GuidedResearch:Finding Town of Origin - United States Immigration - 1820-1880

Intro
During the 1820s-1880s, the United States received a huge influx of immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia, and China. Many of these immigrants came because of economic or civil unrest at home, the cheap farmland available in the United States, or because of the California Gold Rush. Some immigrants, especially those who were unskilled laborers, stayed on the East Coast where the industrial revolution was bigger.

Major Ports During this Era
The Top 5 Major Ports
 * Baltimore
 * Boston
 * New Orleans
 * New York City
 * Philadelphia

Census Records
Below is a table with possible immigration information found in the United States Census records. The below information can give clues as to when a person immigrated. Beginning in 1850, the United States censuses listed the birthplace of a person. This information can be helpful in knowing the country of origin. These earlier census records can also give clues as to when a family immigrated to the United States if some of the children were born in their homeland country and some in the United States. This is helpful in narrowing down the year of immigration. As noted in the table, some of the later censuses provide an estimated or exact year of immigration as well. NOTE: The immigration years can vary from census to census, especially if the person immigrated as a child and did not remember the year exactly. 

Naturalization Records
Since the adoption of the United States constitution, there have been naturalization laws and regulations in place. The naturalization process often took place in county courts. To learn more about the naturalization process read United States Naturalization and Citizenship. These types of courts varied between different states. County naturalization records can often be found in county supreme, circuit, district, equity, chancery, probate, or common pleas courts. Some states also naturalized aliens in state supreme courts. These states include Indiana, Iowa, Maine, New Jersey, and South Dakota. Aliens were sometimes naturalized in a Federal court (U.S. district court or U.S. circuit court) if they resided in a large city.

The naturalization process took a minimum of five years to complete. After living in the United States for 2 years, a declaration of intent could be filed. This was called the "first papers." After another three years, the petition of naturalization could be filed. When this petition was granted, a certificate of citizenship was given. In the 1900 and 1910 United States census records, it is stated whether or not the person is an alien or naturalized. NA stands for naturalized, AL for Alien, and PA for papers.

There were several exceptions to the citizenship rule. From 1790-1922, minor children and wives automatically became citizens when their father or husband did. If an alien woman married a citizen, she gained citizenship in the United States. The reverse was not true for men. If an alien man married a citizen of the United States, he did not become a citizen and his wife lost her citizenship, even if she never left the United States. From 1824-1906, aliens who had lived in the United States for five years before they turned 23, could file their declarations and petitions at the same time. A third exception was for veterans. Beginning in 1862, honorably discharged veterans of the United States could petition for naturalization without filing a declaration of intent. In 1918, aliens currently serving in the military were allowed to petition for naturalization.

Vital Records
Vital records are birth, marriage, and death records. These records can be helpful in providing a residence, possible relatives, and the names of spouses and parents. Vital records were usually kept at the county level. Search the county's FamilySearch Research Wiki page to see when these records began to be kept.

Town and County Records and Histories
Town and county histories can give important clues to a person's origins. Many of these histories have short biographies of important or founding families in the community. If someone prominent in the community is an immigrant their place of origin will usually be recorded in these biographies; the origins of parents are sometimes listed in biographies of their children as well. Try searching for these histories on the county or town pages.

Church Records
Church records can include christenings, baptisms, marriage, and burial records. These can give the names of parents and other potential relatives. After coming to the United States, many immigrants stayed near people from their own country and community back home. Many churches kept records in their native language. Looking at the records of other members of the community who immigrated about the same time and from the same country can also give potential clues to the town of origin. Try looking at the county or town pages to see possible church record availability.

Newspapers
Newspapers can be helpful in giving information about communities and local events. They often list births, marriages, death notices, obituaries, and the comings and goings of people in the community. Search state, county, or town pages for newspaper collections.

Court and Land Records
Court and land records can be helpful in keeping track of a person in the community. These can be helpful in figuring out when a person came into a community, and potentially where they lived before. Some early naturalization records were done at the county level. Search county pages for court records available.