Tracing Immigrants Country of Arrival Records

Tracing Immigrant Origins Wiki Topics
News and Events
FamilySearch has a NY arrival index Volunteer to index migration records
Part 1. General
Introduction	Search Strategies
Part 2. Country of Arrival
Country of Arrival Search Tactics  Country of Arrival Record Finder  Country of Arrival Record Types
Archives/Libraries Biography Business Records Cemeteries Census Church Records Court Records Genealogy History Immigration Land & Property	Military Records Naturalization Newspapers Obituaries Pensions Periodicals Probate Records Societies Vital Records Voting Registers
Part 3. Country of Origin
Country of Origin Search Tactics  Country of Origin Record Finder  Country of Origin Record Types
Census Church Records Civil Registration Court Records Directories Emigration Genealogy History Land & Property Military Records	Names Personal Newspapers Periodicals Population Probate Records Societies Surname Distribution Maps Taxation Vital Records
For Further Reading
The FamilySearch moderator for Tracing Immigrants Origin is GoAncestry

Tracing Immigrant Origins

Arrival Records

The best sources for determining an immigrant ancestor's place of origin are usually those made in the country of arrival, not the country of origin. Most immigrants spent much of their adult lives in their new countries, so more records exist for them there. It is usually easier to search country-of-arrival records because it is easier to find out which jurisdictions kept records about the immigrant. You will have more success if you use all available country-of-arrival records.

See Coming to America: Finding Your Immigrant Ancestors in the FamilySearch Learning Center.