Researching immigrant ancestors involves studying the history and background of one's ancestors who migrated from their country of origin to another country. Accessing a variety of resources such as genealogy websites, historical records, and archives can be helpful in uncovering valuable information about immigrant ancestors. However, research challenges such as language barriers and incomplete records can make the process more difficult. Despite these obstacles, with patience and perseverance, it is possible to gain a deeper understanding of our family's past and cultural heritage through the study of immigrant ancestors.
What are some of the challenges I might face in researching the origins of an immigrant ancestor?
The difficulty of determining the origin of an immigrant depends on a number of factors. Here are a few of the reasons why your search might be difficult:
- The immigrant's country of origin may not be known or may no longer exist..
- The immigrant may have changed his or her name at the time of the immigration.
- Records about the immigrant family may yet need to be found some time after the immigration occurred.
- The family traditions and records may be misleading and/or inaccurate.
There are likely many other reasons why finding an immigrant ancestor may be difficult, but a careful and systematic approach to genealogical research can often overcome the initial challenges.
Where do I start looking for my immigrant ancestors?
It is enticing to try to jump directly to the country of origin and do some research, but there are many reasons why all research about immigrant origins should begin in the country of the immigrant's arrival. The goal is to identify the location of specific events in your ancestors lives in the country of their origin. This rule applies unless you already have information about the exact location of an event in your ancestor’s life, such as, birth, marriage, or death.
Here are some of the first things you should know about solving this ancestral puzzle:
What is the difference between immigration and emigration?
An emigrant is someone who emigrates—moves away from a country. An immigrant is someone who immigrates—moves into a different country. Both words can apply to the same person—a person must first emigrate to immigrate. However, these terms are often used to distinguish different groups, such as when tracking how many people are moving into a country and how many are moving away.
Will a DNA test help me find my immigrant’s origin?
Genealogical DNA testing has advanced to the point where obtaining a DNA test should be the first thing you can do to begin to find the place of origin of an immigrant ancestor. DNA ethnicity results will tell you the areas of the world where your ancestors lived but a large online family tree program, such as MyHeritage.com, can help you discover DNA matches with people from the countries where your ancestors originated. MyHeritage.com also provides a way to contact these DNA matched relatives directly. Of course, if you are looking for an ancestor who lived many years ago, usually more than six generations in the past, the DNA will not be as useful because you will need to do research to identify the immigrant in the country of arrival before the test will help.
Where should I begin looking for records about my immigrant ancestor?
Start learning about your ancestors by talking to your living relatives. Someone may have a letter or journal from the country of departure or other artifacts that will help identify the place of origin.
For immigrants arriving in the United States, there are two huge databases of information about immigrants; Castle Garden (1855 - 1890)[1] and Ellis Island (1892 - 1957).[2] Millions of immigrants passed through these famous ports of entry.
What are the first records I should look for?
There are two ways to start looking for records. One way is to focus on the most recent records first. This means that you would start looking for death records such as cemetery, probate, obituaries, and other related records. The other way to begin is to look for marriage records. Marriages affect property rights and so marriage records are more likely to be preserved and available than birth or death records. Either way, you start by moving from what you know about living people to looking for information that you don’t know about dead people.
The records you can find about an immigrant also depend on when the immigrant arrived. For immigrants in the United States, it is much easier to find records in the 20th century than it is in the 19th century and before. When the immigrant arrives also determines the types of records that may be available.
When did the United States first pass immigration laws?
Before 1882, the United States had no laws governing the entry of immigrants. The first law passed by the U.S. Legislature was the Chinese Exclusion Act.[3] Since then, there has been a flood of immigration legislation with the results that immigration is one of the most complex areas of law in the United States. Before 1882, there were no restrictions on people entering the United States; anyone could cross a border or enter from a ship.
How can I tell when my immigrant ancestor arrived in the United States?
Determining when an immigrant arrived becomes more difficult the further you move into the past. The 1900 census (column 16), 1910 census (column 15), 1920 census (column 13), and 1930 census (column 22) each indicate the person's year of immigration to the United States.[4] Before 1900, research for the date of arrival usually begins with searching for passenger lists for ships arriving in U.S. ports. MyHeritage.com has many large collections of passenger lists for arrival in the United States.
If your ancestor came to the United States by crossing from Canada or Mexico, you may find information from U.S. Border Crossing Records. The U.S. began recording border crossings from Mexico in 1903[5] and border crossings from Canada in 1895.[6] The Canadian Border Crossing Records are available on MyHeritage.com.
What other kinds of records can help me find my ancestor’s origin?
Clues to the origin of an immigrant ancestor can be found in almost any genealogically valuable document from family letters, newspapers, obituaries, employment records, and many others. The key to solving the mystery lies in careful and organized research. If your ancestors arrived and are found in the U.S. Census records for 1910 to 1930, their date of arrival and whether or not they obtained citizenship through naturalization the dates for both their arrival and naturalization may be recorded.
Explore more about immigrant ancestors
Here are some helpful resources for starting your search for an immigrant ancestor.
- Passenger lists collection at MyHeritage
- Canadian Border Crossing Records at MyHeritage
- Ellis Island: Discover Your Ancestors’ Stories at MyHeritage Blog
- Proven Ways to Find Your Immigrant Ancestors at BYU Family History Library YouTube channel
- Guide to Immigration Records and Ship’s Passenger Lists at Genealogical Society of Bergen County
- Immigrant Records at the National Archives at National Archives
- Tracing Your Immigrant Ancestors: Research Library at New York State Library
References
- ↑ York, Mailing Address: 26 Wall St New, and NY 10005 Phone: 212 344-7220 Contact Us. “History & Culture - Castle Clinton National Monument (U.S. National Park Service).” Accessed February 13, 2023.
- ↑ City, Mailing Address: Ellis Island Receiving Center Statue of Liberty National Monument Jersey, and NJ 07305 Phone: 212 363-3200 Contact Us. “How to Trace Your Immigrant Ancestors- Getting Started - Ellis Island Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service).” Accessed February 13, 2023.
- ↑ National Archives. “Chinese Exclusion Act (1882),” September 8, 2021.
- ↑ National Archives. “Clues in Census Records, 1850-1940,” August 15, 2016.
- ↑ National Archives. “Mexican Border Crossing Records, ca. 1903–ca. 1955,” August 15, 2016.
- ↑ National Archives. “By Way of Canada,” August 15, 2016.