At some point, most families moved: from village to city, from one region to another, or across an ocean to start a new life. Migration records capture those journeys and can lead you to your family's earlier home.
Records created by a journey
- Passenger lists recorded people travelling by ship, often with ages, occupations, home towns and destinations.
- Passports and travel documents may include photographs, physical descriptions and birthplaces.
- Arrival and border records created when people entered a new country.
- Naturalisation or citizenship papers recording when someone became a citizen of their new country, frequently stating where they were born.
- Registration and residence records required of newcomers in some countries.
Work backwards from the destination
It is usually easiest to start where the family settled. Records in the new country, such as census returns, marriage certificates, citizenship papers and obituaries, often state the place of origin. With a town name in hand, you can then search records in the old country.
Tip: Look for neighbours and witnesses from the same place of origin. People often migrated in groups and settled close to friends and relatives from home.
Common challenges
- Name changes. Names could be translated, shortened or re-spelled after arrival. See our post on name variations.
- Vague birthplaces. A record may name only a country or region. Keep looking for a document that names a specific town.
- Changing borders. The country listed may no longer exist or may have changed its boundaries. Old maps can help.
Understand the reasons for moving
Learning why people left, whether for work, land, safety or family, adds depth to your story and can suggest where to look. Local histories of the area they left and the place they settled often describe migration patterns that match your family's journey.