8 Tips for Researching Your Immigrant Ancestor

When my son's fiancé lost her father in 2021, I offered to research her family tree. It's become something of a tradition for me. I did the same for my brother's wife, my 1st cousins, and last week for my 2nd cousins when their father died.

For my son's fiancé, you have to go back to generation 12 in her ancestors report to learn that her last name is French. In generation 13, we see she's a descendant of the Dutch/German family Rittenhouse. That's a very famous family in Philadelphia. My sister-in-law's German/Jewish origin shows up in her 2nd great grandfather, born in 1853.

But for my all-Italian cousins, the immigrant experience is much closer:

• My 1st cousins' father immigrated as an infant in 1929.
• My 2nd cousins' grandfather immigrated in 1920.
• My grandfathers immigrated in 1914 and 1920.

An immigrant ancestor may be the key to your family tree. These 8 tips help you find them.

While researching your immigrant ancestors, it's important to:

1. Understand the local immigration laws when your ancestor arrived. If your ancestors came to America, take a look at how easy it was, as long as you weren't Chinese. See "How Did Immigration Laws Guide Your Ancestors?"
2. Pull every available fact from the ship manifest. I love the Ellis Island ship manifests because they contain a ton of details. To make sure you don't overlook any, see "6 Key Genealogy Facts on a Ship Manifest." If your ancestors came earlier than 1892, you'll find far fewer details.
3. Read about the immigrant processing experience. At Ellis Island, doctors spent an average of 6 seconds inspecting each immigrant. They deported only 2% of immigrants back to their country of origin. Two percent! These people were ill, likely to become a public charge, or had stowed away aboard the ship. To find out more about the experience, see "5 Ellis Island Videos Dispel Immigration Myths."
4. Learn about the history of your ancestor's country at the time they left. Something was going on at home that compelled your ancestor to leave. No one leaves home when conditions are fine. Read "Why Did Your Ancestor Leave Home?"
5. Look for more than one voyage. My maternal 2nd great grandfather Antonio was my first immigrant ancestor. He came to New York in 1890, 1892, and 1895 before going back to Italy to retrieve his family in 1898. My paternal great grandfather Francesco came to America in 1903, 1909, 1913, and 1929. He never stayed long. He earned some money and went back home to his family in Italy. His immigration records showed me that his final trip was to visit my grandfather and aunt in Ohio. Read "Great Grandpa Was a Bird of Passage" for a look at serial immigrants like Francesco.
6. Check for more than a ship manifest. When my mom's 1st cousin's husband died, I researched his family. His naturalization papers provided a wealth of information. If you can't find their ship manifest, look for naturalization papers. They can tell you the name of the ship and date of its arrival, and tons more about the family. Find out what you can learn by reading "Here's Why Genealogists Love Immigrants." And don't forget passport applications. It's amazing when you get your first look at a photograph of your relative on their application.
   
7. See who sailed with your relatives. I discovered a "lost" branch of my family when I looked into the people sailing with my family. One had my family name of Saviano, and the other had a name I knew was from the same town. See how I used clues to finally explain our relationship to our cousin Rita. Read "Why You Should Track Down the Extra Cousin."
8. Take a look at other countries. Immigration restrictions may have led your ancestor's brother to sail to another country. I have cousins who went to Canada when they couldn't get into America. Others went to Brazil and Argentina. To find those who went to South America, see:
   • "Overlooked Website Finds Immigrant Ancestors" and
   • "Finding Relatives Who Sailed to South America."

Ship manifests and naturalization papers are priceless to your family history research. Your immigrant ancestor connects you to your ancestral homeland. For some people, like my son's fianc
é, finding that immigrant is their first clue to their origins. She had no idea she was French, German, and Dutch. My brother's wife didn't know her ancestors were Jewish because her father wasn't.

Remember these 8 tips for researching your immigrant ancestor. Don't leave any facts on the table!