Where to Find This Information

Having indicated the necessity of finding that elusive place of origin, we will take a little detour to discuss record groups before moving ahead to discuss the complete name of the ancestor and other identifiers.

It would be nice if we could all start this process by using the same record group to obtain the information. However, among American genealogical records, there is no one record source that will unfailingly provide a researcher with the name of the town where the immigrant originated.

There are several reasons for an inability to pinpoint one genealogical record group. First of all the three key record groups for pinpointing an original home town (ethnic, religious, and immigration records) are dependent upon:

1. The ancestor's ethnic group and what records that ethnic group consistently generated throughout the time period of the ancestor’s life.
2. The ancestor’s religious preference and the type of records that religion maintained throughout the years the ancestor held membership.
3. The ancestor’s time period of immigration and the type of records required by the country of origin during the same time period. Also whether those records are open to the public, if they were ever kept in the first place, and if they have survived.
In addition the home town, may be recorded in any (or none) of a dozen or more record groups. This course will indicate why some record groups are key sources for one ethnicity, but may not be for another. Some record groups have been studied previously, but their abilities to help with immigration will be refocused upon if they may prove effective in reaching your ultimate goal. Perhaps you recognize some of these key sources given in an alphabetical format, because until we know more about the specific ancestor being studied, we won’t be able to determine which group to focus upon first.
  • Biographical sources
  • Border crossings
  • Cemetery records
  • Census records
  • Church records
  • Court records
  • Family records
  • Land records
  • Military records
  • Naturalization records
  • Obituaries and newspapers
  • Passenger lists
  • Passports
  • Periodicals
  • Probate
  • Published family histories
  • Social Security records
  • Vital records
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