How to Search European Ancestry
Most genealogists share the common goal of wanting to trace their ancestors back to the Old Country. For many Americans, this ultimately means a location in Europe. While the level of difficulty involved in the process will vary depending on the country, thanks to centuries of records preservation by European nations, Internet databases, and archival resources, you should be able to successfully "cross the pond" to learn more about your European ancestry.
Instructions
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Talk to your relatives and ask them for copies of family documents such as birth certificates, passports, naturalization records, correspondence, and other papers likely to contain clues to ancestral origins.
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Search available genealogy records such federal census returns, birth and death certificates, immigrant passenger lists, etc. Find them on free Web sites such as EllisIsland.org or FamilySearch.org, or on subscription sites such as Ancestry.com, Footnote.com, or FindMyPast.com. Or obtain them (usually for a fee) from local, state or federal government offices or other organizations.
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Get the immigrant's original name correct to help identify him in foreign records.The names you find in North American records may be Americanized versions of their European equivalents, or altogether different from their European equivalents. Don't buy into the family lore about your ancestor's name being changed by immigration officials at Ellis Island. Many immigrants changed their own names to make them appear "more American."
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Review European cultures' naming customs for clues about previous generations so you can extend your family tree. This can also be useful in determining siblings' birth order or determining whether there were other children. For example, children's names can give you important clues to the likely names of the grandparents.
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Learn about "push" and "pull" factors of migration. This will help you understand your ancestor's decision to leave his homeland. "Push" factors are conditions that drive people to leave their homelands, (e.g., crop failures, epidemics, scarcity of land, obligatory military service and wars). "Pull" factors attract people to a new area, typically providing the potential for social and material betterment (e.g., the promise of political or religious freedom, job availability, etc.).
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Study geography. Usually, just knowing that an ancestor came from Ireland or Hungary, or from Dublin or Budapest (or some other large city), probably won't help you. In most foreign countries, the majority of records were kept on a local level, in a town hall or parish office. Use maps and gazetteers (geographical dictionaries) to learn the name of the ancestral town or village and to understand how boundary changes, wars or political divisions influenced name changes for towns, counties and other jurisdictions.
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Use the Family History Library microfilm. The Family History Library has more than 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed records, including birth, death, census, land, probate, immigration, church and other kinds of records. Search the online catalog for microfilm that, for a small fee, you can view at one the library's worldwide branch Family History Centers.
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Research the "cluster community." Immigrants often traveled together and put down roots among relatives and friends in America. They ran their own churches and schools, established newspapers and formed social organizations. Check with repositories such as the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania or the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota.
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Write to European archives. The Family History Library does not have every record for every country, so you'll have to follow up with archives. Many repositories post instructions on requesting research and the various fees involved on their Web sites.
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Hire a professional who's familiar with the area's geography, history and languages to access in person the records available. Check for references first by consulting with the Association for Professional Genealogists, the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists.
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Tips & Warnings
1.Use alternate and phonetic spellings of first and last names and places when searching online databases because spelling and transcription errors are common.
2. Know where records are located. Check Repositories of Primary Sources or the International Vital Records Handbook.
3. Expect responses from repositories to vary depending on the archive's location, facilities and communications protocol.
4. Join an ethnic-based genealogical society to network with fellow researchers.
1. Not all genealogical information is online. Use both Internet and printed resources to guarantee success.
2. Don't expect key records, foreign Web sites or correspondence to be in English. Utilize word lists, dictionaries, free online translators, or hire a professional translator.
3. Ask upfront about the fee schedule, payment terms, and expenses before hiring a professional.
