Tracing Immigrants Arrival Biography

Tracing Immigrant Origins Wiki Topics
News and Events
FamilySearch has a NY arrival index Volunteer to index migration records
Part 1. General
Introduction	Search Strategies
Part 2. Country of Arrival
Country of Arrival Search Tactics  Country of Arrival Record Finder  Country of Arrival Record Types
Archives/Libraries Biography Business Records Cemeteries Census Church Records Court Records Genealogy History Immigration Land & Property	Military Records Naturalization Newspapers Obituaries Pensions Periodicals Probate Records Societies Vital Records Voting Registers
Part 3. Country of Origin
Country of Origin Search Tactics  Country of Origin Record Finder  Country of Origin Record Types
Census Church Records Civil Registration Court Records Directories Emigration Genealogy History Land & Property Military Records	Names Personal Newspapers Periodicals Population Probate Records Societies Surname Distribution Maps Taxation Vital Records
For Further Reading
The FamilySearch moderator for Tracing Immigrants Origin is GoAncestry

Tracing Immigrant Origins

Country of Arrival

Biography

The Family History Library and other major research libraries have thousands of biographical books, articles, films, and microfiche. Such works often provide exact information on an immigrant's origin. If not, they may have clues that could help you find it. Biographies may suggest an ethnic background or give the original spelling of the surname or locality. Biographical sketches are often found in local collective biographical works and local histories. These were very common in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Many other biographical records have been published. Two sources that can help you find out if a biographical sketch may have been written about your ancestor are— Slocum, Robert D. Biographical Dictionaries and Related Works. 2 vols., 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1986. (FHL book 016.92 SLo53 1986.) This bibliography lists over 16,000 collective biographies from around the world. Herbert, Miranda C., and Barbara McNeil, eds., Biography and Genealogy Master Index. 8 vols., 5 vols., 3 vols, and annual supps. since 1990. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1980, 1985-. (FHL book Ref 016.92 G131.) This work indexes more than eight million biographies of nearly three million individuals. It indexes about 2,000 volumes of nationwide sources, but it does not include local biographical sources. Most large libraries will have it.

Family History Library