Manifest Markings & Verification of Naturalizations

In 1926 verification clerks began to record the verification (record check) and naturalization certification activity on each passenger list record. The
annotations may be found on any passenger list, before or after 1926, but they all relate to naturalization activity occurring in 1926 or later.

You can read about Manifest Markings and their meanings (plus refer to a District Number decoder) at
http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/Manifests/occ/

For a Resource Guide and links to online Naturalization records, what you can expect to find, where to find them, and alternate sources of finding those important years (immigration and naturalization) at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/

Challenges in Searching Boston Ship Passenger Lists

The problem with the Boston arrivals is there is an 8 1/2 year gap on M277 (which is titled Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston MA 1820-1891) The gap is from a April 1874 to 31 Dec 1882.

That is because there are no Federal records of any kind prior to 1883 (due to fire) and State Department copies were used in their place. BUT State Departments copies and abstracts only covered up to end of March 1874.

However the good news is that there ARE records for the missing years. They are not available at NARA, only at the Massachusetts State Archives

There is an index on M625 which *does* cover those "missing" years. Finding an ancestor on that index in those missing years means you have to then write to the Mass. State Archives for a copy of the passenger list page with your ancestor on it.

Search for ancestors on Ships Passenger Lists to USA

I Love My Labeller!

Okay I confess. I'm a compulsive labeller. A few years ago, against my husband's wishes, I bought a Brother P-Touch and I love it. If I thought I could get away with it I would probably label everything in the house.

My friends and family shake their heads when they see all the storage shelves in my basement labelled "Paper Towels" "Kleenex" "Water" "Dog Food". Clear plastic tubs labelled "Light Bulbs" "Party Stuff" "Tape" sit on storage shelves.

My electrician loves me. All my fuse panel switches are neatly labelled "Mud Room" "Kitchen" "Bedroom lites". We recently had our electric panel redone and another one added, and the electrician called me to the basement to start printing labels so she could put them on the new switches.

I should explain that I don't label things because I am organized. On the contrary I am DISorganized! I label them because if I don't I can't remember what is IN tubs or boxes. My husband tends to put items wherever there is an empty space on a shelf or in a cupboard, then I can't find them. With shelves labelled "Paper Towels" he knows that even if that spot is empty, I'd rather he didn't store his work tools there.

This year I discovered the joys of Genealogy labelling. Let me first explain that I have two large lateral filing cabinets about 6 feet wide with a total of 6 drawers, all for my genealogy papers and documents. They are full. Crammed full. I also have several large plastic tubs of unfiled genealogy papers and documents. Combine that with 3 hanging file folder racks with my ongoing work and research and you have a mess. I tend to grab whatever is handy and scribble a file name on a folder, then pop it in to a hanging folder, one of those that is supposed to have a plastic tab identifying the contents. But I rarely get around to that, or if I do it's in an assortment of coloured pens, pencils, markers....

Because I am trying to work on a series of genealogy books, I realized I have to be more organized and efficient. Also my personal genealogy was rapidly becoming overwhelmingly cluttered and disorganized!

It didn't take me long to realize I could put my labeller to good use. I spent a happy weekend going through ALL my genealogy files, sorting, tossing, and reorganizing. With each folder I reorganized, I immediately created a label - big and easy to read, and neatly printed on my P-Touch instead of in my scribbly handwriting.

After putting everything back in the filing cabinets and hanging folders, I was thrilled because now I can READ the labels and see what files are in each drawer. With my bad eyesight this has been a boon in easily finding items in the bottom drawers in particular.

All the files look so neat and professional that now I am inspired to actually work on my genealogy! No more frantic hunting for that one document I KNOW I found last time I was in Salt Lake City.... but where oh where did I put it!

Ships Passenger Lists to New Netherland (New York) - What Exists?

All "passenger lists" for travel from The Netherlands to New Netherland 1654-1664 came from information on the debit side of the West India Company Account Book. They show who owed money when they arrived. This account book is found in New Netherland Colonial Mss, vol. 14, Book KK. The lists of Passengers to New Netherland in the Year Book of the Holland Society of New Netherland 1902:1-37 were taken from this Account Book FN 1, 2

Typical fare was 36 florins; half that for young children; and nothing for nursing infants. FN 1

These accounts were made from the records of the West India Company, by order of the English rulers after the confiscation of the Company's property in New Netherland, and as assets of or debts due the Company, and to be collected by the English. The list seems to stop with the Eendracht which arrived on 19 July 1664. The English took over in Sept 1664 so that may have been the last passenger ship to arrive before that date.

Continue reading and search for ancestors on 81 Ships Passenger Lists to New Netherland (New York) 1624-1664

Oregon Statewide Biennial Genealogy Conference

Oregon Statewide Biennial Genealogy Conference

Saturday, July 19th, 2008

Lane Community College
Center for Meeting and Learning
4000 E 30th Ave, Eugene, OR 97405

Featuring Cyndi Howells of Cyndi’s List

For info: gco2008conference@yahoo.com

Reformed Church at Machackemeck (Deerpark), Orange Co. New York Baptisms online

Olive Tree Genealogy added almost 10 more years of baptisms in the Reformed Church at Machackemeck (Deerpark),Orange County New York for the following years: Feb 1752-
June 1754 | July 1754-Nov 1756 | Nov 1756-Jan 1759 | Jan 1759-Apr 1760

This adds to the current church records online for 1716 - 1750

You can click on links for this set of free church records at the What's New for June page

More years will be added as volunteers complete the transcripts. We will be stopping at 1827.

Search for ancestors at genealogy records for New York and New Netherland

USA Military Naturalizations

Aliens serving in the US military did not gain citizenship through service alone. The naturalization of soldiers was performed under certain provisions of nationality law facilitating the naturalization of members of the US armed forces.

These provisions waived the Declaration of Intention requirement and waived or reduced the residency requirement. Thus many soldiers filed petitions and were naturalized the same day.

Search WW1 Soldiers Naturalization Records 1918 index cards with names, dates of naturalization, court numbers, and certificate numbers of soldiers in WWI whose naturalizations were facilitated so they could serve in the US Armed Forces.

USA Naturalization Records After 1906

After 1906 the declaration of intent contains preliminary information and may have incorrect dates of arrival and anglicized names. However petitions after 1906 have information that has been verified and matched to an immigration record. An immigrant who arrived after June 29, 1906, could not naturalize until the government located their immigration record (a passenger list).

Since 1906, after an immigrant filed a Declaration of Intention or a Petition for Naturalization in a naturalization court, the Bureau of Naturalization was called upon to provide a certification of the immigrant's arrival record. The certification, called a Certificate of Arrival was sent to the courthouse.

So when researching, think of opposites - AFTER 1906 you want the Petition. Before 1906 you want the Declaration of Intent

Search free Naturalization Records Online

USA Naturalization Records Before 1906

Before 1906, the declaration of intent generally contains more genealogically useful information than the petition.

Petitions before 1906 usually show only a name, former allegiance, and date of naturalization. The declaration may include the alien's exact date of immigration into the United States.

Search free Naturalization Records online

Outbound Ships Passenger Lists from USA Added

Olive Tree Genealogy added more ships passenger lists for outbound ships leaving New York. USA did not keep its outbound lists so finding any is very challenging. This
project is an ongoing one and is entirely free for all.

Today's new ships added are easiest to get to by going to the What's New in June page on Olive Tree Genealogy at

http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/free0608.shtml

The new ships are listed below and they are linked from the URL above.

* Added partial List of passengers on board steamship Europa for Liverpool from New York 20 May 1852

* Added partial List of passengers on board steamship Jason for Liverpool from New York 2 Nov 1857

* Added partial List of passengers on board Steamship Kangaroo for Liverpool from New York 18 June 1858

* Added partial List of passengers on board steamship Kangaroo for Liverpool from New York 30 July 1858

* Added partial List of passengers on board steamship Minestora for Liverpool from New York 4 May 1867

* Added partial List of passengers on board steamship Jamestown from Norfolk, Richmond etc Virginia from New York 30 July 1858

* Added partial List of passengers on board steamship Jamestown for Norfolk, Petersburg and Richmond Virginia from New York 2 Nov 1857

Domestics Brought to Canada

Mr Leverne Baxter and the Canadian Genealogy Centre signed a memorandum of agreement on July 9, 2007. This agreement will permit users of the Canadian Genealogy Centre Web site to consult a new online searchable nominal index of over 1500 domestics brought to Canada from Great Britain by Mrs Helen Sanford between 1898 and 1914 and by Mr. Benjamin Pipe, between 1905 and 1911.

This online nominal index will offer genealogists and all researchers interested in social and women's history increased access to Library and Archives Canada significant collection on immigration to Canada.

See http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-203.002.13-e.html

Finding Naturalization Records in USA - Part 1

Naturalization in the United States was a two-step process that generally took a minimum of 5 years. These two steps did not have to take place in the same court.

In general, after living in the United States for 2 years, an alien could file a Declaration of Intent (also called First Papers) to become a citizen.

After 2 additional years, the alien could Petition for Naturalization. After the petition was granted, a Certificate of Citizenship was issued to the alien.

See Changes in Naturalization Requirements for information on specific time periods from 1790 to present.

Understanding Naturalization Records information in Census Records

Naturalization Records are very important to your genealogy research. They can help you find the date, ship, port of arrival, and the place of birth for your ancestor.

You will find Naturalization information on census records. The 1900, 1910 ,1920 and 1930 American census identify citizenship status, with notations showing the individual was an Alien,or had started the Naturalization process or had his final
papers.

* PA means he had started his first papers
* NA means he was naturalized
* AL means he was still an alien (not naturalized)

Remember that the years of immigration and naturalization are the most MISremembered years so allow a year or two on either side of any date you find in the Census.

Figuring out Canada Locations on USA Census Records

We've all seen it - an ancestor found in a USA census record and under place of birth "Can-Eng".

Sometimes this reference is misindexed as "England". It isn't England but where is it?

Earlier census records might indicate "C.W." or even earlier ones may have the notation "U.C" but what does that mean?? Where are these locations?

You can't find an ancestor in Canada without knowing at least a Province of origin. You will need to determine what Province your ancestor came from in order to search for records.

Here is a handy little guide for anyone finding a Canadian ancestor in the American Census Records. You will also find some of these same abbreviations in Canadian Census Records.

U.C. = Upper Canada. This is now the Province of Ontario and is often found in early Canadian Census records.
L.C. = Lower Canada. This is now the Province of Quebec

C.W. = Canada West. This was Upper Canada until 1842 and is now Ontario
C.E. = Canada East. This was Lower Canada until 1842 and is now Quebec

Can.Eng. = Canada English usually referring to Ontario
Can.Fr. = Canada French usually referring to Quebec

For more on name and boundary changes in Canadian Records see http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/can/ont/hist.shtml

If you are bewildered by Canadian Genealogy research you may want to start at the Canadian Genealogy pages at http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/can/

The Pitfalls of Census Records

How accurate are census records? I'm sure this question has arisen for every genealogist at some point in their research.

Why does Great Grandma's age change every census by less (or more!) than the 10 years between census? What's up with Great Grandpa's surname being spelled incorrectly? Why does Grandpa have a different first name every census year? Is it even the right man?? And why does great great grandma give a different place of birth for her parents each time?

These are all questions that might arise as you delve into census records. We quickly learn that census records cannot be considered the absolute and final authority. There are good reasons why we see so many discrepancies, but discrepancies doesn't mean we should disregard the information, just that we need to check for other collaborating records (or records which will disprove the anomalous information)

How can the census be so wrong sometimes? Consider first what question was actually asked by the census taker. For example with ages - did he ask how old the person was, or how old they were on their last birthday or.....

People lie about their ages. In past generations individuals often did not know their exact year of birth. I have a letter written in 1847 by my ancestor Levi Peer to his mother, asking her when he was born! At the time he was 38 years old but he obviously only had a vague idea of his birth year.

What about names? Spelling was not exact back in the 1800s and earlier. A census taker wrote what he heard, and whether or not he was a good speller or was familiar with the surname dictated what we see rendered on the census page. Don't forget that great grandpa might have been a recent immigrant with a difficult accent. The census taker might not have had any idea what name was being spoken.

If great grandpa was German or Polish or.... any other nationality find out what the English equivalent of his first name is. If you only know him as Walter but you know he came from another country, find out what his English name is in his native land. You may find him recorded either with his English equivalent or his ethnic origin name. For example Wladyslaw can be Walter. And on and on it goes...

Different first names? Children were usually given at least two names at birth and a man (or woman) might choose to use his first or his middle, or perhaps a nickname. Your ancestor might not have settled on his or her name until later in life, so may have used one name on one census and another on the next. Parents may have called their child by the name they bestowed on him but when he grew up he may have decided he didn't like his given name and used his middle.

People also had nicknames - Jack for John, Delia for Bridget, Polly for Mary - there are many standard nicknames which we can easily find with a search of Google. But what about invented nicknames? My husband's grandfather had the first name of Leon and middle name of Thomas but was called Charlie his entire life. We have to keep an open mind about whether or not individual A is the same person as individual B on another census!

The next question we need to ask ourselves is - who provided the answers on that census? Was it a parent? And if so, was it Mom or Dad. Mothers may have had a better idea of their children's birth years and ages than dad. Was it an older child (perhaps mom or dad were not home) or even a neighbour giving the information? All these factors will affect the quality of the census information.

Immigration and naturalization years are among the most mis-remembered of all on the census. Let's face it, can you recall the exact year you did something? If I am asked what year I went backpacking through Europe, I can only say it was sometime in the mid 1970s. To figure it out more precisely I'd need some time to sit and think about how old my children were, or some other trigger for my memory. The census taker was not going to sit there while mom or dad thought about what year they arrived in this country so the year you see on the census may be pretty much their best guess, given quickly.

As for great great Grandma giving a different place of birth for her parents (or even herself!) remember that she may only have heard how her mother lived in New York, and not have heard that actually her mother was born in Illinois and moved to New York as an infant. She may know that she herself was born in New York but moved elsewhere as a child and considers that her birth place. Again, think about who might have given the information! Perhaps great great grandma was sick in bed and her husband provided the details, or an older child.

In essence treat the census as you should every other genealogical source - with a bit of suspicion. Find other records and assess them all before arriving at a decision as to which (if any) is correct. But don't toss away information in one record as being completely wrong until you have thought about all the variables involved. You may find that you are indeed on the right track chasing Jurgen Muzzel even though you were told your great great grandpa was George Maxwell.....

Genealogy Journal Writing Part 2

After filling my first 100 page Journal with notes and memories of the town I have lived in for over 30 years, I began Journal 2. This Journal was to be about the town I was born and lived in for the first 17 years of my life.

I also added hand drawn family trees showing my genealogy to Journal 1, and redid them for Journal 2. Why? Because there is no guarantee that any of my Journals will survive, but hopefully at least one will, and I want my genealogy available in it for any descendants.

It has been a lot of fun dredging up old memories - childhood friends, games we played (Kick the Can, anyone?), schools I went to, teachers I remember and so on. Describing the town I lived in (Ajax) was important, because when I lived there it was a village and now it is almost a suburb of Toronto. As I write I remind myself of what I like to read in old journals and pioneer memories - not only do I want to hear about the people who lived there but also how they lived, what they ate, what they wore, how much money they earned, and so on. I add those details to my journals.

The wonderful thing is that adding a simple detail (a memory of the milkman carrying clanging bottles of milk to our front door) often brings back a flood of other memories, such as my mother cooking on a coal burning stove and how archaic that seems now in our days of microwaves! I think (hope) my descendants might get a kick out of reading that, and how we did not own a television until I was 10 years old.

Journal #2 is well underway, I have about 25 pages to go before it too is filled. I have a third journal (100 pages) ready and waiting, and my son knows they are to be his at some time in the future. Hopefully he will take over as caretaker of all the family photos, documents and journals until the next generation has someone ready and willing to carry on with the job.

It's fun to think about which of your grandchildren or nieces or nephews you might groom for the job. I have several grandchildren but one grandson age 10 has already expressed great interest in being the family historian and loves the Ancestor Cards I created last summer.

What more could a genealogist ask for?

Coffin Plate Genealogy Inscription

Coffin plates are decorative adornments attached to the coffin that contain free genealogical information like the name and death date of the deceased. Here is the inscription from a coffin plate I spotted in an antique store in Massachusetts

Henry F. Fisk
Died May 17, 1900
age 2 days

More Coffin Plates (almost 400 now!) can be freely viewed at AncestorsAtRest.com

Genealogy Antique Treasure - Trial Eights Crew 1875

Found in an antique store - a framed photo with ids

L.M.B.C. TRIAL EIGHTS

Winning Crew

H J Lewis
2. H L Young
3. J H Lloyd
4. H St. J. Wilding
5. R P Stedman
6. R C Smith
STK/H T Kemp
COX/ C Pendlebury

December 1875

I did a little research and learned that LMBC is Lady Margaret Boat Club of St John's College. It seems to have something to do with Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Clubs but perhaps a reader will know more than I do.

American Shipmasters Association Examination New York

Here is another genealogy inscription spotted on a framed certificate in an antique shop in Massachusetts


American Shipmasters Association Examination New York

Benjamin A. Sheldon
March -- 1873

Nautical Science & Seamanship

Approved Shipmates

Signed

-- Taylor
Ambrose Snow
T. W. Ellison
Geo. W. Black
T. ----


Note: The American Shipmasters' Association was organized in 1861 to improve the American Mercantile Marine Service and the general skill and moral character of those in the seamen's profession. Licenses had previously been issued intermittently by the United States Steamboat Inspection Service, but no continuous effort had been made until John D. Hones formed the American Shipmasters'Association in 1861. The Association was made up of maritime insurers, shipbuilders, government officials and maritime experts.

The ASA began issuing certificates to qualified mates and masters of sailing vessels receiving the first application from Captain Isaiah Pratt in September 1861.

To receive a certificate, seamen had to meet rigorous requirements, including six years experience at sea and a high score on the nautical science and seaman ship
examinations administered by the ASA. Applicants also had to produce testimonials to their good character.

Each certificate was valid for one year and could be renewed annually. Seamen retained their ASA numbers for life and a number once used was never reissued.

The ASA continued its program of certification until 1900, by which time Federal law required that most shipmasters be licensed by the federal governmentof the United States. It then became known as the American Bureau of Shipping.

Finding ancestors on Ships to Canada Before 1865

In 1844 18,330 immigrants arrived at the port of Montreal - and that's just ONE port, so imagine how many arrived at all Canadian ports in total.

Before 1865, it wasn't mandatory that passenger lists of ships arriving in Canada be kept. So you may find a few stray lists, or shipping company records - such as the JJ Cooke Shipping Records online at http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/jjcooke.shtml

These are sailings from Londonderry to Philadelphia, Quebec, St. John,New Brunswick, and Louisiana from 1847-71, or shipping agent reports like the Hawke Papers, Records of assisted passage, and so on.

There are other records that can substitute for a passenger list. For example, TheShipsList.com is extracting newspaper reports of arrivals and also listing names of passengers who took steamboats once they landed. In many cases you can consider yourself lucky if you find an ancestor on one of these lists!

There is also the Return of Emigrants Landed at the Port of Kingston Ontario, Canada 1861-1882 which gives the final destination of the individuals, their date of arrival at Kingston and more. It is found at
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/kingston1861oct-1862may.shtml These may have your ancestor's name travelling inland once he or she arrived in Canada.

Here is an example of the variety of records that fill in the gaps of pre 1865 Canadian passenger lists ---

Nancy Boggs, 39, Sarah Boggs 17 and Eliza Boggs 14 were listed, along with several others, in a letter that A. C. Buchanan, Chief Agent in the Quebec Immigration Office sent on 19 June 1846.

He prefaces the list of names with "the undermentioned person have been sent out by the Londonderry Union and I have paid them here a sum equal to 10/Stg. each. They are well recommended and the entire of them young and old are well conducted and may be safely employed as servants."

There is more, but this is just an example to show that if you happened to be looking for Nancy or someone else in that letter, you'd be very lucky to find this much!

So, hoping I haven't discouraged anyone - here's two URLs for Ships arriving in Canada

http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/canada/

http://www.theships.list.com/