The Dusty Genealogist

The ‘Official Approach’
to Organized Genealogy

Congratulations to all of you who have organized pedigree charts and are working along with us. There have been several questions about “immigrant” ancestors. Well, if you aren’t a Native American Indian, you have immigrant ancestors. One side of my family showed up on our shores in the early 1600’s, the other side showed up with the early Vikings circa the 900’s.

Therefore, looking for immigrants is very doable. Do you know what country they came from? About when they came? Good start! Your homework this month is to pick one immigrant ancestor and locate when, where, and with whom they arrived. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that your family tree gets expanded.

I would be remiss if I didn’t cover what to do with what you are accumulating. Almost as important as your pencil is ORGANIZATION. DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT. Avoid frustrating yourself. Keep up with what you have and organize your approach. I find that it is easier to use acid-free manila envelopes with flaps (available at office stores). I use one envelope for each person. On the front, put the full name, dates of birth, death, and a relationship marker (wife of, father of, child of, sister of, etc.). Keep all related information on that person in the envelope. Include a picture if you have one.

I suggest you keep original records (or your original copy – birth certificates, etc.) in those acid-free plastic document cover sleeves with the notebook holes in them. Split the cost of a box with someone you know doing research. Put a copy of the record in the appropriate envelope. Put the original copies of those documents, in the plastic covers, in a contained three-ring notebook (I like the ones with zippers). Because those document covers are slippery and anything you put on or under them will slide everywhere. Great fun for the family cat – a real challenge to organization. So, contain those slippery things!

The “official” approach to organized research is to set a goal – one person at a time – and do research on them until you can’t go further. Keep a research record (log) indicating the name of the person you plan to research and where he was living. Write YOUR name, address, and phone number on the page, in case you lose it. (Yes, other people will mail this back to you.) Write the “goal” – your objective information you’re seeking. Keep the objective simple. By focusing on one question at a time, you will increase your chances for success.

As you research the different documents (birth, death, location of entry into US), fill in on the research log the date you searched, cite the source, note what you were looking for, and what the results were. Work on the same log page until the objective goal has been met to avoid duplicating researching of documents. File the research log with the documents pertaining to the person whom you were researching to remind you where you have already looked for information. When moving on to a new goal, add it to the log, as long as it is on the same person. That way you keep from duplicating your efforts. Fill out a new research log for the next person. If you keep up with these logs, it really does help you know where you left off and where to look next.

In looking for immigrants, you will have to move into the computer era. Yes, you really do need to and it really is easier than you think. Computer research is available at public libraries, Family History Centers (the Mormons) and some cultural centers. All of these places come with real people to show you how.

Customs passenger lists were kept by the US Customs Service between 1820 and about 1891. The US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has kept lists of immigrant passengers between 1906 and 1957. Be aware that many immigrants changed or shortened their names when they arrived in the U.S. They did this to make their names sound less foreign or easier to spell and, yes, sometimes the immigration clerk purposely shortened or misspelled the name and the emigrant thought they had to keep the change, or wanted to keep it. Look for additional family members in the list just before or after your ancestor. Families lined up together to go through the process.

Passenger arrival lists are the best source of immigration info. after 1820. These lists provide the name of the ship, the port from which it embarked, the dates of departure and arrival, the names and ages of the passenger, spouse, and family members. Most of the 20th century passenger lists and ship records to the U.S. have been indexed and can be viewed on computers and microfilms

When a man was naturalized before 1920, his wife and minor children also became citizens. These naturalization records are located in the court of record where they were processed. That could be a federal, state, county, or municipal court. Congress began to pass laws regulating naturalization in 1795.

Male immigrants entering the U.S. during the Civil War may have been processed as citizens, then assigned directly to a military unit. Think about that when tracking them.

Evidence that citizenship requirements were completed can be found in censuses, court minutes, passports, homestead records, voting registers, and military papers. If an immigrant ancestor didn’t complete the process, you may still be able to find the application record that was filed. These records will identify the country from which your ancestor arrived, his foreign and Americanized names, residence and date of arrival. The 1906 records are more detailed with birth dates and places and information about the family members. After 1920 ports of arrival and vessel names with dates of arrival are available on these records.

When you find the city of origin of your ancestors, you can continue your research to further generations through that country’s church or tax records. Many of those records are available by computer. If you spend only one hour per week, you may be surprised how much you accomplish. Good luck!

By Marjory Regan