United States Emigration and Immigration: Difference between revisions

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==How do I find records?==

===Offices to Contact===

====National Archives and Records Administration====

*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.  

====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.

*[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>

=====Requesting a Record=====

*[https://genealogy.uscis.dhs.gov/ '''Web Request Page'''] allows you to request a records, pay fees, and upload supporting documents.

*[https://www.uscis.gov/records/genealogy/genealogical-records-help/record-requests-frequently-asked-questions '''Record Requests Frequently Asked Questions''']

===Emigration and Immigration Background and Records by State===

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   <li>[[Alabama Emigration and Immigration|Alabama]]</li>  

   <li>[[Alaska Emigration and Immigration|Alaska]]</li>  

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

Nearly fifty million people have immigrated to America. Significant patterns of immigration and settlement can be observed during three periods:  

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|[[Image:Immigrants Behold the Statue of Liberty.jpg|left|300px|thumb|<center>Immigrants Behold the Statue of Liberty<center>]]

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*The port of '''Philadelphia''' was founded in 1682 and rivaled the port of Boston for a short time.  

*Smaller ports are found in several other states.

*Passenger lists before 1820 included '''name, departure information and arrival details'''.  The names of wives and children were often not included.   

*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.

*You will usually find several possible entries for '''immigrants with similar names and ages'''. Learn everything you can so you can distinguish your ancestor from others of the same name. Knowing your ancestor’s full name, approximate date of arrival in the United States, approximate age on arrival to the United States, the likely port of arrival, the name of their spouse, their religion, and their occupation will all help in identifying your ancestor in passenger lists.

*Remember it wasn’t uncommon for '''one member of the family''' to come to the United States first and send for the rest of the family after getting established.