Emigration research

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The emigration research is a branch of social history and genealogy , which deals with the emigration is concerned.

The subject of historical research is the timing, extent and reasons of this form of migration .

Many genealogists encounter in their research for evidence of emigrant relatives. Family legends often entwine around the "rich uncle" in America. Sometimes namesakes from abroad ask you about family history details on the Internet. Research into these kinship relationships usually poses a particular challenge and has to be approached with different methods depending on the destination of the emigration.

The United States of America is still one of the most important destination countries for emigrants from Europe .

United States

Many Americans who visit Germany every year are of German origin (according to the US Census 2000). For the first and second generation immigrants, integration and Americanization were particularly important; Only later generations developed a new ethnic awareness, showed an interest in their own origins and began to trace their family history back to the European roots. More and more Germans are also interested in whether they can track down relatives on the other side of the Atlantic.

There are several sources that can be used to research details about emigrants.

Personal records

First steps should be taken before departure. This is how it is useful to make a pedigree. In order to find out the exact place of origin of the ancestors who emigrated to the New World, one will have to consult official documents in addition to private records that may still be in the family. After the oral family history has been recorded, it should be checked using written documents and corrected if necessary.

Information about life dates can be found in old family Bibles that were passed on and in which important family events such as births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and funerals were recorded. Diaries, letters, military lists, old photos and gravestones provide similar information. Naturalization certificates often mention the day of landing, sometimes even the name of the ship that brought the immigrant to the New World. Ports of disembarkation for most German emigrants were Bremen / Bremerhaven (Norddeutscher Lloyd), Hamburg / Cuxhaven (HAPAG), and ports of arrival in the New World were Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, New York, and Philadelphia.

The name of the ship, the date of arrival and the immigrant's original family name can be used to identify the place of origin, which can be listed in various public documents. The main sources of data relating to immigration are now held in the National Archives in Washington, DC.

Passenger lists

From 1820 onwards, every captain who entered the main ports of the United States with his ship was required to give an affidavit stating the name, gender, age, occupation, country of origin or place of origin and destination of his passengers. These landing lists were kept in the port of arrival for years, but some time ago they were handed over to the National Archives in Washington, DC, which distributed them to their regional branches.

Most of them are now microfilmed; those from New York, Boston, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Baltimore can be viewed in the National Archives. The data is offered via name indices. Many (e.g. Castle Clinton and Ellis Island , New York) can already be viewed on the Internet. There are both commercial data collections such as Germans to America and free providers (see a selection of commercial and non-commercial collections here ).

Microfilms with the arrival lists (1800 / 1820–1897) are also in Germany in the University of Oldenburg, the Hamburg departure lists in the state archive there and Bremen's departure lists (from 1919) in the local Chamber of Commerce . All three places help with the research: They have name indices.

Census lists

The lists of the population censuses (Census) for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 are stored on microfilm. They can be viewed in the National Archives and parts of them can be copied for a fee, but are also available on the Internet via name indices and z. Some of the original is also available (e.g. www.ancestry.com). The census from 1850 first gave the place of birth of the persons recorded, and the lists from 1880 also indicated the nationality of the parents. If the place of residence of the wanted person is known, these lists are an excellent source of information.

Naturalization Register

Lists of expatriates who received American citizenship are not in one place. They are scattered all over the country and are archived in the respective administrative court. Naturalization registers often provide valuable information about the place of birth, arrival date in the United States and, in some cases, the name of the ship the new citizen arrived on. The naturalization registers of the New England states are already available in the National Archives in Washington, DC.

Birth, death and marriage certificates

Although the registration of births, marriages and deaths was handled very differently in the individual areas - some communities did not begin to record life data until the beginning of the 20th century - there are many communities whose records go back to the 19th century. Death certificates can be very important as they often include your date and place of birth and closest relatives. Such documents can be found in town halls or administrative offices. In some states, the registers are archived centrally in the capital.

Other official documents that may be useful for family research are military lists, land transfer documents, church records and old address books and telephone books, and the social security index (SSI).

See also

Web links

Emigration from Germany
Immigration to the USA
Other sources