GuidedResearch:Finding Town of Origin - United States Immigration

Do You Know When Your Ancestor Immigrated to the United States?
Click on the Migration Wave Covering the Year Your Ancestor Came to the United States.

Taylor's Sandbox 1

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
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. Below is a table with possible immigration information found in the united States Census records. 

Click on the different record groups to learn what clues they can give and how to search them.

Census Records
Below is a table with possible immigration information found in the united States Census records.  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.