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Chronicling America Updates - March, 2018

3/30/2018

Source: Library of Congress

Chronicling America, the newspaper collection available for online research of United States historic newspapers, regularly updates their collection.

Here are the updated titles for March, 2018. Some are new titles and some are added to an existing title's pages in the database. There are 25 in total from 6 different states. (Please note that some newspapers may be listed multiple times because they were updated more than once by the Library of Congress during the month).

Iowa

Maine

Updated content for Casco Bay breeze. (South Harpswell, Me.)

Nevada

Updated content for Gold Hill daily news. (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.])

North Carolina

Ohio

Updated content for Enakopravnost. [volume] (Cleveland, O.[Ohio])

West Virginia

Updated content for Wheeling Sunday register. (Wheeling, W. Va.)

Good luck and happy hunting!

For more links for these states and others - please see the Newspaper Research Links page on this website.

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FamilySearch New and Updated Collections - March 1-31, 2018

3/30/2018

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Source: familysearch.org

FamilySearch continues to add or update their records collections at a fast pace for us to search.

For the period of March 1- 31, 2018, the added/updated collections are:

For a complete list of all added/updated collections, go to

https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list

I hope that some of these are what you have been waiting for!

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300 Free Western States Online Historic Newspaper Titles Added

3/30/2018

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About 300 new and updated Free Historic Newspaper Links have been added to the Western States' free "newspaper link lists": These were all updated in March, 2018, and represent additions from the past 4 months.

Alaska - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/alaska-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Arizona -http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/arizona-online-historical-newspapers-summary

California - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/california-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Colorado - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/colorado-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Hawaii - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/hawaii-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Idaho - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/idaho-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Montana - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/montana-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Nevada - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/nevada-online-historical-newspapers-summary

New Mexico - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/new-mexico-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Oregon - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/oregon-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Utah - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/utah-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Washington - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/washington-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Wyoming - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/wyoming

I hope these new links help you find more newspaper articles about your ancestors!

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900 Free Midwest States Online Historic Newspaper Titles Added

3/26/2018

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900 new and updated Free Historic Newspaper Links have been added to the Midwest States' free "newspaper link lists": These were all updated in March, 2018, and represent additions from the past 4 months.

Illinois - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/illinois-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Indiana - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/indiana-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Iowa - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/iowa-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Kansas - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/kansas-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Michigan - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/michigan-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Minnesota - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/minnesota-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Missouri - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/missouri-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Nebraska - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/nebraska-online-historical-newspapers-summary

North Dakota - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/north-dakota-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Ohio - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/ohio-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Oklahoma - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/oklahoma-online-historical-newspapers-summery

South Dakota - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/south-dakota-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Wisconsin - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/wisconsin-online-historical-newspapers-summary

I hope these new links help you find more newspaper articles about your ancestors!

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750 Free Southern States Online Historic Newspaper Titles Added

3/24/2018

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About 750 new and updated Free Historic Newspaper Links have been added to the Southern States' free "newspaper link lists": These were all updated in March, 2018, and represent additions from the past 4 months.

Alabama - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/alabama-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Arkansas - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/arkansas-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Florida - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/florida-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Georgia - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/georgia-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Kentucky - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/kentucky-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Louisiana - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/louisiana-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Mississippi - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/mississippi-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Missouri - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/missouri-online-historical-newspapers-summary

North Carolina - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/north-carolina-online-historical-newspapers-summary

South Carolina - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/south-carolina-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Tennessee - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/tennessee-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Texas - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/texas-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Virginia - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/virginia-online-historical-newspapers-summary

West Virginia - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/west-virginia-online-historical-newspapers-summary

I hope these new links help you find more newspaper articles about your ancestors!

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460 Free Mid-Atlantic States Online Historic Newspaper Titles Added

3/22/2018

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Over 460 new and updated Free Historic Newspaper Links have been added to the Mid-Atlantic States' free newspaper link lists: These were all updated in March, 2018, and represent additions from the past 4 months.

New York - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/new-york-online-historical-newspapers-summary1

Pennsylvania - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/pennsylvania-online-historical-newspapers-summary

New Jersey - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/new-jersey-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Virginia - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/virginia-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Delaware - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/delaware-online-historical-newspapers-summary

West Virginia - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/west-virginia-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Maryland - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/maryland-online-historical-newspapers-summary

District of Columbia - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/district-of-columbia-online-historical-newspapers-summary

I hope these new links help you find more newspaper articles about your ancestors!

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20 Reasons to Declare Your Intent and Research Naturalization Records!

3/22/2018

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Do you research naturalization records? No? Why not? Does the thought of going through paper files in dusty court basements turn you off? Well - I'm here to tell you that it is worth it - and with recent digitization efforts - more and more original documents have been scanned and been made available via microfilm or even online.

Some of the larger subscription sites have made some source documents available - as well as index cards that can lead you to the court who handled the proceedings.

Whatever! It is worth the effort - no matter what. The amount of information on naturalization records is in a word - Outstanding! Take a look below at the 20 or so types of information that can be found.

If you wish to get educated first about all of these documents and the naturalization process - please read these two terrific summaries:

The U.S. Archives Naturalization Records
FamliySearch's Wiki entry United States Naturalization and Citizenship

Okay - now that you are educated and know that post-1906 - about 4 awesome documents just drip with great information: Declaration of Intent, Petition for Citizenship or Naturalization, Certificate of Arrival, and the Certificate of Naturalization. Many of the online genealogy websites may not have all of these documents available, but do have index cards that are searchable - which has information regarding the court handling the proceedings. With this information you might be able to track down some of the source documents.

So lets' go - what types of information are included in these documents?

Name (often includes middle name which is useful). Can help with spelling of more complex names for future searching as well.
Age
Occupation
Physical Characteristics - color/race, complexion, height and weight, hair and eye color, and scars or other distinctive marks.
Birth Location
Birth Date
Current Address
Emigration Information - port of departure, name of ship/vessel, and date of departure
Immigration Information - port of arrival and date of arrival
Last Foreign Residence
Marital Status
Marriage Date
Marriage Location
Spouse Information - Name of spouse and their birth location and current address. Also when they entered the U.S. May include their naturalization information if applicable
Signature (always fun to see how they signed their name)
Name and Location of court handling the proceedings
Children - names, place of birth and current residence
Witnesses - names, occupations, and addresses - always useful (and underappreciated) - may provide means of alternative research if the same surname - or if a friend - possible clues.
Former Names - if they changed their name or if they got married in the U.S. may provide great clues for additional research, especially in their birth country or former country of residence
Photo

Here is an example of a Declaration of Intent as well as a Petition for Citizenship:

Don't plan on having all of these documents available to you online. Some court "digging" may be in order. The Certificate of Naturalization I have had some difficulty finding except in the possession of the descendants of the naturalized citizen.

What are you waiting for?

What tidbits have you found that I may have omitted above?

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200 Free New England States Online Historic Newspaper Titles Added

3/21/2018

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Over 200 new and updated Free Historic newspaper Links have been added to the New England States' free "newspaper link lists": These were all updated in March, 2018, and represent additions from the past 4 months.

Connecticut - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/connecticut-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Maine - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/maine-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Massachusetts - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/massachusetts-online-historical-newspapers-summary

New Hampshire - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/new-hampshire-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Rhode Island - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/rhode-island-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Vermont - http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/vermont-online-historical-newspapers-summary

I hope these new links help you find more newspaper articles about your ancestors!

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FamilySearch New and Updated Collections - March 1-15, 2018

3/15/2018

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Source: familysearch.org

FamilySearch continues to add or update their records collections at a fast pace for us to search.

For the period of March 1- 15, 2018, the added/updated collections are:

For a complete list of all added/updated collections, go to

https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list

I hope that some of these are what you have been waiting for!

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Please Share!

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45 Reasons to Research Immigration Records

3/15/2018

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When I first started my ancestor research, after I had gotten over the initial excitement of reviewing census records and interviewing my living relatives, I almost immediately began trying to find my immigrant ancestors and how they got to America (Note: my earliest ancestor who immigrated came here in 1851). Through free repositories such as Ellis Island and Castle Garden and other sites, as well as those records available via subscription sites I plugged away.

After collecting a few records, I began to analyze the contents of those records. What I learned and the abundance of information available is below. There are tons of information included in these records - AND if you analyze them enough you can discover familial relationships that are much beyond what ship they arrived in and on what date they immigrated.

The first few records were really old - as in mid-1850s immigrating old. Below is a sample of one of those records for one of my ancestors from his voyage to America in 1857.

Image 1

As you can see, the quality of the image is not too great and the amount of information is not abundant. Not to mention that the handwriting is difficult to read.

But things got better. Later versions of the ship manifests included additional information and were easier to read. And remember - many of the records had two pages of entries for the same person, so make sure that you look at the page before and the page after you have found someone. Here are some examples from the late 1800s and 1900s. And the last image is not from a ship, but from immigration via aircraft.

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

So, let's take a look at the information available in the last four images - which make up the preponderance of the form types in the late 1800s through mid-1900s or so. As you can see, the later images were typed. This of course could create a problem - were they typed from a handwritten form, which could certainly introduce errors not only in typing but in transferring?

In any case, let's list the information that is available in all the form variations and why it is valuable to our genealogy and family history research:

Name of the Immigrant - to me this is always fascinating. Despite the legend that names were changed at Ellis Island - they certainly were not. But folks did change their name later. Members of my own family changed their Hebrew names to their English/American equivalents - not necessarily at the time of immigration but at some point later. So searching for the Anglicized name may not bear fruit in these cases when searching for their immigration records. Later naturalization records may give some hints to their birth name. Many times abbreviations were used. For example in Image 1, my ancestor Bernhard Braunhart had his entry shortened for his given name to "Bernh'
Family - families certainly did travel together and sometimes not, but sometimes not on the same ship or in the same year. For example, my great grandmother immigrated in 1888; one sister in 1892, another sister and brother in 1890, her mother and yet another sister in 1898. Other relatives may have been on the same ship - so take a look at all the manifest pages. Just like in census records, a page or two away may be an aunt, a cousin, or other relative.
Age
Gender
Marital Status
Occupation
Ability to Read and/or Write - also indicates which language they were proficient in.
Nationality /Citizenship
Race
Place of Birth - City/town and country
Place of Last Residence - City/town and country
Name and Address of Contact for Location from Whence they Came - This is very useful information because it may provide information about a family member in the "old country" that you may know nothing about. This is especially true in Image 2 as this record was used to provide further evidence of the name of the father of my immigrant ancestor.
Visa - Number and where and when issued.
Final Destination - City/Town and State.
Whether Going to Visit a Relative or Friend - name and complete address is requested in this entry. Similar to the contact person from whence they came - this entry can also provide terrific clues as to other relatives of the immigrant.
Ever Been in Prison, Almshouse, Mental Institution or Supported by Charity?
Polygamist?
Anarchist?
Labor Contract?
Physical and Mental Health Condition?
Deformed or Crippled?
Do You Have a Ticket for Final Destination?
Who Paid for Your Passage?
How Much Money in Your Possession?
Been to The U.S. Before?
Height - just one of the physical characteristics requested in the form. In lieu of a lack of a photo for an ancestor - these characteristics provide some clue to what they looked like.
Hair Color
Eye Color
Complexion Type
Marks of Identification
Name of Ship
Port/City of Departure
Date of Departure
Part of the Vessel for Travel - which deck, for example
Port/City of Arrival
Date of Arrival
For Aircraft - Carrier and Flight Number
Purpose for Coming to the U.S.
Length of Intended Stay
Ever Excluded from U.S., Deported or Arrested?
Detained Aliens - Name
Detained Aliens - Reason for Detention- usually medical; the form is not shown here but is a separate form
Detained Aliens - Final Disposition
Detained Aliens - Date of Discharge
Detained Aliens - Number of Meals Provided

And by the way - if these 45 reasons aren't enough for you, you can always research and analyze emigration records - that is the records for the immigrant from his or her departure location.

As stated above, there is a ton of information available in these documents and records - not just the name of the immigrant and the ship and date of arrival. One can piece together quite a bit of clues about the immigrant's family, health, physical characteristics and other interesting and helpful information.

So search away - but make sure that you analyze every piece of information provided. You just might find new family members who did not even travel or immigrate.

Chronicling America Updates - March, 2018

FamilySearch New and Updated Collections - March 1-31, 2018

300 Free Western States Online Historic Newspaper Titles Added

900 Free Midwest States Online Historic Newspaper Titles Added

750 Free Southern States Online Historic Newspaper Titles Added

460 Free Mid-Atlantic States Online Historic Newspaper Titles Added

20 Reasons to Declare Your Intent and Research Naturalization Records!

200 Free New England States Online Historic Newspaper Titles Added

FamilySearch New and Updated Collections - March 1-15, 2018

45 Reasons to Research Immigration Records

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