previous research, and finally original records about the immigrant. Even if you cannot find the place of origin with country-of-arrival records, any information you find will be valuable when using the records of the old country.<br><br>{{TOC left}}[[Image:Immigrants Behold the Statue of Liberty.jpg|thumb|right|300x260px|New York - Welcome to the land of freedom!]]

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Begin your research with family and home sources. Collect all the information you can about the immigrant and his or her parents, spouse, or children. Even information not about the place of origin may be a clue.  

Look for names, dates, places, relatives, and clues in certificates, family Bibles, obituaries, diaries, tombstone inscriptions, military papers, passports, letters and post marks, photographs, and similar sources. Contact relatives, family friends, and neighbors and ask for family information or referrals to someone who might have information. Many researchers find their ancestor's hometown in family and home sources.  

After reviewing home and family sources, look for research done by others on your family lines. Someone else may have already identified the immigrant's place of origin. Even if you do not find the place of origin, you might uncover important clues. Seek information for both the immigrant ancestor and other family members.  

For more information, see the “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Biography|Biography]],” “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Genealogy|Genealogy]],” and “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Periodicals|Periodicals]]” sections below.  

Libraries, archives, and societies near where an immigrant settled may collect previous research about the local people. For example, local genealogies, biographies, town or county histories, and genealogical and historical periodicals may reveal the place of origin. Look for compiled works done on town, county, state, or provincial levels. Also look for local genealogical or historical societies who publish periodicals or have research registration programs.  

See the sections “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Archives and Libraries|Archives and Libraries]],” “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival History|History]],” and “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Societies|Societies]]” below. '  

Certain types of original records are more likely to give immigration information than others. (See the “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Record Finder|Record Finder]]”.) Search these first, then search other original records until you discover the hometown and as much information as possible about the immigrant and his or her family.  

Many types of local original records can help establish where an immigrant settled, indicate if property was purchased, reveal an occupation, and so on. In addition to the sections noted above, see “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Census|Census]],” “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Court Records|Court Records]],” “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Land and Property|Land and Property]],” “Occupations,” or “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Pensions|Pensions]].”  

If using the previous tactics does not reveal the immigrant's hometown, search for immigration and naturalization records. Passenger lists, immigrant aid society records, and applications for citizenship fall into this group. Some churches kept lists of immigrant families, giving information about their arrival, place of origin, and place of settlement.  

See the “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Emigration and Immigration|Emigration and Immigration]]” and “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Naturalization and Citizenship|Naturalization and Citizenship]]” sections.  

If local records do not yield a place of origin, move to broader jurisdictions. Try original state and national records. Not every immigrant is in these records, but many are.  

For more information on national original records that may give a place of origin, see the “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Census|Census]],” “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Pensions|Pension]],” and “[[Tracing Immigrants Arrival Military Records|Military Records]]” sections below.  

If you have not learned the town name, at least determine the country of origin. If you know the country, try to learn the specific region or state. Knowing the country is sometimes enough to use country-of-origin records. However, the more you know about the place of origin, the easier it is to search country-of-origin records.  

You can usually determine the country or region an immigrant is from by talking to descendants, using census records, or searching compiled records. For example, the[https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1&region=EUROPE International Genealogical Index] could reveal where a particular name occurs most frequently.  

If you still cannot find the place of origin, there are two other approaches you can use.