(Verifying Records Found On Webpages)
© Lorine McGinnis Schulze
You just found a church record for the marriage of your great great grandfather, or the record of your 4th great grandparents on a passenger list of a ship to the New World in 1777 - wow! But you have questions - how accurate is this information? How can you verify it?
All records have the potential for error once they have been transcribed. This results in the possibility of culmination of errors with each succeeding transcription. Deliberate altering of the records (such as adding details the transcriber believes are correct; changing the spelling of names etc) results in even more possibility of corruption.
Generations (Versions) of a Record
Each generation or version that a record goes through increases its chance of errors. Researchers should always try to use records as close to the original as possible. Let's go through an actual example:
Many of the records and databases on Olive Tree Genealogy http://olivetreegenealogy.com/index.shtml are transcribed from microfim of the original. They can be considered a second generation level transcription. This means they have one chance of human error (assuming the original minister made no mistakes). If the original minister or clerk made errors then they have two changes of human error. These records may be considered as good as book published records in most cases.
Records transcribed for Olive Tree Genealogy from published versions (such as the Marriage Records of the Reformed Dutch Church in New Amsterdam/New York found at http://olivetreegenealogy.com/nn/church.shtml and used with permission of the NYGBR who published them in series), are third generation -- having been transcribed from the original to the NYGBR to Olive Tree. Records at 3rd generation level stand a greater chance of error. How useful they are depends on how reliable and accurate the working publication (in this case the NYGBR) is. In this case the NYGBR is considered a scholarly journal, is well regarded, and can be trusted.
The following example is based on an interpretation and explanation of the number of generations an early New York will can go through before it ends up on a webpage or mailing list on the Internet. (originally sent to the Dutch-Colonies mailing list on 10 June 2001)
An Example of Generations in Wills and Abstracts
Generation 1 (original) The original will. Many have been microfilmed by the LDS church
Generation 2 (2nd version/transcription) At the time of probate the will was copied into the book (or "liber") of wills. Microfilm of most of the early libers is available.
Generation 3 (3rd version/transcription) In the 19th Century a copy of the original libers was made. Microfilm of these is available from the LDS church.
Generation 4 (4th version/transcription) Abstracts were done and published as part of the Collections of the New York Historical Society. These are also available on CD-ROM
Generation 5 (5th version/transcription) Those abstracts were either scanned or retyped and made available as on-line databases on webpages.
Generation 6 (6th version/transcription) The Generation 5 on-line abstracts were posted on an e-mail list.
You can see how many times errors can be introduced or parts of the records lost along the way. This holds true for all online records.
So what can you, the researcher, do?
1. Use original sources wherever possible.
2. If you can't use the original source be sure to carefully notate where you found the information. Hopefully you will one day be able to consult the original to verify the transcript.
3. Scrutinize your source - is it reliable? Has it been altered? Was it taken from an original, or was it taken from a source further removed from the original?
4. Research your sources! Find out if there are better published records that are known to have fewer errors. Talk to those knowledgeable in the field, write emails and ask questions.
5. Don't accept everything you see in print. Be a savvy researcher and protect yourself from errors in your family tree.
The question you should ask yourself every time you access a webpage with information is:
HOW MANY GENERATIONS AWAY IS THIS INFORMATION FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE?
The further removed it is, the more chance of error.
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This article was written by Lorine McGinnis Schulze of The Olive Tree Genealogy at http://olivetreegenealogy.com/index.shtml
Permission to copy is granted as long as the article remains AS IS. No changes may be made to the article and all identifying information and website link must remain intact! This Permission to Copy notice must remain with the article
Updates about Olive Tree Genealogy website and other FREE genealogy records. Bringing you tutorials, genealogy book and app reviews, genealogy news, genealogy specials and more. Helping you find your family tree and ancestors.
August 30, 2004
August 22, 2004
Passport Applications 1809-1817
Passport applications are often a valuable source of genealogical information. NARA has passport applications from October 1795-March 1925. The U. S. Department of State has passport applications from April 1925 to the present.
Some immigrants applied for passports to return home to visit family or friends. These records usually give a place of birth or at least the destination (which is often the home town)
The first passport issued in USA was dated July 1796.
My first new database is an Index to the Register of Passport Applications
1809-1817 for all states, found at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/passports1809.shtml
All records on NaturalizationRecords.com are FREE to use, please let each page load completely then scroll down to find the names.
The index to Passport Records and an explanation of Passport Records as a research tool is at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/passports.shtml
You can pass this message on to anyone you think might be interested, and if you find an ancestor on any of my projects please let me know!
Some immigrants applied for passports to return home to visit family or friends. These records usually give a place of birth or at least the destination (which is often the home town)
The first passport issued in USA was dated July 1796.
My first new database is an Index to the Register of Passport Applications
1809-1817 for all states, found at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/passports1809.shtml
All records on NaturalizationRecords.com are FREE to use, please let each page load completely then scroll down to find the names.
The index to Passport Records and an explanation of Passport Records as a research tool is at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/passports.shtml
You can pass this message on to anyone you think might be interested, and if you find an ancestor on any of my projects please let me know!
July 20, 2004
New York Orphanage Records
There were many orphanages and orphan asylums in the 19th century. I have begun transcribing records for New York State orphanages. The records online begin in 1819 with lists of names of Almshouse children, and continue to the early 1900s with lists of names of children in orphanages.
Many of these institutions were founded in New York City to care for destitute children of immigrants from Ireland and Russia, Germany and other eastern European countries. Many immigrants found themselves unable to work and thus were unable feed their children. Women died during childbirth leaving a number of uncared for children. Many women also had illegitimate children that they could not provide for. Husbands died, living behind widows with large families. Some parents were addicted to alcohol or committed crimes and wound up in prison.
By 1850, New York state had 27 orphanages run by public and private funds but the problem of orphaned or abandoned children left behind roaming the streets begging for food was growing.
The Children's Aid Society, founded in 1854, shipped some of these children to homes in the South and West on Orphan Trains. Boys and girls were give a train ticket and sent to the mid-west.
Almshouses cared for impoverished adults and the elderly, and children often shared space with them. Dating back to the colonial era, New York City assumed responsibility for its citizens who were destitute, sick, homeless, or otherwise unable to care for themselves. In 1880, New York state passed a law that ended the practice of housing children in Almshouses with adults, unless they were born there.
To see the lists of orphans and half-orphans in Orphanages in New York state, visit http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/orphans.htm
Many of these institutions were founded in New York City to care for destitute children of immigrants from Ireland and Russia, Germany and other eastern European countries. Many immigrants found themselves unable to work and thus were unable feed their children. Women died during childbirth leaving a number of uncared for children. Many women also had illegitimate children that they could not provide for. Husbands died, living behind widows with large families. Some parents were addicted to alcohol or committed crimes and wound up in prison.
By 1850, New York state had 27 orphanages run by public and private funds but the problem of orphaned or abandoned children left behind roaming the streets begging for food was growing.
The Children's Aid Society, founded in 1854, shipped some of these children to homes in the South and West on Orphan Trains. Boys and girls were give a train ticket and sent to the mid-west.
Almshouses cared for impoverished adults and the elderly, and children often shared space with them. Dating back to the colonial era, New York City assumed responsibility for its citizens who were destitute, sick, homeless, or otherwise unable to care for themselves. In 1880, New York state passed a law that ended the practice of housing children in Almshouses with adults, unless they were born there.
To see the lists of orphans and half-orphans in Orphanages in New York state, visit http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/orphans.htm
July 12, 2004
Minorcans to Florida, 1768
Thanks to the hard work of Lucie Servole Myers, Olive Tree Genealogy has an original research project reconstructing names of colonists of Greek, Italian, Minorcan and Turkish origins to Florida in May 1768.
Eight ships sailed under the direction of Andrew Turnbull. Lucie has reconstructed the names of 431 passengers on board the 8 ships. This is a wonderful database and I owe a big thank you to Lucie for allowing Olive Tree Genealogy to publish this online for all to use. The ships are organized in the following immigrant groups:
Passengers from Spain
Passengers from Greece
Passengers from Corsica
Passengers from Canary Islands
Passengers from Italy
Passengers from Balearic Islands
Eight ships sailed under the direction of Andrew Turnbull. Lucie has reconstructed the names of 431 passengers on board the 8 ships. This is a wonderful database and I owe a big thank you to Lucie for allowing Olive Tree Genealogy to publish this online for all to use. The ships are organized in the following immigrant groups:
Passengers from Spain
Passengers from Greece
Passengers from Corsica
Passengers from Canary Islands
Passengers from Italy
Passengers from Balearic Islands
June 27, 2004
Lost Faces -Old Photo Albums Found & Rescued
I've been busy setting up a new corner of Olive Tree Genealogy.I call it "Lost Faces -Old Photo Albums Found & Rescued"
One of my hobbies is going to flea markets and garage sales. Whenever I spot one of those old Photo Albums from the 1800s with family pictures, I have to buy it! I can't bear the thought that the album and photos will be lost or destroyed. Even though they aren't my ancestors, and they can be very expensive, I can't walk away without it.
What I'm doing with Lost Faces is putting online the list of all the albums I have saved, along with the list of photos and other documents (I have albums that contain funeral cards, memorial cards, obituaries, Christmas cards, and hand-written genealogies) and any research I've done on the family. I've also put up some of the photos
I hope that by putting this online, descendants will find a treasure.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/faces/ is the little intro to this new corner of OTG. Read to the bottom and then choose the "List of Family Photo Albums"
I only have a few online so far, but the locations are from England to USA to Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Have a look, I hope you like it and that you find an ancestor there.
One of my hobbies is going to flea markets and garage sales. Whenever I spot one of those old Photo Albums from the 1800s with family pictures, I have to buy it! I can't bear the thought that the album and photos will be lost or destroyed. Even though they aren't my ancestors, and they can be very expensive, I can't walk away without it.
What I'm doing with Lost Faces is putting online the list of all the albums I have saved, along with the list of photos and other documents (I have albums that contain funeral cards, memorial cards, obituaries, Christmas cards, and hand-written genealogies) and any research I've done on the family. I've also put up some of the photos
I hope that by putting this online, descendants will find a treasure.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/faces/ is the little intro to this new corner of OTG. Read to the bottom and then choose the "List of Family Photo Albums"
I only have a few online so far, but the locations are from England to USA to Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Have a look, I hope you like it and that you find an ancestor there.
June 14, 2004
Images of Ships Passenger Lists to LA, MD & NY online!
Olive Tree Genealogy has been putting actual images of passenger lists online for several months now. So far there are images of the passenger lists of ships to New York, New Orleans Lousiana and Baltimore Maryland.
These are graphics of the actual passenger lists - some are also transcribed, but some are not. The quality of the images varies from crystal clear to very faded, but that's always the fun of research. Reading someone else's transcript or index of a passenger list is okay, but seeing the original list for yourself is always best.
What a great opportunity to find out who else was travelling with great great grandma! I found my own great great grandmother's mother (and g-g-grandma's maiden name) on an image - her mother was travelling with her in 1831 as she made her way to New York City. I wouldn't have known she was her mother without seeing the original image.
Often there are comments about illness, deaths, stowaways, or other remarks. Occupations, places of birth and ages are often given. All these images and lists are free to researchers, as are all databases on Olive Tree Genealogy.
The index to images of ships passenger lists (the actual manifests) is at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/ships/
These are graphics of the actual passenger lists - some are also transcribed, but some are not. The quality of the images varies from crystal clear to very faded, but that's always the fun of research. Reading someone else's transcript or index of a passenger list is okay, but seeing the original list for yourself is always best.
What a great opportunity to find out who else was travelling with great great grandma! I found my own great great grandmother's mother (and g-g-grandma's maiden name) on an image - her mother was travelling with her in 1831 as she made her way to New York City. I wouldn't have known she was her mother without seeing the original image.
Often there are comments about illness, deaths, stowaways, or other remarks. Occupations, places of birth and ages are often given. All these images and lists are free to researchers, as are all databases on Olive Tree Genealogy.
The index to images of ships passenger lists (the actual manifests) is at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/ships/
May 18, 2004
St. Mary's Church in Philadelphia PA - Pew Rentals, Burials & more!
I have just started putting the Cemetery Records for St. Mary's Church in Philadelphia PA online. The records go from 1788 to 1800.
St. Mary's, built in 1763, was the second Roman Catholic institution in Philadelphia. It was the site of the first public religious commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. Members of the Continental Congress attended
services four times from 1777 to 1781. George Washington worshiped at St. Marys on at least two occasions.
You can start at PENNSYLVANIA GENEALOGY LINKS at
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/usa_genealogy/pennsylvania.htm
Choose "Search online Pennsylvania Databases" then look under CEMETERY RECORDS. Click on the link for St. Mary's Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia Pennsylvania to begin.
To see the Pew Rentals 1787-1791 List of Names, go to http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/usa_genealogy/pa_stmarysintro.htm
It may be easier to start at
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/usa_genealogy/pennsylvania.htm
Choose "Search online Pennsylvania Databases", then click on Church Records - Pew Rentals 1787-1791 St. Mary's Church, Philadelphia Pennsylvania
St. Mary's, built in 1763, was the second Roman Catholic institution in Philadelphia. It was the site of the first public religious commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. Members of the Continental Congress attended
services four times from 1777 to 1781. George Washington worshiped at St. Marys on at least two occasions.
You can start at PENNSYLVANIA GENEALOGY LINKS at
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/usa_genealogy/pennsylvania.htm
Choose "Search online Pennsylvania Databases" then look under CEMETERY RECORDS. Click on the link for St. Mary's Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia Pennsylvania to begin.
To see the Pew Rentals 1787-1791 List of Names, go to http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/usa_genealogy/pa_stmarysintro.htm
It may be easier to start at
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/usa_genealogy/pennsylvania.htm
Choose "Search online Pennsylvania Databases", then click on Church Records - Pew Rentals 1787-1791 St. Mary's Church, Philadelphia Pennsylvania
May 12, 2004
Top Genealogy Blogs
Olive Tree Genealogy Lorine McGinnis Schulze (the Olive Tree Lady) answers questions about genealogy and provides tips for finding those elusive brick-wall ancestors
The Paper Trail Eclectic mix of old documents - you may just find an ancestor's will, land record or general store receipt here!
Past Voices Letters, letters and more letters! Letters from Civil War soldiers, from wives to husbands, sons to mothers, sisters to sisters... This blog contains poignant old letters full of genealogy tidbits.
Ancestors at Rest - The blog for AncestorsAtRest.com website. Contains death records of all kinds - funeral cards, death notices, cemetery receipts, obits...and more
Family Bibles - Another AncestorsAtRest.com blog of Family Bible entries and pictures of the births, marriages and death pages
Antique Hunter - If you like antiques or collectibles, this brand-new blog will be one you don't want to miss!
Genealogy News Center Articles on Genealogy research from Genealogy Today website
BlackSheep Ancestors The latest genealogical information on helping you find ancestors in your family tree that were criminals, murderers, outlaws, bandits or scoundrels and that may have spent time in a prison, jail, penitentiary, chain gang or convict camp.
The Paper Trail Eclectic mix of old documents - you may just find an ancestor's will, land record or general store receipt here!
Past Voices Letters, letters and more letters! Letters from Civil War soldiers, from wives to husbands, sons to mothers, sisters to sisters... This blog contains poignant old letters full of genealogy tidbits.
Ancestors at Rest - The blog for AncestorsAtRest.com website. Contains death records of all kinds - funeral cards, death notices, cemetery receipts, obits...and more
Family Bibles - Another AncestorsAtRest.com blog of Family Bible entries and pictures of the births, marriages and death pages
Antique Hunter - If you like antiques or collectibles, this brand-new blog will be one you don't want to miss!
Genealogy News Center Articles on Genealogy research from Genealogy Today website
BlackSheep Ancestors The latest genealogical information on helping you find ancestors in your family tree that were criminals, murderers, outlaws, bandits or scoundrels and that may have spent time in a prison, jail, penitentiary, chain gang or convict camp.
April 26, 2004
Salt Lake City Library - Ready, Set, Go!
© Lorine McGinnis Schulze
Are you ready for a trip to Salt Lake City Library? I just returned from a great time there so thought I'd share a few tips and suggestions.
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© Lorine McGinnis Schulze of The Olive Tree Genealogy at http://olivetreegenealogy.com/
Permission is given to copy and reprint this Article without changes. All identifying information and links to websites must be included. This permission notice must also be left intact.
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Are you ready for a trip to Salt Lake City Library? I just returned from a great time there so thought I'd share a few tips and suggestions.
- Have a plan before you go. Decide what you want to find out. I made a list of dozens of things I wanted to look for - from a specific ships' passenger lists going to New York, to church records in Iowa to land records for great grandpa in Sullivan County New York 1830s to naturalization records for several of my ancestors in Michigan. [Check for Online Ships' Passenger Lists at http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/ or for Naturalization Film numbers at http://naturalizationrecords.com/ ]
- Check the online Family History Library Catalogue to find out what they have available. Make a list of the film numbers or book call numbers you need. Write it down on your plan beside each item you want to look for. That saves you time and thinking once there. After a day or two of intensive searching your brain will turn to mush. Your plan will be your salvation, because it is already thought out and organized for searching. [See the FHL Catalogue]
- Pack a research bag. (Sounds obvious but on my second trip to Salt Lake City, I forgot mine, and had to use an awkward size piece of luggage) Stock it with gum, candies, pencils, pens, small ruler, colored paper for those hard-to-read microfilms, tissue, magnifying glass and aspirin! I always throw in a few granola bars for those needed breaks. There's no need to bother with large manilla envelopes for your photocopies that you are going to find, the Library sells most paper and chart supplies, all at a reasonable cost. Get something on wheels if possible. I bought a small wheely luggage rack that holds my laptop and one extra research bag, great for saving your neck and shoulders from carrying all this heavy equipment.
- Take bills, not coins. You don't need coins except for the lockers, if you choose to use one. (They do come in handy when you decide to take a break and head to CrossRoads Mall for a sandwhich and coffee!) The Library sells Copy Cards and these are used at the Microfilm Reader-Printers, Photocopying Machines and Computer Printout stations. All costs are low, you won't go broke making your paper copies to take home.
- Choose your Hotel There is a hotel right beside the Library, so if you don't like to take shuttles or walk too far, that's the one for you. Be sure to request their Genealogy rate! I prefer the hotels further away, and I make use of the free shuttle service they provide. There's pros and cons to both - being nearby you can slip back to your hotel and have a rest in your room if you need to!
- You're finally at the Library - now what? You can't reserve readers. There are hundreds on each floor so don't panic. There are also hundreds of computer stations on each floor. The only reserves are for the scanners that burn from microfilm to CD ROM (more on that in Tip #9) Be prepared for long lines at the copy machines on the Main Floor during the busy time, and remember to follow the rules for making only a few copies at a time when others are waiting. You can keep lining up as many times as you need until you have completed your copies.
- Take breaks! Take lots of short breaks, go outside, walk around Temple Square (right across the road) or sit in the little area between the Museum and the Library, and have a cold bottle of water. You can buy one in the Library Snack Room. Even though you don't want to leave at all, because you just know that great grandpa's funeral notice will be on that next microfilm screen, these short breaks will rejuvenate you and stop you from falling asleep at your reader. If you get too groggy you are apt to miss something!
- Avoiding the rush I like to head for the Main floor US/CAN books area first, early in the morning before it gets too busy. Once the crowds arrive, I head to 2nd floor US/CAN microfilm and spend the rest of the day there. The busiest time seems to be between 11 am and 2 pm, so plan to arrive early.
- If you feel adventurous, sign up for a half hour on one of the Library's wonderful microfilm to CD ROM machines. For $1.50 you can buy one of their blank CDs and scan and burn microfilm pages to it, to your heart's content. It's a bit tricky but the attendants and volunteers are always happy to help. You cannot use your own CD ROM to do this, you must buy one from the Attendant Window.
- You need to eat I like to leave the Library, cross the street to Temple Square and cut diagonally to the right to the next gate. Directly across that street you will see CrossRoads Mall. The food court is downstairs. You can also eat in the Library Snack Room if you don't feel like leaving the building. Take your own snack and eat in the Courtyard outside the Library, or if you feel like sitting down and being waited on, go to the restaurant that is part of the next door hotel.
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© Lorine McGinnis Schulze of The Olive Tree Genealogy at http://olivetreegenealogy.com/
Permission is given to copy and reprint this Article without changes. All identifying information and links to websites must be included. This permission notice must also be left intact.
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April 3, 2004
Kansas Alien Registrations 1917-1921
After World War I started, all non-naturalized "Enemy Aliens" were required to register with United States authorities as a security measure.
Registrants were from all walks of life. For the State of Kansas the registered aliens represent a broad cross-section of the German-born population of the State.
NARA has a database of this set of records, but it is not indexed, and is tricky to search. I spent time creating indexes for the registrants (over 6,000 names!)and putting them in alphabetical order.
For 120 of the 6,000 registrants there are online digitized images of their registration papers at NARA. This contain details such as year of immigration plus ship name and port of arrival, maiden names of wives, parents' names (including mother's maiden name), place and date of birth, childrens'names and birth dates, siblings names and places of residence, photo,fingerprints, and more.
Those names without online digital images have more details such as place and date of birth, residence, etc. The full records can be obtained offline for these registrants.
The index I have created is for almost 6,000 affidavits filed in the Kansas Judicial District, 1917-1921.
This index is online and searchable at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/alienreg1917-21_intro.shtml
You can also start at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/ks_onlinedb.shtml
and follow the link on that page.
I have written out detailed instructions on how to use the online index to find the full records on NARA's online database, and how to order the records for those names without online images.
Enjoy, and I hope you find an ancestor or two :-)
Registrants were from all walks of life. For the State of Kansas the registered aliens represent a broad cross-section of the German-born population of the State.
NARA has a database of this set of records, but it is not indexed, and is tricky to search. I spent time creating indexes for the registrants (over 6,000 names!)and putting them in alphabetical order.
For 120 of the 6,000 registrants there are online digitized images of their registration papers at NARA. This contain details such as year of immigration plus ship name and port of arrival, maiden names of wives, parents' names (including mother's maiden name), place and date of birth, childrens'names and birth dates, siblings names and places of residence, photo,fingerprints, and more.
Those names without online digital images have more details such as place and date of birth, residence, etc. The full records can be obtained offline for these registrants.
The index I have created is for almost 6,000 affidavits filed in the Kansas Judicial District, 1917-1921.
This index is online and searchable at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/alienreg1917-21_intro.shtml
You can also start at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/ks_onlinedb.shtml
and follow the link on that page.
I have written out detailed instructions on how to use the online index to find the full records on NARA's online database, and how to order the records for those names without online images.
Enjoy, and I hope you find an ancestor or two :-)
March 25, 2004
Arkansas Naturalization Records Index 1809-1906
In the 1930s and 1940s a statewide project was begun by the WPA Work Projects Administration). This project was to find and photograph Naturalization Records before 27 September 1906.
All copies were to be deposited with INS (Immigration & Naturalization Service) but when the WPA was disbanded in 1942,only a few states and districts were complete.
With the help of a wonderful volunteer, I have begun putting an index online for Arkansas Naturalization Records 1809-1906
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/ar_onlinedb.shtml
As always, all records on all my sites are free to all researchers. Please let pages load fully, then *read* the introduction and explanations before you begin clicking on links :-)
An overview of what records exist for Arkansas and where they can be found is at Arkansas Naturalizations at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/arkansas.shtml
All copies were to be deposited with INS (Immigration & Naturalization Service) but when the WPA was disbanded in 1942,only a few states and districts were complete.
With the help of a wonderful volunteer, I have begun putting an index online for Arkansas Naturalization Records 1809-1906
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/ar_onlinedb.shtml
As always, all records on all my sites are free to all researchers. Please let pages load fully, then *read* the introduction and explanations before you begin clicking on links :-)
An overview of what records exist for Arkansas and where they can be found is at Arkansas Naturalizations at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/arkansas.shtml
March 12, 2004
The JJ Cooke Shipping Lists online - Find Ancestors in Passenger Books of Shipping Companies
Olive Tree Genealogy brings you the Passenger Books of J & J Cooke, Shipping Agents with sailings from Londonderry to Philadelphia Pennsylvania; Quebec; St. John, New Brunswick; and New Orleans Louisiana from 1847 to 1871
These lists can be found in D.2892/1/1-14 Passenger Books of J & J Cooke, Shipping Agents. Sailings from Londonderry to Philadelphia, Quebec, St. John, New Brunswick, 1847-71 (see also MIC.13) in the PRO of Northern Ireland
There are no comprehensive lists of immigrants arriving in Canada prior to 1865. Until that year, shipping companies were not required by the government to keep their passenger manifests. That makes finding passenger lists difficult, but not impossible
The JJ Cooke records are a valuable source for the missing Canadian Ships Passenger Lists for this time period!
They also provide needed passenger lists for Louisiana and Pennsylvania.
The index to the ships I have online so far from JJ Cooke Records is at
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/jjcooke.shtml
Many lists give the passengers ages and places of origin.
These lists can be found in D.2892/1/1-14 Passenger Books of J & J Cooke, Shipping Agents. Sailings from Londonderry to Philadelphia, Quebec, St. John, New Brunswick, 1847-71 (see also MIC.13) in the PRO of Northern Ireland
There are no comprehensive lists of immigrants arriving in Canada prior to 1865. Until that year, shipping companies were not required by the government to keep their passenger manifests. That makes finding passenger lists difficult, but not impossible
The JJ Cooke records are a valuable source for the missing Canadian Ships Passenger Lists for this time period!
They also provide needed passenger lists for Louisiana and Pennsylvania.
The index to the ships I have online so far from JJ Cooke Records is at
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/jjcooke.shtml
Many lists give the passengers ages and places of origin.
February 24, 2004
Ellis Island and Missing Manifests
© Lorine McGinnis Schulze
Ellis Island existed as a processing station for Immigrants entering New York from 1 Jan. 1892 to 14 june 1897 and again from 17 Dec. 1900 to 1924. From 15 June 1897 to 16 Dec. 1900 the processing station was the Barge Office. Luckily for those whose ancestors entered through Ellis Island, there is an online searchable database. Read on for some tips on using this database and finding an ancestor!
Question:
Help! I keep getting the wrong passenger list on the Ellis Island database! How do I see the right passenger list??
Example:
I search for Theo Davis sailing in 1893. Bingo! A hit! But there's a problen.... the text version shows Theo H. Davis on line 0033 ; when I go into the scanned manifest, it also indicates that he is on line 0033. However, when I click on the icon to magnify the scanned manifest, there are two entirely different people on these lines; in looking at the text manifest, none of the people listed on the text manifest are the same as the people with the corresponding numbers on the scanned manifest.
Lorine's Answer:
This is one of the missing manifests on the Ellis Island database.
You can see from the online manifest that the one that is linked is for the Germanic. According to the text version and the index entry your Theo H Davis sailed on the Teutonic on March 2, 1893. That means this is one of many manifests on Ellis Island Database that is linked incorrectly.
Your next step is to go to Steve Morse's One-Step Ellis Island Search Engine at http://www.stevemorse.org/
Choose MISSING MANIFESTS. Let the page load.
Type in your desired date (Mar 2, 1893) A Reel no. automatically comes up and you are on Frame 1. You can see that this reel goes from Frame 1-756. Look back at the date you entered - it has, in this case, *changed* to Feb 13, 1893 so you know that this reel begins with that date (Feb 13, 1893)
Okay, type in the page number given for Theo (50) in the FRAME field. Hit DISPLAY. You will quickly see that the *wrong* manifest comes up. Now you have the fun of playing around with the frame numbers til you find the date/ship you want.
Ships are on the reel in chronological order, think of this as scrolling through a microfilm reel only you can do it in the comfort of your home.
I put in 500 as the frame I wanted to see next. It's a guessing game, start with anything you think reasonable, you are looking for the first page of ANY ship, for that will give you a date and ship name. From there you will jump AHEAD or go BACK til you are at the date you want.
500 takes you to La Bretagne sailing on 6 March 1893. Close but no cigar... so let's try frame 400. Try it. It takes you to SS Saratoga sailing on 1 March 1893. Getting closer, now you know you have to work *forward* between frames 400 and 500 for your ship. One more from me and then you're on your own - I tried frame 450 and got London sailing on March 3!
Now you know you need to start at frame 450 and work your way in both directions til you find the ship Teutonic.
Have fun! And if you are ever looking for other ships to NY and want to try online lists, use these URLs:
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/filmnos_newyork.shtml NARA & FHC film numbers for NY passenger lists after 1820
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/tousa_ny.shtml Passenger Lists to New York all years
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/searchnyships.shtml Search Engine for online Internet Passenger Lists to NY
This question, and Lorine's answer, appeared on the ELLIS-ISLAND-L mailing list (ELLIS-ISLAND-L@rootsweb.com) on Feb. 15, 2004. The person asking was able to find what she wanted by following these instructions. You can do the same thing for any manifest you need to find. Good luck!
Permission granted to distribute this article as long as nothing is changed, and all identifying information and URLs remain. Be sure to include the following footer:
********************************************************
Ellis Island & Missing Manifests, an explanation by Lorine McGinnis Schulze of Olive Tree Genealogy at http://olivetreegenealogy.com/
********************************************************
Ellis Island existed as a processing station for Immigrants entering New York from 1 Jan. 1892 to 14 june 1897 and again from 17 Dec. 1900 to 1924. From 15 June 1897 to 16 Dec. 1900 the processing station was the Barge Office. Luckily for those whose ancestors entered through Ellis Island, there is an online searchable database. Read on for some tips on using this database and finding an ancestor!
Question:
Help! I keep getting the wrong passenger list on the Ellis Island database! How do I see the right passenger list??
Example:
I search for Theo Davis sailing in 1893. Bingo! A hit! But there's a problen.... the text version shows Theo H. Davis on line 0033 ; when I go into the scanned manifest, it also indicates that he is on line 0033. However, when I click on the icon to magnify the scanned manifest, there are two entirely different people on these lines; in looking at the text manifest, none of the people listed on the text manifest are the same as the people with the corresponding numbers on the scanned manifest.
Lorine's Answer:
This is one of the missing manifests on the Ellis Island database.
You can see from the online manifest that the one that is linked is for the Germanic. According to the text version and the index entry your Theo H Davis sailed on the Teutonic on March 2, 1893. That means this is one of many manifests on Ellis Island Database that is linked incorrectly.
Your next step is to go to Steve Morse's One-Step Ellis Island Search Engine at http://www.stevemorse.org/
Choose MISSING MANIFESTS. Let the page load.
Type in your desired date (Mar 2, 1893) A Reel no. automatically comes up and you are on Frame 1. You can see that this reel goes from Frame 1-756. Look back at the date you entered - it has, in this case, *changed* to Feb 13, 1893 so you know that this reel begins with that date (Feb 13, 1893)
Okay, type in the page number given for Theo (50) in the FRAME field. Hit DISPLAY. You will quickly see that the *wrong* manifest comes up. Now you have the fun of playing around with the frame numbers til you find the date/ship you want.
Ships are on the reel in chronological order, think of this as scrolling through a microfilm reel only you can do it in the comfort of your home.
I put in 500 as the frame I wanted to see next. It's a guessing game, start with anything you think reasonable, you are looking for the first page of ANY ship, for that will give you a date and ship name. From there you will jump AHEAD or go BACK til you are at the date you want.
500 takes you to La Bretagne sailing on 6 March 1893. Close but no cigar... so let's try frame 400. Try it. It takes you to SS Saratoga sailing on 1 March 1893. Getting closer, now you know you have to work *forward* between frames 400 and 500 for your ship. One more from me and then you're on your own - I tried frame 450 and got London sailing on March 3!
Now you know you need to start at frame 450 and work your way in both directions til you find the ship Teutonic.
Have fun! And if you are ever looking for other ships to NY and want to try online lists, use these URLs:
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/filmnos_newyork.shtml NARA & FHC film numbers for NY passenger lists after 1820
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/tousa_ny.shtml Passenger Lists to New York all years
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/searchnyships.shtml Search Engine for online Internet Passenger Lists to NY
This question, and Lorine's answer, appeared on the ELLIS-ISLAND-L mailing list (ELLIS-ISLAND-L@rootsweb.com) on Feb. 15, 2004. The person asking was able to find what she wanted by following these instructions. You can do the same thing for any manifest you need to find. Good luck!
Permission granted to distribute this article as long as nothing is changed, and all identifying information and URLs remain. Be sure to include the following footer:
********************************************************
Ellis Island & Missing Manifests, an explanation by Lorine McGinnis Schulze of Olive Tree Genealogy at http://olivetreegenealogy.com/
********************************************************
February 15, 2004
Emigrants from England to USA 1773-1776
Are you looking for English ancestors in the time period before passenger lists were kept?
I have an index to Surnames of Emigrants from England to USA 1773 to 1776 now available at
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/ships/
Surnames A start at
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/ships/english1773-76a.htm
There are a total of 1,814 names (Surnames A to G) online, with the rest following as quickly as I can transcribe them. When complete there will be over 6,000 names for you to search.
Remember that this is an INDEX to names along with page numbers for reference.
After finding an ancestor in the index, you will need to obtain the full record on microfilm or in published books. Instructions are given online as to how to do this.
Enjoy!
I have an index to Surnames of Emigrants from England to USA 1773 to 1776 now available at
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/ships/
Surnames A start at
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/ships/english1773-76a.htm
There are a total of 1,814 names (Surnames A to G) online, with the rest following as quickly as I can transcribe them. When complete there will be over 6,000 names for you to search.
Remember that this is an INDEX to names along with page numbers for reference.
After finding an ancestor in the index, you will need to obtain the full record on microfilm or in published books. Instructions are given online as to how to do this.
Enjoy!
January 13, 2004
1890 Census Substitute - Shareholders Names N. America
Recently I found an old book called "Report of the Superintendent of Insurance of the Dominion of Canada for the Year Ending 31st December 1890"
The book was published in 1891 in Ottawa, and included in its pages are approximately 60 pages of names of shareholders and guarantors for various Insurance and Assurance Companies across Canada & USA.
The date for the list of names is 1890 and the wonderful thing about these is that they include people from all over Canada, as well as USA and Europe.
Each individual has a residence listed, in some cases, an actual street address. What really intrigued me about these lists was that the shareholders' residences included such places as:
Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Scotland, New York, Quebec, Vermont, Pennsylvania, NWT, England, Illinois, India, Newfoundland, Manitoba, Cape Breton, Jamaica, Ireland, Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachussets, Minnesota, Ohio, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Channel Islands, France and Wales. (I may have missed a few locations)
These lists can be used to verify that an individual lived in a certain place in 1890. They also contain quite a bit of detail for some entries, which are terrific clues for further research. Here's a few examples:
One listing is for "Edward Rawlings, Montreal" and under his name, labelled as "in trust" are the names Miss A L Rawlings, Miss E M Rawlings, Miss KNB Rawlings, George W Rawlings, HEA Rawlings, and WT Rawlings
Beside Edward's name is his number of shares in the Guarantee Company of North America - 4645, amount subscribed for 232,250, paid in cash 52,610. His children are noted as to their number of shares, amount subscribed for and amount paid up in cash - each child except Miss AL has 5 shares, 250 subscribed for and 250 paid in cash. Miss AL has 6 shares, 300 subscribed for and 300 paid in cash.
It occurred to me that this entry meant that Edward had died, and the rest of the names were his heirs, most likely his children, given the words "in trust". So I checked the online 1881 census at http://familysearch.org/ and found Edward and his family living in Montreal (Ste Antoine Ward)
They were:
This gives you some idea of the usefulness of this book Thanks to some wonderful volunteer transcribers I am able to bring these names to you. I hope you enjoy these names, and that you find an ancestor or two.
You can start your search in these lists of names at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/canada/shareholders.htm
Scroll down the page to choose from the following:
Enjoy this free database, and please feel free to pass this message on to anyone you think might be interested.
The book was published in 1891 in Ottawa, and included in its pages are approximately 60 pages of names of shareholders and guarantors for various Insurance and Assurance Companies across Canada & USA.
The date for the list of names is 1890 and the wonderful thing about these is that they include people from all over Canada, as well as USA and Europe.
Each individual has a residence listed, in some cases, an actual street address. What really intrigued me about these lists was that the shareholders' residences included such places as:
Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Scotland, New York, Quebec, Vermont, Pennsylvania, NWT, England, Illinois, India, Newfoundland, Manitoba, Cape Breton, Jamaica, Ireland, Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachussets, Minnesota, Ohio, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Channel Islands, France and Wales. (I may have missed a few locations)
These lists can be used to verify that an individual lived in a certain place in 1890. They also contain quite a bit of detail for some entries, which are terrific clues for further research. Here's a few examples:
One listing is for "Edward Rawlings, Montreal" and under his name, labelled as "in trust" are the names Miss A L Rawlings, Miss E M Rawlings, Miss KNB Rawlings, George W Rawlings, HEA Rawlings, and WT Rawlings
Beside Edward's name is his number of shares in the Guarantee Company of North America - 4645, amount subscribed for 232,250, paid in cash 52,610. His children are noted as to their number of shares, amount subscribed for and amount paid up in cash - each child except Miss AL has 5 shares, 250 subscribed for and 250 paid in cash. Miss AL has 6 shares, 300 subscribed for and 300 paid in cash.
It occurred to me that this entry meant that Edward had died, and the rest of the names were his heirs, most likely his children, given the words "in trust". So I checked the online 1881 census at http://familysearch.org/ and found Edward and his family living in Montreal (Ste Antoine Ward)
They were:
- Edward Rawlings b England, 41
- Lucinda Rawlings b Ire. 39
- Lucinda Rawlings b Que. 12 [Miss A L from the book?]
- George Rawlings b Que 8 [George W from the book]
- Henry Rawlings b Que 5 [HEA from the book?]
- Walter Rawlings b Que 4 [WT from the book?]
- Edith Rawlings b Que 2 [Miss EM from the book?]
- daughter, b. Feb. 1881 [probably Miss KNB from the book]
This gives you some idea of the usefulness of this book Thanks to some wonderful volunteer transcribers I am able to bring these names to you. I hope you enjoy these names, and that you find an ancestor or two.
You can start your search in these lists of names at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/canada/shareholders.htm
Scroll down the page to choose from the following:
- The Accident Insurance Company of North America (List of Shareholders)
- The Boiler Inspection & Insurance Company of Canada (List of Shareholders)
- British America Assurance Company (List of Shareholders)
- Canada Accident Insurance Company (List of Shareholders)
- The Canada Life Assurance Company (List of Shareholders)
- The Citizens' Insurance Company of Canada (List of Shareholders)
- Confederation Life Association (List of Shareholders)
- The Dominion Life Assurance Company (List of Shareholders)
- Dominion Safety Fund Life Association (List of Stockholders)
- Dominion Plate Glass Insurance Company (List of Stockholders)
- Eastern Assurance Company of Canada (List of Shareholders)
- Federal Life Assurance Company (List of Shareholders)
- Guarantee Company of North America (List of Shareholders)
- London Life Insurance Company (List of Shareholders)
- Manufacturers' Accident Insurance Company (List of Stockholders)
- Manufacturers LIfe Insurance Company (List of Shareholders)
- North American Life Assurance Company (List of Guarantors)
- Quebec Fire Assurance Company (List of Stockholders)
- Royal Canadian Insurance Company (List of Stockholders)
- Sun Life Insurance Company (List of Shareholders)
- The Temperance and General Life Assurance Company (list of Guarantors)
- Western Assurance Company (List of Shareholders)
Enjoy this free database, and please feel free to pass this message on to anyone you think might be interested.
December 30, 2003
Almshouse Records New York City, 1819-1844
In the early 1800's port cities in the USA bore the burden of immigration. By the time they arrived, so many immigrants were tired, hungry and poor they ended up in the City Almshouse.
As far back as the colonial era, New York City assumed responsibility for its citizens who were destitute, sick, homeless, or otherwise unable to care for themselves. The city maintained an almshouse, various hospitals, and a workhouse on Blackwell's Island (now called Roosevelt Island) for the poor.
Part of the information taken Almshouse clerks was the place of birth of each person, the name of the ship they arrived on and where the ship sailed from. Using this online (free) database will allow you to find individuals from many countries and many states within USA.
I have just uploaded new records for NY City Almshouse for 1826 and 1827. This adds to the existing records on Olive Tree Genealogy for 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1855,1856,1857 and 1858. When this project is finished the records will be complete from 1819-1844 and 1855-1858
1826 Almshouse Registers
There are 180 individuals listed in the 1826 Alms House Registers, along with the following ships they sailed on:
Albion, Ann, Ann Marie, Atlantic, Baltic, Barcelona, Bimmahome?, Boston, Bowditch, Camillons, Carolina Ann, Catherine, Chesapeake, Cincinnatus ,Combine ,Comhand?, Compeer, Constitution, Courier, Cuba, Danube, Diana, Dublin Packet, Edward Bonasse, General Putnam, Gulorace?Gulosase?, Henry, Hibernian, Howard, Hunter, Huskinson, Isaac[illegible], James Cegzar, John & Elizabeth, John & James, Lady Hunter, Laurel, Leonidas, Lord Strangford, Louisa, Maine, Margaret, Orizambo, Panther, Phoenix , Plutarch, Remittance, Reunion, Richmond, Sabina, Salidas , Silas Richmond, Splendid,Superior, Sylvester Haley, Thames, Thompson, Tontine, Two Mary's, United States, Virginia, William, Wilson, Zenophon
Of the 180 individuals listed, 125 were from Ireland.
1827 Almshouse Registers
There are 270 individuals listed with the following ship names in the 1827 Alms House Admission Records:
Albion, Alicia, Amelia, American, Ann Marie, Atlantic, Aurora, Baltic, Blakely, Borneo, Brighton, Brittania, Candis, Carleton, Carolina Ann, Clover, Compeer, Concordia, Constitution, Cortes, Courier, Curlew, Dalhousie Castle,Dancer, Danish Iris, Diana, Dublin Packet, Edward, Edward Bonasse, Eliza, Eliza Baker, Emulous, Fame, Fenwick, Francis Henrietta, Franklin, Ganges, Garland, Gen. Putnam, Gentile, George Clinton, Gridley , Hamilton, Hector, Henrietta, Henry Freeland? Kneeland?, Holbert, Hope & Easter, Hudson, Hunter, India, Ivory, James & Margaret, Java, Jno (John) & Elizabeth, John Adams, Jubilee, Lady Henrietta, Lady Hunter, Lady Wellington, Lark, Leeds, Liverpool,Lord Wellington, Louisa, Lydia, Main, Manchester, Margaret Boyle, Martha , Mary, Mary Howland, Meteor, Michaels, Nelson? Wilson?, New England, New Hampshire, New Orleans, Newry, Peru, Plutarch , Princess Charlotte, Robert Edwards, Robert Fulton, Roman, Sarah George, Silvanus Genkins, St Michael, St. Croix, St. Nichady, Thomas, Thomas & William, Thompson, Torn? Tom?, Traveler, Trident, Trio, Union, Venus, Virginia, Westmoreland, William, William & George, William Byrnes, William Dawson, Wilson, Wm. H. Pantheon
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/ny_alms1827.shtml
Of the 270 individuals listed, 201 were from Ireland.
Places of birth for these years were "at sea", Canada,England, France, Germany, Glascow, Ireland, Liverpool, London, Long Island, Massachusetts, New York, Newry, Quebec, Sag Harbour, Scotland, St Johns NB, Switzerland, Virginia and Wales
Ports of departure were Belfast, Bremen ,Cork, Dublin,Dundee,Easport, Galway, Greenock, Halifax NS, Havre, Jamaica, Liverpool,London, Londonderry, Marseilles, New Castle, New Haven, Newry, Porto Cabello, Savannah, Sligo, Richmond, Rotterdam ,Sligo, Newfoundland, St. Johns N.B.
As far back as the colonial era, New York City assumed responsibility for its citizens who were destitute, sick, homeless, or otherwise unable to care for themselves. The city maintained an almshouse, various hospitals, and a workhouse on Blackwell's Island (now called Roosevelt Island) for the poor.
Part of the information taken Almshouse clerks was the place of birth of each person, the name of the ship they arrived on and where the ship sailed from. Using this online (free) database will allow you to find individuals from many countries and many states within USA.
I have just uploaded new records for NY City Almshouse for 1826 and 1827. This adds to the existing records on Olive Tree Genealogy for 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1855,1856,1857 and 1858. When this project is finished the records will be complete from 1819-1844 and 1855-1858
1826 Almshouse Registers
There are 180 individuals listed in the 1826 Alms House Registers, along with the following ships they sailed on:
Albion, Ann, Ann Marie, Atlantic, Baltic, Barcelona, Bimmahome?, Boston, Bowditch, Camillons, Carolina Ann, Catherine, Chesapeake, Cincinnatus ,Combine ,Comhand?, Compeer, Constitution, Courier, Cuba, Danube, Diana, Dublin Packet, Edward Bonasse, General Putnam, Gulorace?Gulosase?, Henry, Hibernian, Howard, Hunter, Huskinson, Isaac[illegible], James Cegzar, John & Elizabeth, John & James, Lady Hunter, Laurel, Leonidas, Lord Strangford, Louisa, Maine, Margaret, Orizambo, Panther, Phoenix , Plutarch, Remittance, Reunion, Richmond, Sabina, Salidas , Silas Richmond, Splendid,Superior, Sylvester Haley, Thames, Thompson, Tontine, Two Mary's, United States, Virginia, William, Wilson, Zenophon
Of the 180 individuals listed, 125 were from Ireland.
1827 Almshouse Registers
There are 270 individuals listed with the following ship names in the 1827 Alms House Admission Records:
Albion, Alicia, Amelia, American, Ann Marie, Atlantic, Aurora, Baltic, Blakely, Borneo, Brighton, Brittania, Candis, Carleton, Carolina Ann, Clover, Compeer, Concordia, Constitution, Cortes, Courier, Curlew, Dalhousie Castle,Dancer, Danish Iris, Diana, Dublin Packet, Edward, Edward Bonasse, Eliza, Eliza Baker, Emulous, Fame, Fenwick, Francis Henrietta, Franklin, Ganges, Garland, Gen. Putnam, Gentile, George Clinton, Gridley , Hamilton, Hector, Henrietta, Henry Freeland? Kneeland?, Holbert, Hope & Easter, Hudson, Hunter, India, Ivory, James & Margaret, Java, Jno (John) & Elizabeth, John Adams, Jubilee, Lady Henrietta, Lady Hunter, Lady Wellington, Lark, Leeds, Liverpool,Lord Wellington, Louisa, Lydia, Main, Manchester, Margaret Boyle, Martha , Mary, Mary Howland, Meteor, Michaels, Nelson? Wilson?, New England, New Hampshire, New Orleans, Newry, Peru, Plutarch , Princess Charlotte, Robert Edwards, Robert Fulton, Roman, Sarah George, Silvanus Genkins, St Michael, St. Croix, St. Nichady, Thomas, Thomas & William, Thompson, Torn? Tom?, Traveler, Trident, Trio, Union, Venus, Virginia, Westmoreland, William, William & George, William Byrnes, William Dawson, Wilson, Wm. H. Pantheon
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/ny_alms1827.shtml
Of the 270 individuals listed, 201 were from Ireland.
Places of birth for these years were "at sea", Canada,England, France, Germany, Glascow, Ireland, Liverpool, London, Long Island, Massachusetts, New York, Newry, Quebec, Sag Harbour, Scotland, St Johns NB, Switzerland, Virginia and Wales
Ports of departure were Belfast, Bremen ,Cork, Dublin,Dundee,Easport, Galway, Greenock, Halifax NS, Havre, Jamaica, Liverpool,London, Londonderry, Marseilles, New Castle, New Haven, Newry, Porto Cabello, Savannah, Sligo, Richmond, Rotterdam ,Sligo, Newfoundland, St. Johns N.B.
November 9, 2003
Register of Passports 1834-1843
Passport applications are often a valuable source of genealogical information. NARA has passport applications from October 1795-March 1925. The U. S. Department of State has passport applications from April 1925 to the present.
Some immigrants applied for passports to return home to visit family or friends. These records usually give a place of birth or at least the destination (which is often the home town)
I have a Register of Passports 1834-1843 for all states at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/passports1834_a.shtml
The index to Passport Records and an explanation of Passport Records as a research tool is at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/passports.shtml
You can pass this message on to anyone you think might be interested, and if you find an ancestor on any of my projects please let me know!
Some immigrants applied for passports to return home to visit family or friends. These records usually give a place of birth or at least the destination (which is often the home town)
I have a Register of Passports 1834-1843 for all states at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/passports1834_a.shtml
The index to Passport Records and an explanation of Passport Records as a research tool is at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/passports.shtml
You can pass this message on to anyone you think might be interested, and if you find an ancestor on any of my projects please let me know!
October 9, 2003
Finding Ancestors in Ontario Land Records
Land records are very useful research tools. Often they provide wive's first and maiden names, children's names, information as to origin, and even wills!
Originally all land in Ontario belonged to the Crown. Although there were small areas of settlement in 1763 after the British took over, major settlement of Upper Canada began in 1783 and utilized Crown Grants.
Up to 1826 free land grants were available to all settlers, to government favourites, and to UEL children. In 1826 these free grants were abolished except Loyalist grants and soldiers, and anyone wanting Crown land had to buy it.
There were two types of land petitions:
Settlers could also buy lands from the Canada Company, a private company owning all of the Huron District. These records are held at the Archives of Ontario. All land sales after the initial Crown grant were registered with local land registry offices.
Procedures for granting Crown Land changed constantly but could involve:
Other Resources for Land Records
More details on Land Records in Upper Canada (aka Canada West and present day Ontario) as well as links to online searchable databases for land is available at http://olivetreegenealogy.com/can/ont/land.shtml
Originally all land in Ontario belonged to the Crown. Although there were small areas of settlement in 1763 after the British took over, major settlement of Upper Canada began in 1783 and utilized Crown Grants.
Up to 1826 free land grants were available to all settlers, to government favourites, and to UEL children. In 1826 these free grants were abolished except Loyalist grants and soldiers, and anyone wanting Crown land had to buy it.
There were two types of land petitions:
- pre 1827 petitions for free grants of land under the UEL and military categories
- post 1827 petitions for purchase of Crown lands
Settlers could also buy lands from the Canada Company, a private company owning all of the Huron District. These records are held at the Archives of Ontario. All land sales after the initial Crown grant were registered with local land registry offices.
Procedures for granting Crown Land changed constantly but could involve:
- The settler's initial Petition to the Crown for land
- An Order-in-Council from a federal Land Board granting their request
- A Warrant from Ontario's Attorney General ordering the surveying of a lot
- The Fiat from Ontario Surveyor General authorizing a grant of the surveyed lot
- A Location Ticket permitting the settler to reside on the lot
- The Patent transferring ownership of the lot from the Crown to the settler.
Other Resources for Land Records
- Upper Canada Land Petitions and Land Books 1793-1826 [NA RG 1, L3 and RG1, E1] or indexes on C-10810 to C10836 on microfilm at the Ontario Archives or NAC.
- Loyalist Claims and Conversion List [NA MG14] 1790-1837 - Audit Office 12 and 13 compensation claims for land and goods lost during the American Revolution - 178 reels of microfilm
- CLRI (Computerized Land Records Index) aka Ontario Land Record Index, summarizes land grants from sales of Crown Land, from Canada Company sales or leases and from Peter Robinson settlers' grants. If your ancestor settled anywhere in Ontario and he was the first time buyer of Crown Land, he will be on these lists. I offer a lookup service for the CLRI.
More details on Land Records in Upper Canada (aka Canada West and present day Ontario) as well as links to online searchable databases for land is available at http://olivetreegenealogy.com/can/ont/land.shtml
July 9, 2003
Immigration to USA After 1820
Between 1820 and 1920, 35 million immigrants arrived in the USA, the majority of them at the port of New York. To search for an existing list you need to know your ancestor's name, approximate date of arrival, approximate age at arrival and port of arrival.
If your ancestor arrived after 1819, he may be listed in any of the following
Customs Passenger lists begin in 1820. A passenger list will usually provide you with name, age, sex, occupation, country of origin, port of departure, destination, date of arrival and name of the ship.
Immigration Lists (Ships' Manifests) after 1883 give more detailed information.
The National Archives has the customs and immigration passenger lists and indexes from 1820 to the 1950s. You can request a search of the records at the National Archives http://www.nara.gov/ with form NATF 81. You must submit one form each person or family group traveling together. You can obtain the NATF Form 81 by providing your name and mailing address to inquire@nara.gov. Specify "Form 81" and the number of forms you need.
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City has microfilmed copies of passenger arrival records and indexes from the National Archives. If you find your ancestors in any of the indexes you should then consult the original passenger lists.
Indexes for which are microfilmed and available through your local FHC are:
New York
1820-1846 FHL computer number 15681
1897-1902 FHL computer number 92040
1902-1943 FHL computer number 92040
Boston
1848-1891 FHL computer number 217426
1899-1940 FHL computer number 92077
Baltimore
1820-1897 FHL computer number 218234
1897-1952 FHL computer number 175219
1833-1866 FHL computer number 175226
Philadelphia
1800-1906 FHL computer number 216604
1883-1948 FHL computer number 175209
New Orleans
1853-1952 FHL computer number 216594
Lists and indexes for Charleston, Galveston, Key West, New Bedford, Passamaquoddy, Portland Maine, Providence, San Francisco, Seattle, and other ports can be found at the Family History Library and the National Archives.
There are also CD-Roms that index arrivals 1820-1850. See the list of CDs on the right hand navigation bar of http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/
There are various hard copies (books) of indexes and lists, and I will discuss those at another time. There is also the online Ellis Island Database 1892-1924. The best way to search it is through the One-Step Search Engines at http://stevemorse.org/
There are many online lists and to start your Internet search for ships' passenger lists, begin at The Olive Tree Genealogy Ships Section
Ships to USA start at Index to USA Ships Once on this page you can choose by state, or by year of arrival.
If your ancestor arrived after 1819, he may be listed in any of the following
Customs Passenger lists begin in 1820. A passenger list will usually provide you with name, age, sex, occupation, country of origin, port of departure, destination, date of arrival and name of the ship.
Immigration Lists (Ships' Manifests) after 1883 give more detailed information.
The National Archives has the customs and immigration passenger lists and indexes from 1820 to the 1950s. You can request a search of the records at the National Archives http://www.nara.gov/ with form NATF 81. You must submit one form each person or family group traveling together. You can obtain the NATF Form 81 by providing your name and mailing address to inquire@nara.gov. Specify "Form 81" and the number of forms you need.
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City has microfilmed copies of passenger arrival records and indexes from the National Archives. If you find your ancestors in any of the indexes you should then consult the original passenger lists.
Indexes for which are microfilmed and available through your local FHC are:
New York
1820-1846 FHL computer number 15681
1897-1902 FHL computer number 92040
1902-1943 FHL computer number 92040
Boston
1848-1891 FHL computer number 217426
1899-1940 FHL computer number 92077
Baltimore
1820-1897 FHL computer number 218234
1897-1952 FHL computer number 175219
1833-1866 FHL computer number 175226
Philadelphia
1800-1906 FHL computer number 216604
1883-1948 FHL computer number 175209
New Orleans
1853-1952 FHL computer number 216594
Lists and indexes for Charleston, Galveston, Key West, New Bedford, Passamaquoddy, Portland Maine, Providence, San Francisco, Seattle, and other ports can be found at the Family History Library and the National Archives.
There are also CD-Roms that index arrivals 1820-1850. See the list of CDs on the right hand navigation bar of http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/
There are various hard copies (books) of indexes and lists, and I will discuss those at another time. There is also the online Ellis Island Database 1892-1924. The best way to search it is through the One-Step Search Engines at http://stevemorse.org/
There are many online lists and to start your Internet search for ships' passenger lists, begin at The Olive Tree Genealogy Ships Section
Ships to USA start at Index to USA Ships Once on this page you can choose by state, or by year of arrival.
June 12, 2003
Ships Passenger Lists to Canada Before 1865
There are no comprehensive lists of immigrants arriving in Canada prior to 1865. Until that year, shipping companies were not required by the government to keep their passenger manifests.
If your ancestor arrived from the UK you may find him/her in lists pertaining to British-subsidized immigration schemes for the period 1817-1831.
You might also find an ancestor in correspondence of the Secretary of State on immigration for 1817-1857. There are lists of immigrants, mainly Irish, and entry books re immigration, and assisted emigration to British North America.
These must be ordered offline.
There are passenger lists to Canada before 1865 on The Olive Tree Genealogy.
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/tocanp01.shtml
There are also some passenger lists which were kept by shipping agents in the originating country. For example, the Passenger Books of J & J Cooke, Shipping Agents gives sailings from Londonderry to Philadelphia PA, Quebec, and St. John New Brunswick from 1847 to 1871.
Olive Tree has some passenger lists from these records online, and will be adding more as time permits. For an index of clickable links to those JJ Cooke passenger lists online to date, see
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/jjcooke.shtml
There are also the William McCorkell & Co. lists beginning in 1863 and ending in 1871.
The Hawke Papers, letterbooks of Chief Emigrant Agent Anthony B. Hawke are also available. They cover the years 1831 to 1892.
Details on these (where they are, how to get them) can be found in "Immigration to Canada before 1865" at
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/articles/immcanpre1865.shtml
You can also search the online database at http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/db/hawke.htm
You might also want to join the mailing list for immigration to Canada before 1865. You can sub from the URL above.
If you want to search online, you may have limited success because only a very small percentage of ships to Canada have been transcribed and put online.
However here is a custom search engine I recommend to make your search time more efficient (and hopefully more successful!)It searches dozens of websites at once.
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/search_shipscanada.shtml
You can also check out the pages for ships passenger lists to the following parts of Canada:
Ships Passenger Lists to Quebec
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/qu_ships.shtml
Ships Passenger Lists to New Brunswick
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/nb_ships.shtml
Ships Passenger Lists to Nova Scotia
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/ns_ships.shtml
If your ancestor arrived from the UK you may find him/her in lists pertaining to British-subsidized immigration schemes for the period 1817-1831.
You might also find an ancestor in correspondence of the Secretary of State on immigration for 1817-1857. There are lists of immigrants, mainly Irish, and entry books re immigration, and assisted emigration to British North America.
These must be ordered offline.
There are passenger lists to Canada before 1865 on The Olive Tree Genealogy.
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/tocanp01.shtml
There are also some passenger lists which were kept by shipping agents in the originating country. For example, the Passenger Books of J & J Cooke, Shipping Agents gives sailings from Londonderry to Philadelphia PA, Quebec, and St. John New Brunswick from 1847 to 1871.
Olive Tree has some passenger lists from these records online, and will be adding more as time permits. For an index of clickable links to those JJ Cooke passenger lists online to date, see
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/jjcooke.shtml
There are also the William McCorkell & Co. lists beginning in 1863 and ending in 1871.
The Hawke Papers, letterbooks of Chief Emigrant Agent Anthony B. Hawke are also available. They cover the years 1831 to 1892.
Details on these (where they are, how to get them) can be found in "Immigration to Canada before 1865" at
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/articles/immcanpre1865.shtml
You can also search the online database at http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/db/hawke.htm
You might also want to join the mailing list for immigration to Canada before 1865. You can sub from the URL above.
If you want to search online, you may have limited success because only a very small percentage of ships to Canada have been transcribed and put online.
However here is a custom search engine I recommend to make your search time more efficient (and hopefully more successful!)It searches dozens of websites at once.
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/search_shipscanada.shtml
You can also check out the pages for ships passenger lists to the following parts of Canada:
Ships Passenger Lists to Quebec
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/qu_ships.shtml
Ships Passenger Lists to New Brunswick
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/nb_ships.shtml
Ships Passenger Lists to Nova Scotia
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/ns_ships.shtml
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