Immigration records into Michigan (find, search, database, free)

[carrot]

I am at a dead end for a relative. My gr gr grandfather immigrated from the Montreal area of Canada to Huron County (thumb) Michigan in the 1860's. I have all the census records for him, death cert (does not mention parents) and even some newspaper articles...but nothing that says anything of his heritage other than he was French Canadian and when he immigrated. I found out he was from the Montreal area from a newspaper article. I've contacted all the churchs he may have attended and contacted the county clerk with no luck.

The best I'm thinking is if there is any offical paperwork to crossing the border in the mid 1800's but no idea where to look. Any ideas? I would assume he came in through Detroit or Port Huron...just dont know...
Thanks!

[OpenD]

Have you checked Canadian Census records for him? I find they're even clearer than US records. I solved all kinds of puzzles about my Canadian grandmother and her ancestry once I started searching the Canadian Census records. I found her parents names, and from them I traced her grandparents, and then back to her great-grandparents, who immigrated from Scotland. All that from just the census.

[PA2UK]

Yes, try the Canadian Censuses, they are available free at https://familysearch.org/search/coll...&region=CANADA

All the collections I'm seeing specifically of Canada to US/Michigan border crossings only go back as far as 1895. But you may still have luck with Ancestry.com's general Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s: Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s - Ancestry.com

If you don't have an ACOM subscription, I'd be happy to do a search for you if you give me your ancestors name and birth details. If you'd rather get the information yourself, check out nearby libraries which sometimes provide ACOM accounts.

[carrot]

THanks, I just checked some of the Canadian census...problem is...I am pretty sure he changed his name when he moved to the states. It was Doe...but could have been anything French before that (French Canadian). I'm just trying to find anything that might be on record that would have his parents. Tuff!

Thanks!

[OpenD]

Check the soundalikes... like Deaux.

[RVcook]

I find the Montreal City Directories to be quite helpful for locating ancestors. The collection is available online here: Annuaires Lovell | Collection numérique | BAnQ. You are looking for "Serie Principale" and then click on the year, and then scroll within the year to locate the first letter of the last name.

I checked for your surname(s): Doe and the suggested Deaux. I was unable to locate anyone with those spellings for the years preceding 1858, but for the 1859-1860 directory, I did locate two people with the name Deau as follows:

Deau, Alexis, Laborer, 201 S. Joseph
Deau, Jean Baptiste, Laborer, 7 Barre

I also checked through the online database at the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery here: Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery - Locate a deceased person to see if there were any people buried there with the name Deau. There were not.

RVcook