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As others have noted, the kind of documents required to come to America have slowly evolved over time from NONE (through the mid 19th century) to LOTS (now).
Regarding a method for pursuing your specific ancestor search, I'd like to recommend the books by John Colleta. I heard him speak one time and learned a lot that has since mostly gone out of my brain. But he was a wonderful speaker and his books are excellent, and may be of help to you: They Came in Ships, Finding Your Italian Roots, etc.
Can you find their American naturalization records? If so, those will tell you more about their birthplaces and birth names better than any other type of record. If they were 20th c people, take a look at the 1910 census to find out if they naturalized (NA) and when they came. Unfortunately, if your ancestors naturalized before 1922 you won't find a seperate naturalization record for the wife.
Read articles by Claire Kuskens to learn more about how to find and use naturalization records.
One of my relative's ancestors adopted a new name once they immigrated to the U.S. Nobody really knows for sure how his family's previous name was spelled. It's a dead end.
I've also heard that it wasn't uncommon for the person registering the new immigrant to change the spelling of that person's name or to change their name completely.
I'm not sure when it changed, but for a long time immigrants didn't really need any documents. Their names often did get changed at least a little bit. Even in the U.S., up until a few generations ago, people didn't have documents. My great-grandparents didn't have birth certificates or immunization records. A lot of people back then didn't even know exactly when they were born.
As others have noted, the kind of documents required to come to America have slowly evolved over time from NONE (through the mid 19th century) to LOTS (now).
Regarding a method for pursuing your specific ancestor search, I'd like to recommend the books by John Colleta. I heard him speak one time and learned a lot that has since mostly gone out of my brain. But he was a wonderful speaker and his books are excellent, and may be of help to you: They Came in Ships, Finding Your Italian Roots, etc.
Can you find their American naturalization records? If so, those will tell you more about their birthplaces and birth names better than any other type of record. If they were 20th c people, take a look at the 1910 census to find out if they naturalized (NA) and when they came. Unfortunately, if your ancestors naturalized before 1922 you won't find a seperate naturalization record for the wife.
Read articles by Claire Kuskens to learn more about how to find and use naturalization records.
Have fun!
Thanks for the book and article suggestions, I'll check them out.
This is the case with the naturalization, the husband was, and it was done in 1922.
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Originally Posted by CAVA1990
I'm thinking that wasn't necessarily the case for my Virginia ancestors who came here around the same time.
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Originally Posted by dynimagelv
Mine bounced off a rock in MASS and said "Papers, we don need no schtinking papers."
Mine probably said they too didn't need any "fercockta papers!"
Quote:
Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989
One of my relative's ancestors adopted a new name once they immigrated to the U.S. Nobody really knows for sure how his family's previous name was spelled. It's a dead end.
I've also heard that it wasn't uncommon for the person registering the new immigrant to change the spelling of that person's name or to change their name completely.
I'm not sure when it changed, but for a long time immigrants didn't really need any documents. Their names often did get changed at least a little bit. Even in the U.S., up until a few generations ago, people didn't have documents. My great-grandparents didn't have birth certificates or immunization records. A lot of people back then didn't even know exactly when they were born.
My DH, and many of his family members have what I call "fake" birthdays. Not being born in the US, in his country, back when, they didn't register the kids right away, and when his father went to to register them, whenever that may have been, he gave them whatever date came to mind at the time. I celebrate the real bday, but everyone else outside the family thinks it's a whole other date. He goes by what is on the legal papers.
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Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired
I would guess a Bible was an integral part of most Pilgrim luggage as well as those folks coming two hundred years later.
No Bible for my family members - maybe a Jewish prayer book though
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A distant family member has been able to trace back the GGGrandfathers roots in Italy, but the GGGrandmother has come up nothing. I have a copy of the ship records, I have a copy of the marriage license, census and Naturalization (for husband) but trying to find any information on her parents, which names I have, has brought no info. It seems the GGGrandmother was born in Germany in 1877 and prior to that, the area was part of France. So she's lived as being German but had listed parents being French. Not knowing the commune where she was born seems to be one of the problems. Trying to find information about the parents of the GG Grandmother. If names were changed, or misspelled, this may be impossible.
Names were rarely "changed" - they simply were written down differently by each person who created the record. Most of our ancestors were illiterate, and probably couldn't even spell their names ... if they even cared how they were spelled. Sometime through the years (or generations), they kind of settled on a spelling. Government officials didn't care how they were called, that they were standing in front of them was all the documentation they needed. That is, until they wanted money or sustenance from the the government. Then, they kind of cared. But that was usually satisfied by an affidavit from someone who knew you.
It wasn't until modern times (last 100 years or so) that things like paperwork were required, and our identities became well-documented. For anything in life. Before that, they didn't care.
Can you find their American naturalization records? If so, those will tell you more about their birthplaces and birth names better than any other type of record. If they were 20th c people, take a look at the 1910 census to find out if they naturalized (NA) and when they came. Unfortunately, if your ancestors naturalized before 1922 you won't find a seperate naturalization record for the wife.
These were not required documents to enter or be in the US. I've got ancestors that lived here in the US for more than 40 years before they got naturalized or died. Otherwise, I've had poor luck with these records usually they just say they were born in Prussia etc.
Quote:
Names were rarely "changed" - they simply were written down differently by each person who created the record.
I'd dispute this also; from my experience it seems to depend on the areas. Eg, some of the Dutch immigrants I've researched anglicized their names
Hendrika Aartje -> Henriette Alice
Tjitske->Susan
Janneka->Jane
Jannigje->Jennie
Leendert->Leonard
It is difficult for us to understand this in the 21st Century, but the concept of a standardized spelling of one's name is a relatively recent development. As late as the 19th Century, if you didn't like the spelling of your name, you just started spelling it differently.
I agree with the people here who have stated that the immigration officials at Ellis Island didn't change names. But, before Ellis Island existed, immigrants who entered the country through the New York port came through Castle Garden. When Ellis Island was opened for the processing of immigrants, Castle Garden was closed.
Earlier on in Castle Garden, very little was required by way of documentation. The process changed gradually, and I don't know the points in time when the actual changes were implemented.
I was going to post the link to Castle Garden records, but I see that Google has warned that it is a dangerous website that may harm your computer.
The Castle Garden organization is legitimate and reputable, but its site may have been hacked and compromised, so I would stay away for a while. Better safe than sorry!
I'd dispute this also; from my experience it seems to depend on the areas. Eg, some of the Dutch immigrants I've researched anglicized their names
Hendrika Aartje -> Henriette Alice
Tjitske->Susan
Janneka->Jane
Jannigje->Jennie
Leendert->Leonard
Like I said, they didn't really "change" their names. I'd venture to guess if you looked hard, if the records were written by a Dutch recorder (i.e. the church records), they'd likely use the Dutch form. If they were written by an English recorder (i.e. the census), they'd likely use the English form.
Of course it's not a hard and fast rule. People did "change" their names. It's just not that common. If you think about it, we are all called by so many different forms of our names, by nicknames, by middle names, etc. Our ancestors were the same. What name was used in any particular record doesn't mean it was changed, just that someone told the recorder that name.
And sometimes, it wasn't even the right name. My first name is close to that of my grandmother's sister (but not the same name). Do you think my grandmother could make that distinction? No, she called me by her sister's name. She wrote it on birthday cards, in letters, etc. If she had to record it, she'd probably have done it wrong. But it's not, and never has been my name. Though there would be evidence to the contrary.
Like I said, they didn't really "change" their names. I'd venture to guess if you looked hard, if the records were written by a Dutch recorder (i.e. the church records), they'd likely use the Dutch form. If they were written by an English recorder (i.e. the census), they'd likely use the English form.
But I'm going off of signatures of the actual people and such; Dutch civil registries usually contained them as did witness statements in the US. On the other hand, some never anglicized their names, especially those that never learned English and usually did not find it so even on censuses or registers. So I don't think it was quite so common that clerks had no care at all what someone's name was.
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