It is estimated that as many as two-thirds of the people who came to the colonies between the 1630s and the American Revolution did so as indentured servants – whether voluntarily or involuntarily. This means that many of us with colonial American roots can trace our ancestry to at least one indentured servant.
While we can certainly use the existing records from Ellis Island and Castle Garden, two of the better-known immigration points for the United States, these collections only represent part of what is available. These resources leave out many other important historical locations such as Galveston, Texas and Angel Island, California, or even New Orleans.
The Ellis Island records website has long been a great place to find free ancestry information. Providing instant access to more than 50 million immigration records, it’s a vital resource for anyone with US immigrant ancestry from the late 19th and early 20th centuries (earlier records can be found here). A couple of years ago Ellis …
Did Your Ancestors Come Through Ellis Island? Here’s How to Find Out Read More »
A new interactive map from Metrocosm has visualized immigration to the US in a whole new way. This fascinating tool is a great way to gather a quick view of where US immigrants where coming from between the years 1830 and 2013. The helpful map will automatically play through each year on its own — highlighting top countries …
Fascinating Interactive Map Shows Immigration to the US from 1830 Onwards Read More »
There’s no doubt that the landing of the Mayflower in the ‘New World’ in 1620 is one of the most important events in American history. Whether you know all of the facts about this historic voyage or not, discovering a connection to this iconic American event would be truly exciting for any family historian. Yet, most of us …
Are You One of 35 Million Mayflower Descendants? Here’s How to Find Out Read More »
Editor’s Note: The Castle Garden website is no longer in operation. Records are now hosted at FamilySearch, where they are available at no cost – New York Passenger Lists (Castle Garden) 1820–1891. An article from FamilySearch on these records can be found here. See the following databases for later records or read our article about discovering …
The 11 Million Free Immigration Records You May Have Completely Overlooked Read More »
Thank you to Susan D. Harris for this guest post. Image at left: “My grandmother (Martha) as a little girl with her mother, Nola Carson Gordon and brother Lewis.” When I was young, an old Victrola sat in the corner of our living room that had belonged to my mother’s family. The relic of a bygone era, …
A Favorite Song Foretells the Discovery of a Long Forgotten Homeland Read More »