Belgium, Antwerp, Police Immigration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection will include records from 1840-1930. It consists of files kept by the Antwerp City Police on foreign nationals residing in the city. The files may contain documents from a later period. Family name, given name, birth date (or age), residence, nationality, and occupation are included. For the index to these records, see the collection Belgium, Antwerp Police Immigration Index, 1840-1930. The indexes are handwritten on pre-printed forms.

Reading These Records
These records are written in French and Dutch. For help reading these records see the following:
 * Belgium Language and Languages
 * France Language and Languages
 * French Handwriting or Netherlands Handwriting
 * Dutch Genealogical Word List

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Surname and given name
 * Year of immigration

Belgium, Antwerp Police Immigration Index, 1840-1930
The link in the DGS column will open the images in a new window. The link in the Title column will open the FamilySearch Catalog record in a new window.

View the Images
To view images in this collection:
 * 1) Look at the Digital Folder Number List section to determine the folder/film number for the images you want to see
 * 2) Go to the Browse Page
 * 3) Select the Film number to view the images

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

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

 * Use the age in the citizen to find an approximate birth year to begin your search in church or civil records
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have moved, been recruited or lived nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify. Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual. This compiled list can help you identify possible relations that can be further verified by researching vital records in the country
 * When you have located your ancestor’s record, 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 such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors

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

 * Consult the Belgium Record Finder to find other records
 * Switch to a different record collection. Depending on the time period, one or the other collection may be more helpful
 * While searching, it is helpful to know such information as the ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as an ancestor and that the ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times
 * Keep in mind that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images. Pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names
 * Search the indexes and records of local genealogical societies

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Belgium.
 * Record Finder

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.