Lesson 12 Immigration & Emigration

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1 Lesson 12 Immigration & Emigration Mesa Regional Family History Center Research Consultant Training 1

2 Learning Objectives At the completion of this lesson, you will be able to: 1. Explain why the year 1820 is vital to immigration research. 2. Name the 5 main ports of entry. 3. Search for immigration records and/or passenger lists. 2

3 1. IDENTIFICATION 2. KNOWN TO THE UNKNOWN 3. LOGS AND DOCUMENTS 4. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 5. BEST EVIDENCE 6. RECORDS FAMILIARITY 7. FAMILIAL FRAMEWORK 3

4 Emigration & 4

5 Emigration & Immigration Emigration (Exit) Schematic diagram of a country and its population centers Migration (within) Immigration (Come In)5

6 Who, What, Where and Why Did They Leave? Note: Explanation of numbers is in Appendix 12 6

7 Historical Immigration Trends 1500's : Colonial Period - English, African, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Welsh, Finnish, Scottish, and Scots- Irish : Continuation of same groups but in decreasing numbers due to international wars and early attempts at immigration restriction : Catholic Irish, German, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Chinese, Japanese, French Canadian. 7

8 : Italian, Polish, Austrian, Czech, Slovak, Yugoslav, Romanian, Russian, Hungarian, Greek, Arabs, Jews and Japanese : German, Italian, Polish, Czech, British, Irish, Canadian and Mexico - also refugees from Nazi Germany today: Canadian, Mexican, Central & South American, Caribbean, Korean, Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, Middle Eastern Arab, Soviet Jewish 8

9 Why did they come? Push Factors: Conditions in the homeland are pushing them to leave Religious persecution Economic hardship War, mandatory military conscription Had no choice - forced to leave; slaves, convicts, religious non-conformists, etc Revision A, 1 June 9

10 Pull Factors: Conditions in the new country are pulling them to a better life Availability of land Jobs Religious freedom Family who had already immigrated encouraged others to join them in America 10

11 They came on ships In 1620, it took the Mayflower sixty-six days to cross the Atlantic. By the 1840 s, the average length for sailing ships from the British Isles was five to six weeks. With those from the European continent taking a week or so longer. After the Civil War, the majority of immigrants arrived on steamships. Voyage time fell initially to about two weeks and it continued to decline into the twentieth century. Steamships remained the primary means of travel until after World War II. Most immigrants now arrive by airplane. 11

12 What were conditions like? Overcrowding Seasickness Disease ridden Inadequate provisions Unsafe drinking water Bad weather Poor navigation In 1818, out of 5,000 passengers who sailed from Antwerp to America, about 1,000 died. From one European port more than 700 of 1,267 passengers aboard one ship died from Ship Fever 500 passengers died in a fire on the Austria in In 1847, 17,000 immigrants died of typhus aboard ship or in quarantine shortly after arriving in America. 43 ships failed to reach their North American destination between 1847 and 1852 due to ship fire, ship wreck and being blown off course by bad weather.. 12

13 First Class and Second Class Private accommodations Upper-most decks Nice dining halls Attendants for passenger assistance Upon arriving in America passengers were inspected onboard ship. Steerage / Third Class Dorm-like accommodations Little, if any, privacy Lowest decks Limited restroom facilities Often expected to furnish own food Usually debarked ship for processing in America Ellis Island processed only steerage passengers 13

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15 Immigration The exits: Where Europeans boarded the ships to America 15

16 Port History New York: New York was not always the leading port, even though it was established by the Dutch in It was not until the Erie Canal opened in 1825 that New York became the busiest port of entry. Over 80% of immigrants arrived in America through Castle Garden then Ellis Island. Boston: Founded in 1630, Boston was the leading trading and passenger port from the colonial period until

17 Baltimore: Baltimore, founded in 1729, is the best protected deep water port and closest East Coast port to the Midwest. Inspectors boarded ships at the mouth of the Chesapeake and completed inspections on board as the ship sailed north to Baltimore. Philadelphia: Founded in 1682, Philadelphia rivaled Boston and for a short time was a leading port of immigration until New York rose to prominence. During the Irish potato famine, Philadelphia failed to establish adequate shipping lines to receive the influx of immigrants and fell behind the other major ports. 17

18 New Orleans: Founded by the French in 1718 and controlled by Spain from 1762 until sold to the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Once it became a US port New Orleans grew to the fourth largest city in the United States by Travel up the Mississippi River made New Orleans the best way to access America's western interior. The Civil War brought an abrupt end to New Orleans heyday and it never regained its postion among the major ports. Besides US ports, many immigrants arrived at Canadian ports, especially Quebec City and Halifax then just crossed the border into the United States 18

19 US Customs & Passengers Lists began in 1820 Before 1820 American colonies made no effort to require lists of immigrants Before Revolutionary War there was no federal government to request these lists Most immigrants were considered cargo not passengers Travelers recorded fellow passengers in diaries, journals and letters home Cargo manifests & lists have been found in archives, museums, personal papers, bars & attics 19

20 Germans arriving in Pennsylvania were required to take an Oath of Allegiance Consult the Family History Library Catalog and Ancestry.com Consult the Before 1820 Immigration Quickstart _1820.htm Filby s Passenger and Immigration Lists Index must be consulted 20

21 What is Filby s Passenger and Immigration Lists Index? Updated annually, the "Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s" was compiled by P. William Filby. Many refer to this important work simply as Filbys Prior to 1820, most ships coming to America did not keep documentation of who was on board. Because of this, finding documentation of your ancestors' journey to pre-1820 America can be almost impossible. That's why Filby s Passenger and Immigration List Index proves such an invaluable resource. Thousands of different records have been used to compile this index, everything from original passenger lists to personal diaries. 21

1500 1900 s. Search results will give a source bibliography.

22 The Filby Index is available on Ancestry.com under the listing Passenger and Immigration List Index, s. Search results will give a source bibliography. This database is updated annually. rectype/default.aspx?rt=40 22

23 Filby s Passenger List Index Book Form An excellent index of over 2,500,000 names found in more than 2,500 published sources is: Filby, P. W., Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, vols. On CD at the MRFHC Filby Indexes through 2002 at MRFHC 23

Filby sets must be searched independently. 1. Search alphabetically for ancestor. In addition to name, find date of immigration to help identify individual. 2.

24 Filby sets must be searched independently. 1. Search alphabetically for ancestor. In addition to name, find date of immigration to help identify individual. 2. Record name, port of entry, immigration date, Filby reference number and page number. 3. Look up reference number in front of book, and find author and title. 24

25 The Great Migration Study Project andancestors.org/ The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) has set out to compile genealogical and biographical accounts of every person who settled in New England between 1620 and Between these years twenty thousand English men, women and children crossed the Atlantic to settle New England. This is an on-going project. 25

26 The New England Historic and Genealogical Society was founded in 1845 and is the oldest genealogical society in the country. The following Great Migration series have been published. The volumes are arranged alphabetically by surname. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, Books available at the MRFHC Access at NewEnglandAncestors.org ($$) available at MRFHC Access at Ancestry.com ($$) in the Immigration collection The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, In progress surnames A-P currently available Books available at the MRFHC 26

27 After 1820 Federal Government began to regulate immigration Official lists of passengers were required Some cities, states, port officials and shipping lines also kept records Passengers lists before 1880 rarely give immigrant s town of origin Children who immigrated with parents were often not included on earliest lists No official lists were kept for border crossings until 1895 for Canada and 1906 for Mexico 27

28 Passenger lists required the actual birthplace after 1906 Consult the After 1820 Immigration Quickstart on_after_1820.htm Consult US Archives and the Family History Library Catalog Consult Ancestry.com ($$) and other valuable Internet sites (use google or cyndislist.com for help) 28

29 82% of Immigrants came through New York Did your immigrant really arrive through Ellis Island? Many people have come to believe that arriving through New York meant arriving through Ellis Island not true. Before August wharfs of Manhattan Castle Garden: August 1, April 18, 1890 Barge Office: April 19, Dec. 31, 1891 Ellis Island: January 1, June 13, 1897 Barge Office: June 14, Dec 16, 1900 (Ellis Island office burned and had to be rebuilt) Ellis Island: December 17,

30 Ellis Island photo 30

31 The Great Hall of Ellis, sometimes called the Hall of Tears Doctors looked for signs of sickness or infirmity Families could be separated as inspectors accepted some and rejected others Important to create impression one could make a living in America 98% passed all inspections 2% were rejected and deported 5,000 new immigrants a day were processed during peak years 31

Finding them on a Passenger List To search for an ancestor on a passenger list Determine full name Approximate date of arrival Approximate age Likely port of arrival If the year of arrival

32 Finding them on a Passenger List To search for an ancestor on a passenger list Determine full name Approximate date of arrival Approximate age Likely port of arrival If the year of arrival is unknown and they were still living in early 1900 s, try searching the 1900, 1910, 1920 and/or 1930 census as they each have a Citizenship column and ask the year of immigration to the US. 32

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37 If they were not alive in 1900, try to find the immigration year in: Family records Vital records On tombstone Court records Military records Passports Voting registers Ethnic church records County histories State census Land records government land entry files 37

38 Locating Records 1. Go to FHLC 2. Click on PLACE Search 3. Enter desired location (example: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 4. CLICK on SEARCH 5. CLICK on desired location 38

39 6. CLICK on Emigration & Immigration - indexes 7. CLICK on desired Topic Detail 8. Write down call number of book or go to films to get film number 39

40 Sources & Helps Research Outlines- in MRFHC copy room or on FamilySearch.org Tracing Immigration Origins United States Emigration & Immigration section Page=./research/type/Research_Outline.asp&ActiveTab=Type Mormon Immigration Index on all MRFHC computers 1. CLICK on Novell 2. CLICK on Vital Records 3. CLICK on Mormon Immigration Index 40

41 Ancestry.com - a subscription site available free at the MRFHC and participating public libraries px?rt=40 41

42 Check ProGenealogist website com/genealogysleuthb.htm Scroll down 42

43 Stephen Morse Website A great way to search passenger lists! Check Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild Website 43

44 Godfrey.org Provides links to premium databases Subscription access available at the MRFHC 44

45 Immigrant Ancestors Project An ongoing project that uses emigration registers to find information on immigrants in their native country. Currently the project is focusing on France, Germany, England, Ireland, Italy and Spain. Other nations will soon be added. u/desktopdefault.aspx 45

46 Immigrant Servants Database Historians estimate that more than 75% of the colonists who settled south of New England financed their voyages as indentured servants, convict servants and redemptioners. tservants.com/ 46

Did they go to Canada first? http://www.

47 Did they go to Canada first? 47

48 Interpreting Markings and Annotations On Passenger Lists 48

49 Ethnic Immigration books and collections British Emigrants: books by Peter W. Coldham Scottish Emigrants: books by David Dobson New England: The Great Migration Begins & The Great Migration Germans to America The Wuerttemburg Emigration Swiss Emigrants in the Eighteenth Century The Famine Immigrants (Irish) Etc 49

50 MRFHC Research Consultant Training Appendix Who, What, Where, When and Why Did They Leave? (map) 2. Indentured Servants 50

51 Assignment Date Submitted: Lesson 12: Emmigration & Immigration Date Passed on to next lesson: Name: Teacher: Assignment for Lesson: Emigration & Immigration True or False: Immigration Quickstarts can be found in the copy room, in the rack outside copy room and online at If your ancestor came to America in you can expect to find him on an official passenger list as required by the US government. US Federal Census records can help determine year of immigration? Immigration Searches: 1. Using the FHLC: A patron is sure his father, Alex Carson, came into the US through Detroit in 1907, it that possible? Use a place search for Detroit, Michigan. Find Emigration/Immigration records. What is the title of the record? What is the film number? 51

52 Assignment Date Submitted: Lesson 12: Emmigration & Immigration Date Passed on to next lesson: Name: Teacher: 2. Locate James and Florence Woodbridge on a passenger list - as a couple. James was born in 1852 and Florence was born in 1869 both were born in England. The Woodbridge family is living in Michigan in Using Ancestry.com find James & Florence Woodbridge in the 1900 census to determine an immigration time frame. Using either or search the passenger lists for the newly married couple. What was the port of departure? What was the name of the ship? 3. Using the Mormon Immigration Index (in Novell in vital records indexes, find John Crawford who immigrated in Who were the siblings he traveled with? PREVIEW THE NEXT LESSON 52

Immigrant Passengers First View of the Statue of Liberty

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