A while back, I talked about passport applications. These are some of my favorite records, so I thought I’d examine a typical application in detail, to show you what type of information you can find. On January 6, 1923, Sidney van Slaars’ passport application (#241469) was approved. Sidney was born in New York City “on … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Passport Applications Revisited
As I mentioned in my previous post, when most people today think of immigration history they envision the "Ellis Island experience"--the huddled masses from Europe entering New York harbor (waving at the Statue of Liberty on those old news reels) and then being processed in long lines at the INS transfer station. That whole system … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Immigration Act of 1891–Origins of the Ellis Island experience
Have you ever tried to find an obituary or a death certificate for an ancestor, only to run into a brick wall because you don’t know the exact date of death? Well, if your ancestor was a U.S. citizen and died overseas, you might just be in luck. Overseas deaths of U.S. citizens are reported … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Death Reports of U.S. Citizens
Most people today equate Ellis Island with the typical immigration experience in U.S. history--the "huddled masses" coming through immigration processing centers before being allowed entrance into the country. Well, it actually took many decades after 1820--when the United States first started regulating immigration (see my previous blog post!)--for U.S. immigration law to reach that point, … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: More on U.S. immigration law–the Immigration Act of 1882
In my last post, I mentioned that I was unable to use the 1890 Census in my research because it was destroyed in the 1920s. I thought it was worth taking a look at exactly what happened. In 1921, the 1890 Census was stored in the Commerce Department. On the afternoon of January 10, 1921, … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: The 1890 Census
Family historians generally know that federal immigration records begin in 1820, but has anyone stopped to wonder why? Well, it all began with the Steerage Act of March 2, 1819 (which went into effect on January 1, 1820). Traveling conditions aboard ocean-going vessels were anything but good in the early 19th century, especially for general … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Why do immigration records start in 1820?
Last time I showed you what I found on my family by using the 1920 and 1900 censuses. Most of the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire in the Commerce Department in the early 1920s, so I wasn’t able to use it. In 1880, however, I found what I had been looking for since … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Getting Started With Census Records, Part 3
Continuing on the theme of vital records that were intentionally created by the federal government--in this case the U.S. military. You may not be aware that many military posts maintained their own burial records for deaths that occurred among both military personnel and (sometimes) the nearby civilian population. Among the many responsibilities of the post … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: More military vital statistics–quartermasters' burial records
Last time I showed you how I used the 1930 census to get started on my own family history research. Today, I’m going to show you what I was able to find using some of the earlier census records. Since Nannie Crozier and her family were living in Collin County, Texas in 1930, I started … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Getting Started With Census Records, Part 2
Recently, a colleague of mine received a reference request that highlights a common misperception some people have regarding original records. The request involved a researcher who complained that their family name had been misspelled on the 1930 census and they wanted the National Archives to “fix” the mistake. Now, most expert researchers know that original … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Preserving the integrity of original records…including the mistakes!
