Ancestry Magazine

Where, exactly did your ancestors come from? Though the question is straightforward, the answer is often difficult to find. The following checklist is a good starting point for locating hard-to-find origins.

Where, exactly did your ancestors come from? Though the question is straightforward, the answer is often difficult to find. Exact places of origin were not recorded on most immigration documents before the twentieth century. If your ancestors immigrated before the twentieth century, however, all is not lost. Though the following checklist is incomplete, it is a good starting point for locating hard-to-find origins.

Many immigrants were naturalized, married, had American-born children, left probate records served in the U.S. military, were employed, voted, died, and were buried, leaving various clues to their origins in documents crated in connection with these events. Many records asked (and answered) the question “When were you born?” Ideally, a person’s reply gave the name of the specific town, village, or city, not just the country of origin.

Naturalization Records
Many immigrants became American citizens within a few years after their arrival in the United States. While there are exceptions, most naturalization records created before 1906 contain very little information of genealogical value, and only a small number of the early records indicate exact origins in the “old country.” Most pre-1906 citizenship papers indicate the country (sometimes the province) from which the immigrant sailed. The Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, created in 1906, began “a system of uniformity, design, and control of forms.” Beginning in September 1906, Immigration and Naturalization Service Form 2202 asked aliens for an exact date and place of birth, as well as for the person’s last residence. If an individual was married, he or she was required a list of children’s names and the dates and places of their births.

While the date and place of birth were less likely to be included in naturalization documents before 1906, there were many exceptions. Every court in every county had its own format, and the questions asked of immigrants varied from state to state and from county to county.

Usually, pre-1906 naturalization records asked for the name of the country to which the immigrant had previously to which the immigrant had previously owed allegiance. However, some applicants offered more; in 1894, Samuel Taggert offered the judge of the Queens County Court (New York) this information:

“I was born in Scotland Feby. 17, 1867 and sailed from Londonderry May 28, 1884 and arrived in N.Y. City June 9, 1884 and am now 27 years of age.”

Marriage Records
Marriage records are another potential source for birthplaces. Though government-created marriage records might indicate only the country of origin, it is not unusual to find the record of a religious ceremony providing the entire answer, especially if the officiating minister was of the same nationality. The name of a small town would have more meaning when copied into a religious marriage record. It is not uncommon to find an immigrant’s origin in other church records; baptisms, transmittals, funerals, and parish censuses are potential sources for this hard-to-find information. Birth Certificates
The number of children an immigrant couple had either limited or extended the number of times they stated where they were born. Between 1873 and 1891, Edward Bender and Eva Katz had twelve children in New York City. The places of birth of the parents were recorded on city birth records, which begin in 1866. Ten of the children’s birth records listed Germany as Eva’s place of birth; one stated New York; only one of twelve children’s birth certificates showed Cassel, Germany, in the space for the mother’s place of birth. The certificates variously listed the birthplace of Edward Bender, the father, as USA, New York, New York City, and Germany. Death Certificates
Many death certificates had spaces for the date and place of birth of the individual. Though the family did not always know the full answer, they usually supplied the country of origin. When the information was supplied by a second party, he or she may not have known more than the country of origin. If the informant was a sibling, however, the place of birth may indeed include the name of a small town or village. Probate In his will, dated 26 November 1941, Daniel T. Slattery, an Irish immigrant, wrote, “I give and bequeath to my sister, Hannah Slattery, known in religion as Sister M.D. Slattery, of Presentation Convent, Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland, the sum of one thousand five hundred dollars, for her own use absolutely.” The practice of sending money to family members who remained in the old country was common among the Irish and possibly other cultures. Though Daniel came to America in 1882, he did not forget his relatives in Ireland 60 years later. Obituaries
When working with newspapers, a distinction should be made between obituaries and death notices. An obituary is often a biographical sketch of an individual of some reputation who has recently died; it is printed at the discretion of the newspaper editor. A death notice is submitted and paid for by the family and usually is included with many other notices. Often, obituaries are indexed; death notices are not included. For the genealogist, both forms of death notification are important.

On 21 April 1864, Mary Purcell’s death notice in The Brooklyn Eagle read, “a native of Kilkenny, Ireland.” Here the family included the county as well as the country of Mary’s birth. Six years later, on 13 June 1870, Mary’s daughter Judith died. Her death notice in the same newspaper stated, “Judith, widow of Lawrence O’Brien, of Kells, County Kilkenny, Ireland, died in the 63rd year of age,” giving us an even smaller geographical area in which to begin research abroad.

Further Reading
Newman, John J. American Naturalization Processes and Procedures 1790-1985. Family History Section. Indiana Historical Society, 1985.
Eakle, Arlene H. “Tracking Immigrant Origins,” in The Source, A Guidebook of American Genealogy, edited by Arlene Eakle and Johni Cerny. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1984.
Bentley, Elizabeth Petty. “Part 3. Ethnic and Religious Organizations and Research Centers. Ethnic Archives, Libraries, and Societies; Part 4. Special Resources. Immigration Research Centers.” The Genealogist’s Address Book. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1991.
Research Outline, Tracing Immigrant Origins. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1992. Suzanne McVetty is a full-time, professional researcher specializing in Irish, New York and New York City, and Long Island research. She is also a consultant, lecturer, and teacher of genealogy.