United States, Passport Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains United States Passport Applications from two different NARA collections: M1490, and M1372 from Record Group 59 General Records of the Department of State. This collection is currently being indexed and the indexed records are being published. The collections are arranged by date of application.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
These records usually contain the following information:
 * Name
 * Application date and place
 * Birth date and place
 * Name of husband or father
 * Husband's or father's birth date and birth place
 * Husband's or father's residence
 * Husband's or father's citizenship information
 * Applicant's residence
 * Applicant's occupation
 * Length of time intending to be out of the U.S.
 * Where traveling to
 * Why traveling
 * Port of departure
 * Name of vessel
 * Date of departure
 * Oath of allegiance statement
 * Applicant's age
 * Applicant's physical description
 * Witness' statement
 * Witness' signature
 * Applicant's signature
 * Applicant's photograph
 * Name and position of person receiving application and witness' statement
 * Name and location of court where application and witness' statement was made

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the individual on the passport.
 * The birth date and birth place of the person applying for a passport.
 * The state and country where the person applied for a passport.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "NARA Publication Number" category ⇒Select the “Roll Number, Date Range, Certificate Number" category which takes you to the images

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

With either search keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s passport application, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the name, birth date and birth place to obtain a birth record.
 * Use the name and application place or residence to search federal census records.

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for another index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

Known Issues With This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

"United States, Passport Applications, 1795-1925." Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
 * Collection Citation:

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