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m (Text replacement - "*Do you know the name of his parents? *Do you know his birth, marriage, or death date or can you calculate an approximate range of years to search for his birth, marriage, or death? *Do you know the name of his wife? Did they marry before or after coming to the United States?<br> *Do you know the names of any of his siblings?" to "*Do you know the name of his/her parents? *Do you know his/her birth, marriage, or death date or can you calculate an approximate range of years to search for his/her birth, marriage, or death? *Do you know the name of the spouse? Did they marry before or after coming to the United States? *Do you know the names of any of his/her siblings? ") |
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== Documents in the Home == | == Documents in the Home == | ||
Often the document you need to pinpoint the place of origin of your ancestor from Norway is already found at home. These might include the following: | Often the document you need to pinpoint the place of origin of your ancestor from Norway is already found at home. These might include the following: | ||
{{columns-list|2| | |||
*Birth certificates | *Birth certificates | ||
*Marriage certificates or licenses | *Marriage certificates or licenses | ||
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*Citizenship papers | *Citizenship papers | ||
*Military service records | *Military service records | ||
}} | |||
==Emigration Questions to Ask Relatives== | ==Emigration Questions to Ask Relatives== | ||
Find the oldest living relatives that you can and ask them: | Find the oldest living relatives that you can and ask them: | ||
# What do you know about our first ancestor to come from Norway? (open-ended) | # What do you know about our first ancestor to come from Norway? (open-ended) | ||
# | # Have you ever heard mention of towns in Norway where the family lived? | ||
# | # Do you have contact with any relatives in Norway? | ||
# | # Do you have contact with other branches of the family in the U.S.? | ||
# | # When _____________ came from Norway, did he travel with other family members? | ||
# | # Do you know when _________________ arrived and which port city? | ||
# | # Did _______________ever become a citizen? | ||
# | # Did_________________fight in World War I or II? | ||
# | # When they first came, were there already family members here who they joined? | ||
# | # Did_______________ever mention their parents in Norway? | ||
# | # What church did they attend? | ||
# | # Do you have any old letters or postcards from your Norway family? | ||
# | # Do you have any pictures of family members in Norway? | ||
==Search Genealogies Compiled by Others== | ==Search Genealogies Compiled by Others== | ||
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*[[Collecting Previous Research by Others Part Three: Digitized Books]] | *[[Collecting Previous Research by Others Part Three: Digitized Books]] | ||
*[[Collecting Previous Research by Others Part Four: FamilySearch Wiki Tools]] | *[[Collecting Previous Research by Others Part Four: FamilySearch Wiki Tools]] | ||
==Records to Search in the Country of Arrival== | ==Records to Search in the Country of Arrival== | ||
===Census Records=== | ===Census Records=== | ||
*Search census records, available for the United States, Canada, England, and other countries. Censuses are often taken every ten years. | *Search census records, available for the United States, Canada, England, and other countries. Censuses are often taken every ten years. | ||
*Try to locate your ancestor in every census during which | *Try to locate your ancestor in every census during which they were alive. This information provides a good framework for further research. | ||
*The United States censuses for 1900 to 1930 ask for the year of immigration and whether or not the person was naturalized. This information can help you find naturalization records or a passenger list. | |||
*The censuses for 1900 to 1930 ask for the year of immigration and whether or not the person was naturalized. This information can help you find naturalization records or a passenger list. | *Federal censuses are available online. Links to both free and subscription websites are found at [[United States Census Online Genealogy Records]] | ||
* | *State census records vary in availability and the type of information they contain, but they are always useful as another source to document an ancestor in a specific locality. See [[Online Genealogy Records by Location#U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State|U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State]] for links to online state censuses. | ||
*State census records vary in availability and the type of information they contain, but they are always useful as another source to document an ancestor in a specific locality. See [[Online Genealogy Records by Location#U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State| | |||
===Vital Records === | ===Vital Records === | ||
Vital records, or civil birth, marriage, and death records document important events in an ancestor’s life. Many states have posted statewide indexes on the Internet. Understand that any birth, marriage, or death certificate gives information about other people besides the primary person it is about | Vital records, or civil birth, marriage, and death records document important events in an ancestor’s life. Many states have posted statewide indexes on the Internet. Understand that any birth, marriage, or death certificate gives information about other people besides the primary person it is about. | ||
# It is important to remember that a birth certificate for a child might tell it's parents' birthplaces. | |||
# Marriage certificates might name birth dates and places of the bride and groom. They might also give the names and birth places of the parents of the bride and groom. | |||
# Death certificates are very important. Birth and marriage certificates might not have kept by a state during the earlier years of your ancestor's life. There is a greater chance that your ancestor died after detailed record-keeping began. Death certificates frequently state birth date and place. They also state the names of parents and their birth places. | |||
You can select the state of interest and the record (birth, marriage, or death) from this list: [https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Category:How-To_Articles '''How-To Articles''']. | |||
*Many records may be online. See [[Online Genealogy Records by Location#U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State|'''U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State''']], for online vital record databases. | |||
[https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Category:How-To_Articles '''How-To Articles''']. | |||
*Many records may be online. See [[Online Genealogy Records by Location#U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State|'''U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State''']], for online vital record databases. | |||
===Cemetery Records=== | ===Cemetery Records=== | ||
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===Obituaries=== | ===Obituaries=== | ||
Obituaries are an excellent source of biographical information about immigrants. In addition to names and death dates, you can learn about surviving family members, church affiliations, spouses, parents, occupations, burial places, and hometowns in the old country. Even if a place of origin is not given, an obituary may provide additional research clues, such as the date or ship of immigration or traveling companions. Much of this information cannot be found in other sources. For many immigrants, an obituary is the only “biographical sketch” ever written about them. See [[Online Genealogy Records by Location#U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State|'''U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State''']] for links to online obituary collections. If the town of death is known, Google newspapers in that town and contact them to see if they kept archives of their obituaries. | Obituaries are an excellent source of biographical information about immigrants. In addition to names and death dates, you can learn about surviving family members, church affiliations, spouses, parents, occupations, burial places, and hometowns in the old country. Even if a place of origin is not given, an obituary may provide additional research clues, such as the date or ship of immigration or traveling companions. Much of this information cannot be found in other sources. For many immigrants, an obituary is the only “biographical sketch” ever written about them. See [[Online Genealogy Records by Location#U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State|'''U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State''']] for links to online obituary collections. If the town of death is known, Google newspapers in that town and contact them to see if they kept archives of their obituaries. | ||
*[https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7545 | *[https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7545 U.S. Obituary Collection, 1930-2017] ($) | ||
*[[Online Genealogy Records by Location#U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State| | *[[Online Genealogy Records by Location#U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State|U.S. Online Genealogy Records by State]] | ||
===Social Security=== | ===Social Security=== | ||
The application for the Social Security card may also contain a town of birth. These records are available for deceased individuals who died after 1935 when Social Security began. | |||
* | *FamilySearch {{RecordSearch|1202535|United States Social Security Death Index}} | ||
* | *Ancestry [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=3693 U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014] ($) | ||
* | *Ancestry [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=60901 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007], Incomplete, ($) | ||
The Social Security Applications and Claims Index does not cover every application--it has sort of an eclectic mix of what got included. If you find your ancestor in the ''Social Security Death Index'' but '''not''' in the ''Social Security Applications and Claims Index'', you can [https://secure.ssa.gov/apps9/eFOIA-FEWeb/internet/main.jsp '''send away for a copy of the application'''.] | |||
===Military Records=== | ===Military Records=== | ||