Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor

Your Guide to Finding Immigrant Origins

To trace your immigrant ancestor back to his country or origin, follow the standard genealogy advice-- work from the known to the unknown, and work backwards. Your goal is usually to locate the city, town or village from which your ancestor came.

Searching documents in this country can help you find this information. Any record that contains a place of birth may contain specific information rather than just the name of the country. Census records can add important information. The documents most associated with immigration are naturalization records and passenger lists in this country and emigration or departure records in the country of origin.

Books, Articles, CD's, Periodicals, Tapes

On the Web

Carmack. A Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your Immigrant and Ethnic Ancestors (find in a library)

Immigrant Fact Sheet

"Tracking Immigrant Origins," in Arlene H. Eakle & Johni Cerny, The Source: a Guidebook of American Genealogy, Ancestry Publ., 1984, pp. 453-516.

Miller, Olga K. Migration, Emigration, Immigration Principally to the United States and in the United States. Two volumes.

Rootsweb Guide to Tracing Your Family Trees: Tracing Your Immigrant Ancestors provides a quick overview.

For a thorough overview, bookmark Genealogy.com's Series of Lessons: Tracing Immigrant Origins

For ready reference, especially with reference to material available from teh Family History Library, bookmark or print out the FHL research guide "Tracing Immigrant Origins".

Many immigrants came as indentured servants. Price & Associates sponsors an Immigrant Servants database . I can't tell how comprehensive it is.

Sometimes immigrants were expelled from their native country and transported to the colonies. The UK National Archives offers a brief summary of the practice of transporting criminals. as well as some advice on how to research these ancestors.

Immigration and Ship Passenger Lists Research Guide Section 2.0 Getting Started.

A "Freundly" Search for Fatherland Origins (describes a search to identify the ancestral origins of the Freundly family)

Kerry. Tips for Finding Your Immigrant Ancestors Part 1.

Smith. Using Ancestry: Surprises in Great Grandpa's Naturalization.