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Immigration Records
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We are all descended from immigrants. Whether they came to America in
prehistoric times via the Bering Strait or later on ships, or airplanes, at
some point in history, every person's ancestors came from somewhere else. Every
American hoping to link generations and reach back in time will ultimately be
faced with immigration questions. Fortunately in modern times, we can find answers within the pages of immigration records.
The origins of most immigrants are documented in a wide variety of these sources.
Types of Immigration Records TOP^
Although the databases at Ancestry.com contain a variety of immigration records, most records in the collection fall into these two categories:
Passenger Lists
In 1819, the United States Congress enacted legislation to regulate the
transport of passengers from foreign ports to the United States. As a provision
of this act, ships' captains were required to submit a list of passengers to
the collector of customs in the district in which the ship arrived. These
passenger lists comprise the vast majority of immigration records. The content
of passenger lists has changed significantly over the years and information is
sparse on earlier lists.
Passenger lists typically include these types of information:
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Name
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Age
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Occupation
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Place of origin
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Destination in the United States
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Name and type of ship
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Port and date of departure
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Port and date of arrival
View an original passenger list
Naturalization Records
Naturalization is the legal procedure by which an alien becomes a citizen of a
state or country. Every nation has different sets of rules that determine
citizenship. Under the Basic Naturalization Act of 1906, naturalization forms
became standardized and were sent to the U.S. Bureau of Immigration (later the
Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS]) for examination. The formalized
process required that a prospective citizen file a declaration of intention in
which he or she renounced allegiance to foreign sovereignties. Following a
waiting period of five years, an immigrant could then petition a federal court
for formal citizenship.
Naturalization records typically include these types of information:
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Applicant's name
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Birth date and place
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Port and date of departure
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Port and date of arrival
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Last foreign address
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Court location and date of petition or oath of allegiance
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Physical description
FAQ
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What is the U.S. Immigration subscription?
The U.S. Immigration Collection covers records for all major ports of arrival
for the U.S. as well as Canada. You will find records ranging from the 1500s to
the 1900s—including information on immigrants from over 100 countries. The U.S.
Immigration Collection contains various database types including passenger
lists and naturalization records for more than 22 million names. Some featured
databases include the following:
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Passenger and Immigration Lists Index (PILI).
This database contains over 4 million names spanning 1538–1940. It covers all
U.S. & Canadian ports, and is the most reliable source for pre-1820
immigration records (before the U.S. required such information). In addition to
passenger lists, it also includes naturalization records, church records,
family & local histories, voter registrations, census records, land
records, personal diaries and more.
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New York Passenger Lists. This database is an index to the
passenger lists of ships arriving from foreign ports at the port of New York
from 1851–1891. The names found in the index are linked to actual images of the
passenger lists, copied from the National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) microfilm.
Can you provide any tips for finding my ancestor's immigration records?
One of the challenges in tracing your family history is in finding information
about immigrant ancestors. Because most foreign records are kept at the town
level, discovering the name of a native town, county, or parish is an important
goal. Without that information, it is impossible to know where to conduct
research in the country of origin.
As you begin your research for your immigrant ancestors, you might want to
start your research by finding out as much information as you can about your
immigrant ancestor. In some cases, evidence of a family’s origins can be found
in personal possessions or family histories. If you don’t find the information
you’re looking for, you can search public records such as: tax, land, or
probate records; military records; and censuses. These record collections often
contain immigration information and are a major resource for determining where
your ancestor lived. For example, census records from as early as 1850 indicate
birthplaces for individuals and a possible date of immigration.
After discovering all that you can about your ancestor, you are ready to search
for your immigrant ancestor in the U.S. Immigration Collection—databases that
include passenger lists (some with images of the microfilmed record),
naturalization records, and more.
If you don’t have a subscription, you can still see an individual’s name and
the name of the database where it was found, but you will not be able to see
any other index information or database images.
What other resources can I use to finding my immigrant ancestors?
There are many websites that provide important free information that will aid you in your search for your immigrant ancestors:
For an outline that explains how to find immigrant ancestors, see the Family History Library’s Tracing Immigrant Origins Research Outline provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
For an introduction to immigration records, see the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. (The NARA houses the most complete set of microfilmed immigration records in the nation.)
Ellis Island was the principal immigration clearing point from 1892–1924. If your ancestors arrived to the U.S. during those years, the probability is extremely high that they passed through there. For information about Ellis Island, see these websites:
Interesting Facts TOP^
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Between 1855 and 1922, an alien woman became a citizen automatically if she
married an American citizen.
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Non-native minor children became American citizens when their parents were
naturalized.
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Former slaves were made citizens by the ratification of the Fourteenth
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1868.
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American Indians were made citizens by federal laws passed in 1887 and 1924.
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Aliens from China, Japan, and other East and South Asian countries were barred
from becoming citizens from 1882 to 1943.
Improving Your Search: Identify the Immigrant
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Your ability to successfully trace immigrant ancestors is greatly enhanced if
you learn everything possible about the individual and their family members
before you begin your search. Here’s a list of some information you will want
to discover:
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Name.
Find out the immigrant's full name including given names, surnames, and
nicknames. Sometimes, a name alone can be a clue to the immigrant’s original
country or region.
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Dates.
Try to place your ancestor in their native country on a specific date. A birth
date is best, but other dates such as a christening or marriage may work, as
long as the event took place in their native country.
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Place of Origin. Determine the specific place (such as town or
parish) where your immigrant ancestor was born, or their last place of
residence before they left the country.
If possible, you should also try to discover the date of immigration, place of
departure, and port of arrival.
Related Articles
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For more information on using immigration records in your genealogical research, see these articles:
Tips for Finding Your Immigrant Ancestors, Part 1 by Kip Sperry
Immigration Records by Terry and Jim Willard
Naturalization Records by Juliana Smith
Taking the Plunge on Ships' Passenger Lists by George G. Morgan
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