Passports are among the best sources of genealogical data, especially for people born in other countries. Since 1925 onward the National Archives has kept these records on hand. Going back a little further, the department of State was issuing passports in 1789 too. And while you might think foreign travel was unusual this early in history, there were over one and a half million passports issued between 1810 and 1925. All but five percent of these passports went to men. Nonetheless anyone traveling with the gentleman would be listed along with their relationship and age on the passport.

To get some successful results from passport research you’ll need some information – specifically the person’s name and the year when he or she was traveling. Note that if you can minimally narrow the window of time when they traveled this may work as well. Remember that until recently passports weren’t valid for so many years, so if you’re unsuccessful in one “window” you might find a hit in another because of a new application (look at two year spans). Also remember that passport research has limitations – the paperwork wasn’t a requirement for travel until 1941 except during the Civil War and World War 1. If a person was not a US citizen, they could not obtain a passport. After 1941 it became necessary to carry a passport abroad (but only recently necessary for the Canadian border).

As you find passport records you’ll discover some interesting things about the differences between early data and modern. For example, the exact date, year, and place of birth isn’t always on earlier passports. This happened typically when someone’s birth record was destroyed or lost somehow, such as by fire.

Unlike currently, some passports included a person’s occupation and they also included the destination and reason for travel. This last tidbit could prove very valuable in your search, if say they were “visiting family in England.” Now you know there are relatives across the water! Finally, passports taken out by naturalized citizens may include the date and state in which naturalization occurred.

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