| Tracing Your Polish Ancestors |
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| 5. FEDERAL RECORDS |
| Declaration of Intention and Naturalization Records |
| If your ancestor was naturalized in a federal court, the record is housed in the National Archives. Send for their form to initiate a search of their indexes. If your ancestor came into the United States after September 26, 1906, however, your records could also be filed with the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly (INS). INS began keeping records of naturalization after that date. On the site, choose history, genealogy, and education on the left sidebar. |
| Finding a Ship's Passenger List |
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| A ship's passenger list may have information to help you locate your ancestor's birthplace. You will also learn about the ship's name that your ancestor sailed on and the port of departure and arrival, depending upon the year that s/he arrived in the United States. |
| You must know the port of arrival--you cannot search every port in the United States. |
| You must know the year of arrival--you cannot search every year for every port. |
| If you know the port of arrival and the year, but not the month or actual date, you will reduce your search time. |
| The National Archives has the Federal ship passenger arrival records dating back to 1820 for most East Coast and Gulf Coast ports and a few lists dating back to 1800 for Philadelphia. |
| Sources |
| What NARA Can Search |
| They can search indexes if you supply the following information: the full name of the passenger, the port of entry, and the approximate date of arrival. The following indexes exist: |
| Baltimore 1820-1952 Boston 1848-91 New Orleans 1853-1952 New York 1820-46, and 1897-1943 Philadelphia 1800-1948 and minor ports 1820-74 and 1890-1924 |
| Library - Check to see if it has published port arrival indexes in book form by William Filby. Family History Library (LDS) - Check if a branch of the Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormon) is in your vicinity. |
| Two Book Sources: |
| They Came in Ships by Anthony Colletta, revised edition 1993 |
| American Passenger Arrival Records by Michael Tepper, 1988 |
| When you locate the name of your ancestor's ship, you may order a photograph of the ship. |
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| Ship Photographs |
| Local Resources |
| Peabody Essex Museum East India Square Salem, MA 01970 |
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