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LoginCivil Vital Records: Birth, Marriage, or Death certificates are useful in genealogical research because they contain the names of the person’s parents. Birth certificates are sometimes hard to get since some states did not archive records of births until the 20th century. If you cannot find a birth certificate the next best thing is a marriage certificate which will also contains the names of the bride and grooms parents. Some states have other information on their marriage certificates, such as whether the bride and groom’s parents were living or dead at the time of the marriage and their address. The certificate will also list witnesses of the marriage. These people are often friends and relatives. These names you may find useful later on in your research. Death certificates also have the name of the deceased person's parents, but these documents are often full of mistakes. A relative or family friend usually provides the information on the death certificate. Unfortunately, the informant often does not know or remember important information, like mother's maiden name or date of birth of the deceased.
Vital records can be ordered online. I use www.vitalrec.com. They usually mail the certificate within a few weeks. Or you can write the state’s vital records office directly to request copies of the certificates. You will need to know which state the person married or died and the date of the event. Some states require you only know the year of marriage or death, others demand the exact date.
Newspaper obituaries are also a great source of information. They often list the name of the deceased, the name of his/her parents, spouse, children, surviving brothers and sisters. Usually you can get microfilm of old newspapers through an interlibrary loan. I have also emailed the library in the town my ancestor lived and asked the librarian if there was a genealogy volunteer at the library who could search the newspaper for me. They were nice enough to do so.
Social Security Death Index: When you find your ancestor in the index you can write the Social Security Freedom of information officer and request a copy of your ancestor’s SS-5 Social Security Application. The application contains the name of your ancestor at the time of application, the name given at birth, any aliases, place of birth, date of birth, Mother’s maiden name, father’s name, date of application and signature. You can find your relative in the SS Death Index using most genealogical websites. The information is usually free and most sites will allow you to print out a pre-prepared request letter to send to the SS Administration. You can view the SS Death index at the following sites:
http://www.vitalrec.com/search.html or http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/ ... _form=true. The cost for a copy of the application is $27.
Ellis Island Records are also very helpful. They contain important information, like the date your ancestor arrived in America, the age of your ancestor, their occupation, the location in America to which they are traveling and the name of the relative or friend they will stay with. It also has the name and address of their closest relative living in the country they originated from. Even if your relative did not come through Ellis Island it is worth investigating the names of Uncles or Aunts who might have done so. You can view these records for free on the Ellis Island website: http://www.ellisisland.org/. If you think your ancestors came to America by another port you can check the Family History Center Catalog to see what passenger lists are available (www.familysearch.org). Even if your ancestor went from Spain to Mexico/Cuba/South America before coming to America, you might want to check the Ellis Island site. The reason is, I have seen records where a person is traveling from Asturias to Cuba, but he has a stop at Ellis Island where he boards another ship to his final destination. Despite the fact that he is not staying in the USA, his name and information is still recorded.
The US Census records can be used to find out the year of birth, marriage, and immigration of your ancestor. It also gives occupation of your ancestor, what country they were born, the language spoken in the home, and other important information. The census records can be viewed in most large public libraries or in your local Family History Library run by the Latter Day Saints. To see which records are available at your family history center go to:http://www.familysearch.org/. You can also view census data by paid subscription at one of the many genealogical sites available on the Internet, such as: www.genealogy.com or www.ancestry.com.
You can also write the US Dept. of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service and request copies of your relative’s Declaration of Intention to become a US Citizen and their Petition for Naturalization. I have done this but I have not received any records to date. For more information on how to order records go to: http://www.immigration.gov/graphics/abo ... equest.htm
Also, in 1944 the US government decided to require all aliens to register. All non-citizens were required to fill out an Alien Registration Form. This form contained the name of the ancestor, the name used when they entered the USA, all aliases, their address in the USA, date and place of birth, what country they are a citizen of, marital status, race, when they last arrived in the USA, physical description of your ancestor, the ship they traveled to America on, whether they were a passenger of the ship, a crewmember or stowaway. Why they came to America (permanent resident, visitor, student, etc), how many years they have been in the USA, occupation and address of employer, clubs or organizations they are members, military service, relatives that are in the USA, and arrest record. These records can be obtained by writing the Immigration and Naturalization Service and requesting the records through the Freedom of Information Act. You will need to fill out a Form G-639. You can download this form from the internet. See the following website: http://www.immigration.gov/graphics/abo ... quest.htm
You might also try looking for your male ancestors in the Draft Registration Records. In 1917, all males ages 17 to 45 years old were registered. You need to know where your ancestor was living in 1917 and look up the records for the county. You can usually find these records or order them through your local Family History Learning Center. The Draft registration cards have the name of your ancestor, where they live, their date and place of birth, whether they are a citizen of another country, their occupation, if they have parents, wife or child dependent on them for support, their marital status, race, prior military service and where, and whether they claim exemption from the draft. I believe you can obtain these files in the same manner described above.
I hope this information is helpful! Please remember that I am new at genealogy, so I may have made some mistakes or omissions. Good luck with your search!!
If you have any questions or comments you can email direct or send me a personal Message.
In addition, I do have access to the U.S. Census index for most decades. If you would like me to do a quick search for a relative I will gladly do so.
