United States, Passport Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection contains United States Passport Applications from two different NARA collections: M1490, and M1372. This collection is currently being indexed and the indexed records are being published.

Record Content
These records usually contain the following information:


 * Name
 * Application date
 * Application place
 * Birth date
 * Birth place
 * Name of husband or father
 * Husband's or father's birth date
 * Husband's or father's 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 to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * Name of the individual
 * Identifying information such as birth date and place

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name 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.

If you did not find the person you were looking for, you may need to search the collection by image. ⇒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.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

Using the Information
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. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the name, birth date and birth place to obtain a birth record.
 * Use the name and application place or residence to search US federal census records.
 * If you are unable to locate your ancestor look for various spellings of the names.

Related Websites
National Archives

Related Wiki Articles
United States

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: