When searching for your ancestors, you can only go back a few generations until you run into the immigration question. All of our ancestors, unless we are Native American, came from across the ocean, whether across the Atlantic or around the Cape of Good Hope and up to the Pacific coast. Many people came in through Ellis Island, during the years of 1815 to 1950, and most people departed for the United States from Liverpool.

After you trace your roots to whichever of colonial states they landed in, then you use the records of each individual state to go back further. Usually the Bureau of vital statistics in each state will be able to help but do not neglect checking with records of churches your ancestor may have been members of.

In order to search for ancestors that entered the United States though Ellis Island, you need to know three things. 1) The name your ancestor used in the Old Country; 2.) his or her age or date of birth and 3.) The approximate date he or she arrived. It is also helpful if you have any information about the specific part of the old country he or she came from.

By using the naturalization records, passenger arrival lists, certificates of arrival you will be more likely to narrow down the search. The following site is a good source www.uscis.gov for records after 1906. The records will often give the name of the vessel and port of arrival and date. The genealogy collections of the Latter Day Saints can provide information also. One of the best online sites is the following one about Ellis Island.

There is also a very good book by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack called The Family Tree Guide to Finding Your Ellis Island Ancestors. Castle Garden was the name Ellis Island was called before 1892, so you might try that name also. You can get lists by going to Ancestry.com but they charge you for the privilege. Keep in mind that it is a good idea to follow every clue, no matter how unlikely it sounds. The sounds like feature of the Ellis Island database is helpful because so many names may be spelled differently between countries and times, also that in Catholic countries, women were required to register with their maiden name as part of their married name.

Ship manifests were required to keep track of passengers and cargo, with additional information such as births, weddings and deaths being placed on the last sheet.
Some of the immigrants came to America, worked a few years to save up money and then returned to their native land to buy land there.

The search may be long and tricky in places but it is worthwhile knowing where your roots lie, and it will give you a new sense of yourself and where you fit into. Good luck in hunting for your ancestors.

Tags:  immigration immigration records