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.

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​

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!

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.




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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!

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

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

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

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

​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?

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!

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.

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.

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:

1. 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'
2. 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.
3. Age
4. Gender
5. Marital Status
6. Occupation
7. Ability to Read and/or Write - also indicates which language they were proficient in.
8. Nationality /Citizenship
9. Race
10. Place of Birth - City/town and country
11. Place of Last Residence - City/town and country
12. 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.
13. Visa - Number and where and when issued.
14. Final Destination - City/Town and State.
15. 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.
16. Ever Been in Prison, Almshouse, Mental Institution or Supported by Charity?
17. Polygamist?
18. Anarchist?
19. Labor Contract?
20. Physical and Mental Health Condition?
21. Deformed or Crippled?
22. Do You Have a Ticket for Final Destination?
23. Who Paid for Your Passage?
24. How Much Money in Your Possession?
25. Been to The U.S. Before?
26. 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.
27. Hair Color
28. Eye Color
29. Complexion Type
30. Marks of Identification
31. Name of Ship
32. Port/City of Departure
33. Date of Departure
34. Part of the Vessel for Travel - which deck, for example
35. Port/City of Arrival
36. Date of Arrival
37. For Aircraft - Carrier and Flight Number
38. Purpose for Coming to the U.S.
39. Length of Intended Stay
40. Ever Excluded from U.S., Deported or Arrested?
41. Detained Aliens - Name
42. Detained Aliens - Reason for Detention- usually medical; the form is not shown here but is a separate form
43. Detained Aliens - Final Disposition
44. Detained Aliens - Date of Discharge
45. 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.

For the last 3 years I have been tracking the online collections made available by the Advantage Preservation company, who has contracted with several hundred libraries and other institutions across the U.S. to digitize and host their online newspaper collections.

The great majority of these links have been Incorporated in the state collection summaries found in the Newspaper Research Links page on this site. 



The most recent update from Advantage Preservation totals 517 collections from 39 states and a total number of pages exceeding 50 million!
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Some of the collections are small, but others have over 50 different newspaper titles. Although Advantage-Preservation gets the credit for making these available, much of the credit should go to the individual libraries, library systems, historical societies and other institutions, who do the really hard work of obtaining the funds via grants and other funding sources to digitize these old newspapers and make them available online for their patrons.  In these times where funding for digitization of old newspapers from libraries, archives and other institutions is not easy to get, those of us who want to research our genealogy through newspapers and other documents owe a large debt of gratitude to the librarians and archivists who make all of this possible.  The moral of the story is "Support your local libraries and archives!"


Here is a list by state and county of the online collections available to search for free (with page counts in parentheses):


Alaska

• ​Wrangell-Petersburg - Petersburg Public Library  (65,427)

Arizona

• Pinal - Casa Grande Public Library  (406,087)
• Pinal - Eloy Santa Cruz Library  (48,163)

Arkansas

• Sebastian - Fort Smith Public Library  (129,506)

Colorado

• Yuma - Yuma Public Library  (79,636)

Connecticut

• Hartford - Farmington Libraries  (77,125)
• Hartford - New Britain Public Library  (11,963)
• Hartford - Windsor Locks Historical Society  (32,586)
• Litchfield - Beardsley & Memorial Library  (7,769)
• Litchfield - Scoville Memorial Library  (110,119)
• Litchfield - Thomaston Public Library  (59,459)
• Middlesex - East Hampton Public Library  (18,995)
• New Haven - Ansonia Historical Commission  (20,131)
• New Haven - James Blackstone Memorial Library  (145,473)
• New Haven - North Haven Public Library  (52,476)
• New Haven - Wallingford City Directories  (11,094)

Delaware

• New Castle - New Castle Public Library  (32,986)

Georgia

• Colquitt - Moultrie Colquitt County Library System  (46,582)
• Dawson - Dawson County Library  (90,498)
• Glynn - Marshes of Glynn Library  (3,573)
• Laurens - Oconee Regional Library System  (337,958)  (In Library Only)
• Lee - Lee County Library  (53,100)
• Morgan - Uncle Remus Regional Library System  (343,563)
• Worth - Worth County Library  (105,230)

Idaho

• Bannock - Marshall Public Library  (61,361)
• Bear Lake - Bear Lake County Library  (101,590)
• Cassia - Burley Public Library  (24,688)
• Clearwater - Elk River Free Library  (2,256)
• East Bonner - East Bonner County Library District  (315,180)
• Franklin - Franklin County Library District  (87,172)
• Jerome - Jerome Public Library  (9,387)
• Kootenai - Hayden Community Library Network  (149,420)
• Lemhi - Salmon Public Library  (63,876)
• Payette - Armoral Tuttle Public Library  (14,730)
• Teton - Valley of the Tetons District Library  (78,681)

Illinois

• Brown - Brown County Public Library  (112,238)
• Cassio - Beardstown Houston Memorial Library  (189,598)
• Clark - Marshall Public Library  (148,729)
• Cook - Bellwood Public Library  (46,792)
• Cook - Forest Park Public Library  (95,440)
• Cook - Midlothian Public Library  (43,613)
• Cook - Park Ridge Library  (285,797)  (In Library Only)
• Cook - River Forest Public Library  (351,985)
• DeKalb - Shabbona Lee Rolo Historical Museum   (42,972)
• DeWitt - Farmer City Library  (82,968)
• Hancock - Warsaw Public Library  (86,749)
• Henry - Clover Public Library District  (34,747)
• Henry - Galva Public Library  (85,533)
• Henry - Geneseo Public Library District  (134,088)
• Henry - Kewanee Public Library District  (223,030)
• Henry - Western District Library  (70,442)
• Kane - Town and Country Public Library District  (91,180)
• LaSalle - Earlville Library District  (68,992)
• Logan - Atlanta Public Library and Museum   (28,012)
• Marshall - Henry Public Library  (95,178)
• McHenry - Harvard Diggins Library  (84,797)
• Ogle - Polo Public Library  (6,512)
• Peoria - Brimfield Public Library  (36,970)
• Peoria - Peoria Heights Public Library  (16,800)
• Rock Island - Moline Public Library  (462,552)
• St. Clair - Freeburg Area Library District  (41,341)
• St. Clair - New Athens District Library  (65,534)
• Stark - Bradford Public Library District  (48,878)
• Stark - Toulon Public Library  (57,364)
• Tazewell - Morton Public Library  (146,922)
• Whiteside - Erie Illinois Public Library  (21,877)
• Whiteside - Sterling Public Library  (173,334)
• Will - Plainfield Public Library District  (12,561)
• Winnebago - Talcott Free Library District  (99,926)

Indiana

• Knox - Knox County Public Library  (227,466)

Iowa

• Allamakee - Postville Public Library  (79,292)
• Appanoose - Centerville Iowegian  (368,142)
• Benton - Baseball Museum of Norway  (13,404)
• Benton - Belle Plaine Community Library  (108,978)
• Benton - Blairstown Public Library  (48,999)
• Benton - Schroeder Public Library  (9,524)
• Benton - Vinton Public Library & the Benton County Historical Society  (266,443)
• Bremer - Sumner Public Library  (87,316)
• Bremer - Waverly Public Library  (54,390)
• Buchanan - Jesup Public Library  (54,926)
• Buena Vista - Albert City Historical Society  (28,626)
• Buena Vista - Buena Vista University  (15,907)
• Buena Vista - Marathon Public Library  (14,387)
• Buena Vista - Newell Public Library  (117,663)
• Buena Vista - Sioux Rapids Public Library  (52,731)
• Buena Vista - Storm Lake Public Library  (279,568)
• Butler - Aplington Legion Memorial Library  (10,906)
• Butler - Clarksville Public Library  (78,898)
• Butler - Greene Public Library  (64,895)
• Carroll - Carroll Public Library  (536,559)
• Carroll - Coon Rapids Public Library  (82,872)
• Cass - Griswold Public Library  (72,607)
• Cedar - West Branch Public Library  (19,406)
• Cherokee - Aurelia Public Library  (47,813)
• Cherokee - Cherokee Public Library  (354,769)
• Cherokee - Marcus Public Library  (41,255)
• Chickasaw - New Hampton Public Library  (201,619)
• Clarke - Oseola Public Library  (117,785)
• Clay - Kirchner French Public Library  (42,855)
• Clay - Spencer Public Library  (48,758)
• Clayton - Elkader Public Library  (118,209)
• Clayton - Garnavillo Historical Society  (13,089)
• Clayton - Guttenberg Public Library  (105,951)
• Clayton - Monona Public Library  (93,102)
• Clinton - Clinton Public Library  (72,686)
• Crawford - Norelius Community Library  (130,888)
• Crawford - Schleswig Public Library  (39,711)
• Dickinson - Dickinson County  (233,019)
• Dubuque - City of Dubuque  (70,999)
• Dubuque - The Witness  (65,563)
• Emmet - Estherville Public Library  (477,041)
• Fayette - Elgin Public Library  (63,605)
• Fayette - Fayette Public Library  (66,273)
• Fayette - Oelwein  (362,186)  (In Library Only)
• Fayette - The Collegian  (13,814)
• Fayette - West Union Community Library  (131,029)
• Floyd - Rockford Public Library  (50,719)
• Greene - Jefferson Public Library  (155,900)
• Grundy - Beaman Community Memorial Library  (5,231)
• Grundy - Conrad Museum  (1,372)
• Grundy - Kling Memorial Library  (121,196)
• Grundy - Ostfriesen Heritage Society  (17,699)
• Guthrie - Bayard Public Library  (44,190)
• Guthrie - Mary Burnett Memorial Library  (104,280)
• Guthrie - Stuart Public Library  (56,863)
• Hamilton - Ellsworth Public Library  (46,831)
• Hamilton - Hamilton County  (451,874)
• Hardin - Ackley Public Library  (41,757)
• Hardin - Hardin County Iowa  (559,735)  (In Library Only)
• Harrison - Missouri Valley Public Library  (101,029)  (In Library Only)
• Henry - Winfield Public Library  (54,116)
• Humblodt - Humboldt County Genealogical Society  (25,663)
• Ida - Battle Creek  (29,034)
• Ida - Ida Grove Public Library  (79,230)
• Iowa - Iowa County Genealogical  (39,140)  (In Library Only)
• Iowa - Iowa County Iowa  (301,952)  (In Library Only)
• Iowa - Williamsburg Iowa  (301,952)  (In Library Only)
• Jasper - Monroe Public Library  (28,274)
• Johnson - Oxford Public Library  (12,022)
• Jones - Jones County Genealogical Society  (319,387)
• Jones - Ross & Elizabeth Baty Public Library, Monticello  (139,104)
• Keokuk - Hedrick Public Library  (45,735)
• Keokuk - North English  (748,915)
• Keokuk - Warren County Historical Society  (49,629)
• Kossuth - Algona Public Library  (216,139)
• Kossuth - Kossuth County Newspapers  (170,771)
• Linn - Cedar Rapids Public Library  (2,162,054)
• Linn - Coggon Historical Society  (14,404)
• Linn - Cornell College  (54,104)
• Linn - Linn County Atlas  (1,245)
• Linn - Marion Public Library  (150,632)
• Linn - Mount Vernon Public Library  (71,929)
• Louisa - Mellinger Public Library  (62,585)
• Lucas - Chariton Public Library  (118,522)
• Lyon - Rock Rapids Public Library  (113,016)
• Madison - Earlham Echo  (30,578)
• Madison - Winterset Public Library  (125,832)
• Marion - Central College  (34,250)
• Marion - Pella Public Library  (150,154)
• Marshall - Gutekunst Public Library  (64,881)
• Marshall - Marshalltown Public Library  (78,708)
• Mills - Malvern Public Library  (63,022)
• Mills - The Silver City Historical Society  (12,000)
• Mitchell - Nissen Public Library  (50,034)
• Mitchell - Osage Public Library  (31,016)
• Monona - Mapleton Public Library  (82,906)
• Monona - Onawa Public Library  (134,742)
• Monroe - Monroe County Historical Society  (166,287)
• Montgomery - Red Oak Community  (173,648)
• Montgomery - Stanton Historical Society  (24,373)
• Montgomery - Villisca Public Library  (73,287)
• O'Brien - General N.B. Baker Library  (41,576)
• O'Brien - Hartley Public Library  (81,639)
• O'Brien - O'Brien County Archives  (77,685)
• O'Brien - Paullina Public Library  (59,994)
• O'Brien - Sanborn Public Library  (99,129)
• Osceola - Sibley Public Library  (123,846)
• Page - Essex Lied Public Library  (41,265)
• Page - Lied Public Library  (185,591)
• Page - Shenandoah Public Library  (260,365)  (In Library Only)
• Palo Alto - Graettinger Public Library  (58,542)
• Palo Alto - Palo Alto County  (88,785)
• Plymouth - Akron Public Library  (60,803)
• Plymouth - Kingsley Public Library  (54,891)
• Plymouth - LeMars Public Library  (232,808)
• Plymouth - Remsen Public Library  (58,423)
• Pocahontas - Laurens Public Library  (76,212)
• Pocahontas - Pocahontas Public Library  (94,898)
• Pocahontas - Rolfe Public Library  (41,974)
• Polk - Children and Families of Iowa  (3,938)
• Polk - Johnston Public Library  (29,599)
• Pottawattamie - Avoca  (13,543)
• Pottawattamie - Botna Valley Genealogy Society  (6,821)
• Pottawattamie - Walnut Public Library  (50,370)
• Ringgold - Tingley Vindicator  (16,223)
• Sac - Odebolt Public Library and Museum  (133,771)
• Scott - Catholic Messenger  (77,175)
• Scott - Scott County Library  (131,851)
• Sioux - Libraries of Sioux County  (624,784)
• Story - Bertha Bartlett Public Library  (66,145)  (In Library Only)
• Taylor - Lenox Public Library  (46,281)
• Wapello - Eddyville Public Library  (49,246)
• Washington - Kalona Public Library   (69,095)
• Washington - Washington County Library Association  (651,509)
• Wayne - Seymour Community Library  (52,068)
• Webster - Fort Dodge Public Library  (188,906)
• Woodbury - Morningside College  (19,789)
• Worth - Worth County Historical Society  (8,426)
• Wright - Clarion Public Library  (98,806)
• Wright - Eagle Grove Memorial Library  (128,465)
• Wright - Talbot Belmond  Public Library  (39,828)  (In Library Only)

Kansas

• Allen - Humboldt Public Library  (51,852)
• Anderson - Garnett Public Library  (13,688)
• Brown - Morrill Public Library  (186,253)
• Chase - Chase County Historical Society  (4,632)
• Coffey - Coffey County Library  (42,540)
• Cowley - Arkansas City Public Library  (505,119)
• Franklin - Ottawa University  (25,223)
• Geary - Dorothy Bramlage Public Library  (474,344)
• Gove - Grinnell-Angelus Heritage Center  (24,600)
• Harvey - Bethel College  (28,030)
• Harvey - Newton Public Library  (176,718)
• Logan - Oakley Public Library  (70,714)
• Lyon - Lyon County Library  (23,012)
• Marion - Peabody Township Library  (63,088)
• Marshall - Waterville Public Library  (48,590)
• Montgomery - Independence Public Library  (31,687)
• Nemaha - Mary Cotton Public Library  (103,342)
• Nemaha - Seneca Free Library  (75,947)
• Osborne - Osborne Public Library  (221,584)
• Pawnee - Jordaan Memorial Library  (7,868)
• Pottawatomie - Wamego Public Library  (121,222)
• Rooks - Plainville Memorial Library  (77,403)
• Russell - Russell Public Library  (7,608)
• Sedgewick - Derby Public Library  (27,610)
• Stevens - Stevens County Library  (71,635)

Kentucky

• Adair - Adair County Library  (39,034)
• Clark - Clark County Public Library  (14,771)
• Clinton - Clinton County Public Library  (15,144)
• Green - Green County Public Library  (84,038)
• McCreary - McCreary County Public Library  (60,774)
• Meade - Meade County Public Library  (100,813)
• Russell - Russell County Public Library  (99,307)
• Scott - Scott County Public Library  (42,636)
• Wayne - Wayne County Public Library  (113,203)

Louisiana

• Acadia - Acadia Parish Library  (534,006)
• Bienville - Bienville Parish Public Library  (56,634)
• Caldwell - Caldwell Parish Library  (2,441)
• Concordia - Concordia Parish Public Library  (157,818)
• East Baton Rouge - East Baton Rouge Parish Library  (19,095)
• Jefferson Davis - Jennings Carnegie  (28,371)
• Lafayette - Lafayette Public Library  (86,945)
• LaSalle - LaSalle Parish Library  (90,164)
• Rapides - Rapides Parish Library  (224,120)
• Union - Union Parish Library  (52,164)
• Vermillion - Vermilion Parish Library  (335,657)
• Vernon - Vernon Parish Library  (202,308)
• Webster - Webster Parish Library  (230,051)

Maine

• Aroostook - Fort Fairfield Public Library  (55,204)
• Aroostook - Houlton High School Yearbooks  (9,711)
• Aroostook - Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library  (36,238)
• Aroostook - Walter TA Hansen Memorial Library  (8,247)
• Cumberland - Bridgton Public Library  (84,911)
• Cumberland - Scarborough Public Library  (71,298)
• Kennebec - Gardiner Public Library   (17,845)
• Lincoln - Skidompha Library  (11,045)
• Lincoln - Skidompha Public Library  (2,177)  (In Library Only)
• Penobscot - Old Town Public Library  (111,703)
• Piscataquis - Thompson Free Library  (30,053)
• Waldo - Alice L. Pendleton Library  (7,840)
• Waldo - Belfast Free Library  (7,881)
• York - McArthur Public Library  (15,334)
• York - Springvale Public Library and Goodall Memorial Library  (42,630)

Maryland

• Montgomery - Montgomery County Public Libraries  (1,148)
• Queen Anne's - Queen Anne's County Library  (174,999)
• Worcester - Worcester County Library  (135,701)

Massachusetts

• Essex - Amesbury Public Library  (37,597)
• Essex - Flint Public Library  (29,412)
• Essex - Newburyport Public Library  (131,301)
• Franklin - Montague Public Libraries  (18,246)
• Franklin - Wheeler Memorial Library  (6,069)
• Hampden - Wilbraham Public Library  (25,803)
• Middlesex - J V Fletcher Library  (1,241)
• Middlesex - Stoneham Public Library  (49,163)
• Middlesex - Tewksbury Public Library  (13,732)
• Norfolk - Holbrook Public Library  (22,107)
• Norfolk - Sharon Public Library  (78,903)
• Norfolk - Turner Free Library  (39,985)
• Worcester - Leominster Public Library  (51,893)
• Worcester - Oxford Public Library  (827)
• Worcester - Stevens Memorial Library  (802)

Michigan

• Alger - Munising School Public Library  (87,109)  (In Library Only)
• Bay - Delta College Collegiate  (6,493)
• Berrien - Bridgman Public Library  (1,535)
• Genesee - Kettering University Library  (5,944)
• Gratiot - Alma College  (4,753)
• Newaygo - White Cloud Community Library  (10,573)

Mississippi

• Coahoma - Carnegie Public Library  (218,382)
• Wayne - Waynesboro Wayne County Library System  (115,912)

Missouri

• Grundy - Grundy County Jewett Norris Library  (364,825)
• Livingston - Livingston  (50,180)
• Putnam - Putnam County Public Library  (148,730)

Montana

• Gallatin - Bozeman High School  (7,880)
• Hill - Havre Hill County Library  (337,658)
• Hill - Havre Hill Obituaries  (13,121)
• Yellowstone - Billings Public Library  (128,457)

Nebraska

• Antelope - Neligh Public Library  (76,858)
• Boone - Albion Public Library  (75,629)
• Brown - Ainsworth Public Library  (27,727)
• Brown - Ainsworth Public Library  (103,200)  (In Library Only)
• Burt - Lyons Public Library  (70,700)
• Burt - Oakland Public Library  (82,157)
• Cheyenne - Dalton Delegate  (2,769)
• Cheyenne - Sidney Public Library  (219,488)
• Dixon - Dixon County Nebraska  (51,555)
• Dixon - Ponca Carnegie Library  (80,520)
• Dodge - North Bend Public Library  (71,345)
• Dodge - Scribner Public Library  (66,830)
• Furnas - Arapahoe  (96,190)  (In Library Only)
• Furnas - Arapahoe Public Library  (83,435)
• Furnas - Butler Memorial Library  (65,776)
• Greeley - Scotia Public Library and Heritage Center  (40,091)
• Holt - Atkinson Library  (62,079)
• Howard - Saint Paul Library  (111,757)
• Knox - Creighton Public Library  (65,509)
• Lincoln - North Platte Genealogical Society  (182,174)
• Merrick - Central City Public Library  (16,264)
• Otoe - Syracuse Public Library  (103,085)
• Pawnee - Pawnee City Library  (90,208)  (In Library Only)
• Perkins - Hastings Memorial Library  (80,306)
• Pierce - Lied Pierce Public Library  (88,237)
• Pierce - Plainview News  (69,602)
• Polk - Polk County Historical Society   (119,358)
• Seward - Seward Memorial Library  (262,934)
• Stanton - Stanton Public Library  (54,520)
• Valley - North Loup Public Library  (18,132)

Nevada

• Douglas - Douglas County Public Library  (175,602)

New Hampshire

• Grafton - Bethlehem Public Library  (4,644)
• Hillsborough - Fuller Public Library  (69,679)
• Hillsborough - Peterborough Town Library  (24,952)
• Hillsborough - Wadleigh Memorial Library  (95,374)
• Hillsborough  - Nashua Public Library  (220,887)
• Rockingham - Derry Public Library  (157,978)
• Rockingham - Kelley Library  (14,694)
• Rockingham - Plaistow Public Library  (47)
• Rockingham - The Nesmith Library  (66,454)
• Strafford - Dover Public Library  (19,975)
• Strafford - Farmington News of Farmington New Hampshire  (28,374)
• Strafford - Lee Public Library  (16,537)
• Sullivan - Fiske Free Library  (5,860)
• Sullivan - Richards Free Library  (124,908)

New Jersey

• Camden - Cherry Hills Public Library  (58,614)

New York

• Albany - Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany  (78,464)
• Broome - George Johnson Memorial Library  (147,459)
• Broome - Lisle Free Library  (21,894)
• Broome - Mary L. Wilcox Memorial Library  (38,472)
• Cattaraugus - Allegany Public Library  (29,793)
• Cattaraugus - Saint Bonaventure University - Friedsam Memorial Library  (43,094)
• Cayuga - The Seymour Public Library  (122,959)
• Chenango - Afton Free Library  (23,480)
• Chenango - Bainbridge (NY) Historical Society  (10,380)
• Chenango - Guernsey Memorial Library  (157,171)
• Columbia - Roeliff Jansen Community Library  (62,413)
• Delaware - Sidney Memorial Library  (107,451)
• Greene - Catskill  (241,776)  (In Library Only)
• Jefferson - Roswell P Flower Memorial Library  (3,518)
• Madison - Cazenovia Public Library  (134,077)
• Madison - Oneida Public Library  (6,084)
• Nassau - Glen Cove Public Library  (3,063)
• Nassau - Hewlett Woodmere Public Library  (147,195)
• Nassau - Long Beach Public Library  (1,882)
• Nassau - Massepequa Public Library  (34,488)
• Onondoga - Fayetteville Free Library  (64,735)
• Onondoga - Marcellus Free Library  (9,577)
• Orange - Albert Wisner Public Library  (146,846)
• Orange - Josephine - Louise Public Library  (32,546)
• Otsego - The Village Library of Morris  (12,536)
• Rensselaer - Troy Public Library  (26,644)
• Rockland - Nyack Library  (798)
• Steuben - Addison Public Library  (8,016)
• Steuben - Hornell Public Library  (24,219)
• Suffolk - Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society  (2,847)
• Suffolk - Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society  (2,847)
• Sullivan - The Liberty Public Library  (31,023)
• Tompkins - Southworth Library  (52,622)
• Tompkins - Ulysses Philomathic Library  (48,647)
• Ulster - Saugerties Public Library  (69,507)
• Ulster - Woodstock Public Library  (21,216)
• Wayne - Clyde-Savannah Public Library  (37,139)
• Wayne - Sodus Community Library  (45,113)
• Wayne - Williamson Public Library  (50,899)
• Westchester - Chappaqua Public Library  (93,695)
• Westchester - Katonah Village Library  (10,117)
• Westchester - North Castle Public Library  (26,797)
• Westchester - Port Chester - Rye Brook Public Library  (16,568)
• Wyoming - Perry Public Library  (59,738)
• Wyoming - Pioneer Library System  (209,549)
• Wyoming - Stevens Memorial Library & The Attica Historical Society  (35,531)

North Carolina

• Dare - Dare County Library  (149,984)
• Dare - Dare County Library  (152,967)
• Dare - Dare County Library  (1,555)
• Nash - Braswell Memorial Library  (20,600)
• Robeson - Mary Livermore Library  (25,677)

North Dakota

• Divide - Divide County Library  (130,113)

Ohio

• Brown - Union Township Public Library  (82,685)
• Champaign - Champaign County Library  (511,977)
• Columbiana - Carnegie Public Library  (35,912)
• Columbiana - Lepper Public Library  (212,478)
• Erie - Huron Public Library  (62,570)
• Franklin - Southwest Public Libraries  (63,441)
• Franklin - Westland Area Library  (34,101)
• Fulton - Archbold Community Library  (38,147)
• Fulton - Swanton Public Library  (59,997)
• Gallia - Bossard Memorial Library  (412,040)
• Hancock - Findlay-Hancock County Public Library  (71,211)
• Hardin - Ada Public Library  (104,338)
• Hardin - Forest Jackson Public Library  (1,325)
• Holmes - Holmes County District Public Library  (21,978)
• Huron - Bellevue Public Library  (280,856)
• Huron - Huron County Community Library  (231,936)
• Lawrence - Briggs Lawrence County Public Library  (10,683)
• Licking - Mary Babcock Library  (70,013)
• Lorain - Avon Lake Public Library  (1,841)
• Mercer - Coldwater Public Library  (83,989)
• Mercer - Fort Recovery Public Library  (18,807)
• Ottawa - Oak Harbor Public Library  (65,385)
• Paulding - Paulding County Carnegie Library  (257,520)
• Preble - Brown Memorial Library  (37,532)
• Richland - Marvin Memorial Library  (214,351)
• Seneca - Seneca East Public Library  (43,113)
• Stark - Stark County District Library  (227,420)
• Trumbull - McKinley Memorial Library  (366,077)
• Wayne - Wayne County Public Library  (107,140)
• Wayne - Wayne County Public Library  (107,140)
• Wood - Rossford Public Library  (32,734)
• Wood - Way Public Library  (115,087)
• Wood - Wayne Public Library  (87,246)
• Wood - Weston Public Library  (32,766)
• Wood - Wood County District Public Library  (46,558)
• Wyandot - Dorcas Carey Public Library  (110,195)

Oklahoma

• Bryan - Donald W Reynolds Community Center & Library  (172,578)
• Kingfisher - Hennessey Public Library  (73,564)
• Texas - Guymon Public Library  (318,995)

Oregon

• Coos - Flora M Laird Memorial Library  (56,068)
• Umatilla - The Weston Public Library  (12,290)
• Wallowa - Wallowa History Center  (15,795)  (In Library Only)

Pennsylvania

• Allegheny - Oakmont Carnegie Library  (19,057)
• Chester - Spoke Newspaper  (5,422)

Rhode Island

• Bristol - Bristol Phoenix  (127,609)
• Kent - East Greenwich Free Library  (76,375)
• Kent - East Greenwich Post 2000 Newspapers  (14,054)  (In Library Only)
• Kent - Warwick Public Library  (123,422)  (In Library Only)
• Kent - West Warwick Public Library  (9,424)
• Newport - Jamestown Philomenian Library  (14,708)
• Providence - Greenville Public Library  (113,393)  (In Library Only)
• Washington - Island Free Library  (22,039)
• Washington - Maury Loontjens Memorial Library  (3,281)
• Washington - North Kingstown Library  (137,386)

South Dakota

• Union - Beresford Public Library  (81,101)  (In Library Only)
• Union - Beresford Public Library  (62,477)

Texas

• Andrews - Andrews County Library  (116,193)
• Austin - Bellville Public Library  (96,266)
• Bee - Joe Barnhart Bee County Library  (142,505)
• Bell - Killeen  (601,621)  (In Library Only)
• Blanco - Blanco County North and South Library Districts  (24,346)
• Cameron - Harlingen Public Library  (277,945)
• Camp - Pittsburg-Camp County Public Library  (55,299)
• Chambers - Chambers County Library System  (46,082)
• Colorado - Nesbitt Memorial Library  (130,816)
• Comal - New Braunfels Public Library  (46,758)
• Crane - Crane County Public Library  (20,534)
• Dallam - XIT Museum  (298,714)
• Frio - Dilley Public Library  (31,362)
• Galveston - Friendswood Public Library  (37,807)
• Grayson - Denison Public Library  (38,748)
• Hays - San Marcos Public Library  (223,028)
• Hidalgo - Speer Memorial Library  (49,139)
• Hood - Hood County Public Library  (213,869)
• Hunt - Commerce Public Library  (177,681)
• Karnes - Karnes City Public Library  (25,973)
• Karnes - Kenedy Public Library  (58,879)
• Oldham - Oldham County Public Library  (14,573)
• Pecos - Fort Stockton Public Library  (18,089) 
• Pecos - Iraan Public Library  (10,088)
• Reeves - Reeves County Library  (3,897)
• Scurry - Scurry County Library  (15,425)
• Swisher - Swisher County Public Library  (60,474) 
• Tarrant - John Ed Keeter Public Library  (9,327) 
• Tom Green - Tom Green County Library  (23,235)
• Trinity - Blanche K. Werner Library   (31,483)
• Victoria - Victoria College Library  (22,031)
• Wichita - Burkburnett Public Library  (48,158)
• Wichita - Electra Public Library  (58,373)
• Wichita - Wichita Falls Public Library  (729,949)  (In Library Only)
• Williamson - Eula Hunt Beck Florence Public Library  (2,271)
• Wood - Gilbreath Memorial Library  (2,955)

Vermont

• Chittenden - Charlotte News  (20,565)
• Franklin - Arvin A Brown Public Library  (19,184)
• Lamoille - Stowe Free Library  (18,827)
• Rutland - Sherburne Memorial Library  (1,400)

Virginia

• Frederick - Handley Regional Library  (6,385)
• Frederick - Wayside Theater  (2,217)

West Virginia

• Mercer - Princeton Public Library  (2,206)
• Mineral - Potomac State College Mary Shipper Library  (138,363)
• Ohio - Ohio County Public Library  (160,547)

Wisconsin

• Barron - Rice Lake Public Library  (18,593)
• Chippewa - Chippewa Falls Public Library  (36,498)
• Columbia - Kilbourn Public Library  (137,117)
• Dunn - Menomonie Public Library  (34,536)
• Forest - Crandon Public Library  (21,063)
• Jefferson - Irvin L Young Memorial Library  (200,665)
• Juneau - Elroy Public Library  (123,291)

Happy Hunting!​

There are so many different types of records that guide us to the information about our ancestors and their lives.

One of the many - and often overlooked, are passport applications and passports themselves. Here we will show and discuss U.S. applications and show and discuss a passport from Nazi Germany. 

For United States passport applications, required reading is from the U.S. National Archives - Passport Applications. The history, types, limitations and how to access the microfilms of registers and indexes are included.


So what unique and interesting information can be found in a U.S. passport application from the collection of 1795 - 1925?

• Name of applicant
• Birth date or age
• Birthplace
• Date of application or issuance of passport
• Marital status 
• Father’s or husband’s name
• Father’s or husband’s birth date or age
• Father’s or husband’s birthplace
• Father’s or husband’s residence
• Wife's name
• Date of immigration
• Date of naturalization and where and what court
• Ship information
• Possible information about children and other relatives
• Occupation
• Current residence and length of residency
• Destination and reason for travel
• Physical description - with no photograph, this may be the only hint of what they looked like
• Photograph - this is a huge bonus as these applications provided the only photograph that I have of some ancestors. Low quality, but better than nothing.

In microfilm form, they are available from NARA and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Online, check out:

FamilySearch - free

• United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925

Ancestry - subscription

• U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925
• Connecticut, Passport and Birth Certificates, 1852-1928
• U.S. Consular Posts, Emergency Passport Applications, 1915-1926
• Hawaii, Passport Records, 1849-1850, 1874-1900

​FindMyPast - subscription

• United States Passport Applications

Fold3 - free

• Passport Applications, 1795-1905

Here is an example of an application from 1921 for one of my ancestors:

As you can see there is a ton of information that can be exceedingly helpful to you.

Now on to Nazi Germany. I had about a half dozen ancestors who escaped, and unfortunately three who didn't. The fortunate ones went to Shanghai, America, Palestine, and England.

In this passport, the following information is presented:

• Name
• Maiden Name
• Religion - notice the red "J" which is self explanatory
• Occupation
• Birth location
• Birth date
• Place of residence
• Body type
• Face shape
• Eye color
• Hair color
• Distinguishing marks
• Photograph

So research your ancestor's passports and passport applications. Lots of wonderful information awaits you.

Most folks know that finding obituaries is a bonanza when it comes to finding information about the deceased as well as his/her family. For example, if you are looking for the maiden name of a female sibling of a deceased married woman, if the obituary states that the deceased had a brother named "John Moran" who had a sister, say Mrs. Stella McDonald - a good place to start to find out more about Stella is to search for "Stella Moran." Except for step or half sibling relationships or name changes, much of the time that would indeed be her maiden name.




​



​
But finding obituaries is not always easy. Newspapers are obviously the place I would look first. But what if the newspapers are not online, or the OCR process from a poorly scanned original does not create an index entry that is useful.  Also, what if the newspaper is available offline, and the repository is 3,000 miles away? What to do?

Well - I suggest that you try researching mortuary and funeral home records.

Online record collections are available on FamilySearch (about 15) as well as Ancestry.com (about 45). There are other state and local collections available as well.

My biggest results have come from local collections available from sfgenealogy.com, where thousands of mortuary records have been indexed for San Francisco and surrounding Bay Area mortuaries. Currently there are over 300,000 images available.

And why is this important? Because in the San Francisco case - the obituaries are taped or pasted to the original mortuary record. And since some of those obituaries are from newspapers that are not easily obtainable - I now can see the obituary and get access to the sibling and maiden name information that I referenced above.

Also - have you ever looked at a mortuary record? There is an abundance of great information available! Here is a list of some of the information on such a record, besides the brand and cost of the casket:

• Name of informant and person paying for the service
• Cause of death
• Address of the deceased
• Burial location "to be"
• In some cases - the name of the father and mother
• Name of attending physician as well as hospital or place of death
• Date of birth
• Date of death
• Date of planned burial
• Obituary from multiple newspapers
• Occupation
• Birth Place
• Marital Status
• Gender
• Race
• Plus much more

Here are a couple of examples of mortuary records - see for yourself the gold mine of information that you can acquire.

Mortuary records - Yet another example of the dead speaking to us!  Make sure you include these records in your research.