In addition to the new Ancestor Form, Family Form, Sibling Form and Ancestor Location Form, there is an all-new form called the US Immigrant Census Form. This is the first in a new series of research-oriented forms. I had originally intended to release this form after another form I am working on, but as I finished this one and I though people would find it useful, I've decided to post it first.
The US Immigrant Census Form is intended to help those researching people who immigrated to the US during the huge influx between the 1870s and 1930s, although it is useful for those people who immigrated earlier but were living in the US during this period as well. The idea is that each census provides different information that is useful for researchers and can help you find more records.
For example, in 1900 and 1910, the census listed how many children were born to a woman, and how many were still living. You can use this information to figure out if children may have been left behind in the old country, or may have died young. While the country of origin of each person and their parents is listed in all the censuses on the form, the language spoken by each parent is collected only in 1920. This can sometimes be more useful than the country of origin which is frequently vague – 'Russia' for example is not a very useful country to have listed in a census form as it could correspond to over a dozen countries that were part of the Russian Empire during those years. From 1900 on the naturalization status of each person is listed in the census, but in 1920 the actual year the person was naturalized is recorded. These bits of information are all very useful for researchers who are looking to use census records as a springboard to getting more information on immigrants to the US.
Thank you to Michael Goldstein who had an early look at the census form and reminded me to add the Military Service field.
As always, please let me know what you think of the forms, and if there are any improvements you'd like to see please post them in the comments.
So go check out the now-improved B&F Forms System.
Great job Phillip! I've actually listed your forms at the Illinois State Genealogical Society website in our Genealogy Forms section: http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=36
ReplyDeleteThank you Thomas. It is greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteActually, I would like to know how to research for emigration to this country BEFORE the formal department was made. I have an ancestor that came over with her husband to Lagrange Co, Indiana because he inherited property from an uncle who died. I have the land record of the uncle, and I find the wife in the 1840 census as a widow. She is my ancestor, not her husband. They came over between 1835-1840. Her husband and several children died in that time period. In 1840 she married her neighbor, who is my ggg grandfather. I would like to know how to look for these papers, and what records to look for. She is in the 1850 census, and dies before 1852. I cannot find any cemetery records of any burials of any of these two families. Info I do have comes from a bio of a son in Steubens Co, Indiana. He did not leave Indiana and go west with the rest of the family.
ReplyDeleteAny help, suggestions would be so much appreciated.