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Ask the Expert
Expert Question: My paternal great-grandparents
came from Austria. They were
Slavish. My grandfather told
stories of coming to America and arriving at Ellis Island,
however, I cannot locate their records. I have their death
certificates and obituaries and that is it.
Where do I go from here. I don't even know if the name they
used in America is the same
name as it was in Austria.
Expert Answer: This is a common research scenario in which
you have heard where they came from, that they immigrated through Ellis Island,
but that's it. Let me provide a word of caution, Ellis
Island is like Woodstock. More people claim they were there, then really were.
Your first task is to find some document that actually tells you when and where
they immigrated or provides the name of the actual town in Austria (or any
foreign land for that matter) where they were born.
Here are a few suggestions for you.
- Depending upon the time period, the best starting point may
be a naturalization. Naturalizations after 1906 were handled at the
Federal level and usually contain the date (or estimation), port and
possibly the ship that they arrived on.
- Many census records provide the date of immigration.
If they were here in 1930 or 1920, start by searching the 1920
Census or 1930
Census for those records and see what year is referenced. You can
access them at
- City Directory - If you cannot find the naturalization or
census, you may have to go year-by-year through the city directory.
Start with the most current year you can find him and work backwards.
Additionally, you may want to draw up a Research Outline which
outlines his life chronologically, lists
documents that are available, have been searched and the results. This will
allow you to determine what
other sources may be left to consult. See Using
a Research Outline to Focus Your Genealogical Research for an article about
how to do this.
Still have questions, Ask the
Expert.
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