Ancestry : Immigration & Travel

Immigration and naturalization records–regardless of when they were created–tell the story of your ancestor making that momentous decision to immigrate, travel, or become a citizen of a different country. Like many types of records, earlier immigration records typically don’t contain as much detail as their more contemporary counterparts, but they still contain pieces of your ancestor’s story. Examine them in the context of the time in which your ancestor lived and learn about traveling conditions to fill in more of the story. Twentieth century immigration records can be very rich in detail, including the names and addresses of other family members, in both the old country and new. Look at every detail in the documents and you’ll see the story unfold. As it does, you’ll probably find new clues to further your research. Some of the details you may find in immigration records include place of birth or last residence in their country of origin, names of other relatives, immigration details, occupation, and in some cases, photographs.