Tracing Immigrants Origin Genealogy
Tracing Immigrant Origins Wiki Topics | |
![]() | |
News and Events | |
| |
Part 1. General | |
Part 2. Country of Arrival | |
Country of Arrival Search Tactics | |
Part 3. Country of Origin | |
Country of Origin Search Tactics | |
For Further Reading | |
|
Compiled genealogies and other sources for previous research should be the first place you look in the old country. A surprising number of genealogies, family history bibliographies, and indexes are published for many countries.
Global Indexes and Collections. These records are generally worldwide, so you only need a vague idea of a place of origin to search them. They are often available at family history centers, arranged by world region or surname.
Family Histories. Your ancestor's birthplace may be published in a family history. Often books published in foreign countries follow family lines down to the name of a family member who emigrated. You may be able to identify an individual in a foreign family history as being your ancestor. Genealogical Bibliographies and Indexes. Many countries have bibliographies of published family histories with alphabetical indexes to the major surnames. Periodical indexes may also help you locate emigrant families. The genealogies cited in these bibliographies or indexes often mention emigrants. The comprehensiveness of these bibliographies and indexes varies by country. Important examples are—
See the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under—
Genealogical Compendia. These collected genealogies (lineages) of thousands of families often mention emigrants. The higher social classes are better represented in most compendia. They are often published as periodicals, and many have indexes. An outstanding series with over 197 volumes for Germany is the—
|