User:Laurenwake/Sandbox

Immigration/Emigration (Imigração/emigração)
Portugal has one of the highest emigration rates in the world. The trend reaches back to the 15th century, when Portugal began overseas exploration and colonization. Many Portuguese individuals moved to colonies in Africa, South America, and Pacific archipelagos. A large number also settled across the United States, drawn by the shipping trade in New England, California, and Hawaii.

Ship passenger lists, passport registers, emigration proceedings, citizenship papers, registration of foreigners, and similar documents can prove a vital link in tracing ones ancestor back to Portugal. Such records may contain the individual's full name, age, civil status, birthplace, former residence, destination, and sometimes race or nationality. They are contained in the National and District Archives, and some have been digitized.

Portugal Passenger Lists
From around 1836-1976 the Azores, a Portuguese controlled island of the coast of Africa, was split into three districts:


 * Angra do Heroismo: consisting of Terceira, Sao Jorge &amp; Graciosa
 * Horta: consisting of Pico Faial, Flores &amp; Corvo
 * Ponta Delgada: consisting of Sao Miguel &amp; Santa Maria

It is my understanding that for this time period all passports on the Azores were issued through one of these three districts. The Government of the Azores has a digital collection consisting of passports issued at Ponta Delgada on this web site:

http://www.culturacores.azores.gov.pt/ig/passaportes/Default.aspx

Websites

 * Immigrant Ancestors Project
 * Portugal Seeks Balance of Emigration, Immigration
 * Emigração e população em finais do século XIX. A miragem do Brasil no concelho da Meda (1889-1896)
 * Portuguese Immigrants from the Azores to Hawaii; Passport Indexes by Town/Village
 * Portuguese Passenger Ship Master List
 * Passenger Manifests Index, A-Z
 * Arquivo Regional da Madeira Passports 1872-1910
 * Azores, Centro de Conhecimento Dos Acores, Passports, 1875-1939
 * Azores Gen Web has many resources for Portuguese immigrants

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:


 * Portugal, Aveiro Passport Registers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Portugal, Coimbra Passport Registers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Portugal, Leiria Passport Registers (FamilySearch Historical Records)