LESSON TWELVE
Tactics for Using Foreign Sources

READING ASSIGNMENT: Click here for Chapter 12

At some point in your research into the origins of an immigrant ancestor, you might finally run out of American sources to search or you might be seeking an immigrant for whom no American record seems to provide the key information you need. Under those rare circumstances, you still should not give up.

IF. . .

. . . you do not proceed too quickly into such sources;

AND . . .

. . . you know a lot of information about the immigrant and his or her family in order to effectively use foreign sources. . .

. . .you can still have success in the foreign records themselves.

But you must know the minimum identification we discussed in the first few lessons including:

• some idea of the area or region within a foreign country, and
• whence the immigrant came such as immigration information (dates, ship names, etc.)
• the full name of the immigrant,
• a possible event date in the foreign county,
• and other identifying information.

Just as with North American records, there is a useful approach to searching these foreign records. The process can be seen as a set of research "tactics" by which the family historian searches the most useful and readily available sources first, followed by other sources, depending on how much one has learned about the immigrant. This lesson outlines those tactics, and the chapter solidifies the information. Following lessons will identify the different kinds of sources used in these various tactics.

The tactics used include:

1. Search compiled records first
2. Search nationwide records
3. Search departure records
4. Localize the surname
5. Search surname books
6. Search regional records
7. Now search local records

A large body of the essential source material you need to identify your ancestor in England, Germany and most other European countries is available in the United States in print and microfilm. You may not need to hire a research agent in Europe or correspond with record officials until you have exhausted these sources here. You can search most of them yourself by buying your own copies, using copies from public and university libraries on interlibrary loan, or requesting them through a family history center of the Family History Library.

Remember, your immigrant was almost certainly born after about 1580 (since the first arrivals in North America were about 1610-1620). Therefore, for the vast majority of immigrants, there is a record of them in their home country. Often it is a birth or marriage record. Proper application of the above tactics will greatly improve your chances of locating that elusive record for your immigrant ancestor.

At this time, you should be particularly aware of the location, location, location! May I repeat myself, “Are you completely assured of the location.” Here is a map from a Germany Research How To book that might be of interest to you.