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1. U.S. PASSPORT APPLICATIONS, 1795–1925 By Loretto Dennis Szucs
Did any of your American ancestors travel to a foreign country? If so, they may have applied for a passport from
the United States government. And if they did, you may find some fascinating stories about them in this historical
collection. The first known passport was issued in 1776; passports were issued in more significant numbers
beginning in the late 1840s.
BACKGROUND
Prior to the outbreak of World War I in 1914, passports were not required for U.S. citizens, except for a short time
during the Civil War (1861–62). Laws requiring passports lapsed with the formal termination of World War I but
were reinstated at the onset of World War II.
WHAT’S IN THE RECORDS?
To receive a U.S. passport, a person had to submit
proof of U.S. citizenship, usually in the form of a letter,
affidavits of witnesses, and certificates from clerks or
notaries. Sometimes these additional documents are
included as part of the application, along with a photo
of the applicant.
You’ll find great glimpses of history in this collection.
John Proctor Jr. wrote from his ship in 1801, where
he was stranded in the Mediterranean due to First
Barbary War. In his application, the Boston native
stated that his passport had been taken and he had no
proof of his American citizenship; however, “should
there be any gentleman in London from Boston, they
will undoubtedly know the House of Oliver & Roster,
of which I am a partner.” The personal details together
with an understanding of the times help bring Proctor
to life.
Early applications don’t always include much detail,
but there are exceptions: Louis Durain’s 1866
application lists his birth date and place and the
names and ages of his wife and children.
Jumping forward in time, the 1919 passport
application of Paul Francis Pyburn includes the written
physical description along with a photograph of the
young man who intended to travel to Mexico, where
he worked as a mining engineer. With the Mexican
Revolution winding down, it was particularly
important to carry proof of citizenship. In his file are
several letters offered as proof of his U.S. citizenship,
including a letter from his father attesting to his birth-
place in Brooklyn, New York, in 1894. So be sure to
page forward in these records until you reach the end
of the file.
Search U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925
Must-See Record Collections
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2. U.S., WORLD WAR I DRAFT REGISTRATION CARDS, 1917–1918By Paul Rawlins
Just because your ancestor didn’t fight in World War I doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a war record. The Selective
Service Act passed in May 1917 gave the federal government authority to raise an army via conscription, which
left us an incredible set of turn-of-the-century records listing millions of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
BACKGROUND
In 1917 and 1918, as the United States entered World War I, approximately 24 million men in the U.S. filled out
draft registration cards. This accounted for 98 percent of the country’s men under the age of 46. The U.S. eventu-
ally required all men born between 11 September 1872 and 12 September 1900 to register, including aliens living
in the U.S., though they were not drafted.
WOMEN IN THE DRAFT?
No, but you can find wives and mothers listed as nearest
relative, though you can’t search for their names directly.
WHO’S NOT HERE?
Not everybody who served was drafted, and not
everybody who registered for the draft served. The U.S.
mobilized about 4.3 million service personnel for WWI,
but only about 2.8 million of these were drafted.
If a registrant wasn’t living in his home town, he could
register elsewhere and the card would be sent to
his home draft board. In some rural counties, it may
have been easier to travel to the bordering county to
register and request that the registration be sent on
to the home county. Because some registrations were
never transferred, a registrant’s card may appear in a
neighboring county or state.
Search U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards,
1917-1918
WHAT’S IN THE RECORDS?
There were three different registrations, with
three different forms, and each varies slightly.
They all have details you would expect: name,
age, date (and usually place) of birth, address,
and citizenship status. But you can also find extra
goodies like these:
• Two forms list occupation specifically, and all
three ask for employer’s name and address.
• Two forms provide a name and address for a
nearest living relative.
• Two forms ask about dependents.
All of the forms provide a short physical
description. Before I finally saw a picture of my
maternal great-grandfather, the description from
his WWI draft registration was all I had to go on:
medium height and build with blue eyes and
brown hair.
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3. U.S. SCHOOL YEARBOOKSBy Anne Gillespie Mitchell
Oh, those yearbook photos. Maybe you love every yearbook photo you took, but more than likely there is at least
one out there that makes you wince. If you look at my 1980 college freshman photo, you’ll know why I cringe
every time I think of it. Did you know that Ancestry.com has digitized more than 35,000 yearbooks from the
years 1884–2009? This means we have more than 7 million images where one of your ancestors may be waiting
in a cringe-worthy photo just for you.
SEARCH TIPS
You can do a search for name, but I suggest you first
browse to see what is available for a specific place and
time. On the right of the Yearbooks home page you
will see the browse menu. You can drill down to see
what yearbooks are available:
THREE TIPS FOR BETTER SEARCHING.
Names Your ancestor may have used a nickname
or other moniker while in school that you’re
not familiar with. Try searching by last
name only.
Locations Focus on a state rather than the town: a
big-city school may have actually been
located in a suburb or vice versa.
Browse Found your ancestor? Browse his/her
entire yearbook for uncredited photos.
Browsing can also help when you know the
school name but searches for your
ancestor at that school come up short.
These particular collections are OCR, or Optical
Character Recognition, collections, meaning that they
are not indexed by a person but scanned and indexed
by a computer. And while our process has been
tailored specifically for yearbooks, like any record,
occasionally you may need to try some creative
spellings.
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WHAT YOU MIGHT FIND
This entry for Gilbert M. Gillespie also gives us a nickname, “Gilly,” as well as his favorite saying and ambition.
And because these are often yearbooks that belonged to someone, they might have an inscription. Gilly’s
handwriting appears next to his picture.
Once you find your ancestor, don’t stop with that yearbook picture. Scan the book. You remember all those
goofy pages of people with the corny captions? Your ancestor may be in one. Or you may find an inscription they
wrote. Search U.S. School Yearbooks
Looking a little further into the book provides some insight into Gilly’s relationship with a Mr. Thompson.
We also learn that he was dependable and the advertising editor for the yearbook:
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4. 1890 VETERANS SCHEDULESBy Amy Johnson Crow, CG
Why do I love the 1890 Veterans Schedules database? Because it’s awesome. First, it helps fill in the gap between
the 1880 and the 1900 censuses. What’s more, the schedule packs a ton of information into one record. If you
have a Civil War veteran in your family tree, be sure to look for him (or his widow) in this collection.
BACKGROUND
This special schedule (officially “Special Schedule—Surviving Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines, and Widows, etc.”)
was taken at the same time as the “regular” (population) census. Fortunately for us, most of this schedule
survived the fire at the National Archives that destroyed most of the 1890 population schedules. The Veterans
Schedules still exist for the District of Columbia and states Kentucky (about half of the state) through Wyoming.
The Veterans Schedule was intended to enumerate surviving Union veterans and their widows. However, you will
occasionally find Confederate veterans listed as well. (Let’s hear it for overachieving enumerators!) Even though
those entries were crossed through later, they are usually still legible.
TIPS
If your ancestor lived in a rural area in 1890, consider
browsing by location in addition to searching for him by
name. When you browse by location, scan through the
images to see which regiments the men served in. This
will help you see who his comrades were, giving you
possibilities for future research.
Note the regiment your ancestor served in and use that
information to help identify him in other Civil War
collections.
The 1890 Veterans Schedule is a “must-see” collection
for anyone who has Civil War ancestors.
Search the 1890 Veterans Schedules
WHAT’S IN THE RECORDS?
What you’ll find is the veteran’s name (and the
name of his widow, if applicable), the unit he be-
longed to, rank, date he enlisted, date of discharge,
length of service, post office, and (my two favorite
columns) disabilities and remarks. Here is where
you will find details about wounds, imprisonment,
death, and any other tidbit the enumerator saw fit
to include.
In the example on the following page, we learn that
John Rudolph (line 13) had his horse shot out from
under him and “3 ribs broken.” Charles Elsdorf (line
25) enlisted as Chas. May. Not only that, but he
had deserted from the Confederate Army.
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5. U.S.–CANADIAN BORDER CROSSINGS By Juliana Szucs Smith
Prior to 1895, there were no records of immigrants crossing the border from Canada to the U.S. In 1895, the U.S.
government closed this loophole by requiring Canadian steamships and railroads to complete manifest forms and
only provide transportation to U.S. destinations to immigrants who would have been allowed to enter the country
via other U.S. ports.
WHAT’S IN THE RECORDS?
A variety of forms were used with varying depths of information. Some manifests are rich in detail, while later
manifests, including some created by airlines, will be leaner with many containing only a first initial and surname,
along with the date of arrival and point of embarkation and disembarkation.
The more detailed records are on two pages, so be sure
to page forward to see the second page.
Prior to 1 October 1906, only non-Canadian immigrants
were recorded. Canadian-born immigrants are only
included on records created after that date.
USING THE RECORDS
Even if your family was firmly planted in the United
States by 1895, give these records a shot. They do
include lists of U.S. citizens, many with their state of
residence. For immigrants who came to the U.S., follow
up in Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935, where you
may find a record of their arrival in Canada.
Search the Border Crossings
RELATED COLLECTIONS
Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S., 1895-1956
Border Crossings: From Mexico to U.S., 1895-1964
Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
RICHER MANIFESTS CAN INCLUDE:
• full name, age (with columns for years and
months), and gender
• marital status
• occupation
• literacy
• nationality and race or people
• last permanent residence (city or town
and country)
• name and complete address of nearest relative
or friend in country whence alien came
• final destination and whether they had a ticket
to their final destination
• by whom the passage was paid
• how much money was in their possession
• whether ever in the U.S. prior to this trip and if
so, where
• whether going to join a relative or friend and if
so, who (including name and complete address)
• causes for deportation (including mental and
physical health conditions)
• physical description
• place of birth (city or town and country)
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