Immigrant Ancestors Project
The Immigrant Ancestors Project, uses emigration registers and other emigration-type records from countries of departure to locate information about the birthplaces of immigrants in their native countries, as birthplaces are rarely found in port registers and naturalization documents in the destination countries. Researchers at Brigham Young University are creating a database of hundreds of thousands of immigrants based on these emigration records.
To create the database, student interns gather emigrant records from repositories throughout Europe, then bring them back to the project team at BYU. The contents are then extracted and verified by BYU student researchers. Once verified, the extracted information is added to the online IAP database.
Step 1
Identifying emigration records in Europe
Step 2
Acquiring copies of the records
Step 3
Extracting data on individuals in the records
Step 4
Making the extracted index available to the public
Resources
Between 1821 and 1924, the world saw one of the greatest migrations ever, as approximately fifty-five million Europeans emigrated. Various types of records were created about these emigrants: Types of European Emigration Records.
Much has been written about immigration and emigration, including book-length migration studies or books on specific nationalities or ethnic groups. Many journal articles focused on the migration of small groups immigrating to specific states, counties or even towns. These studies of individual immigrants and their families provide historical context for specific immigrant experiences: European Emigration and Immigration Bibliography.
The Center for Family History and Genealogy (CFHG) is a community of family history scholars – faculty and students – working together to:
- Enhance student learning through extraordinary educational experiences,
- Simplify the finding of ancestors with innovative tools and methods,
- Conduct top-tier research and impact scholarship worldwide.
Contact
The Immigrant Ancestors Project is located in the Center for Family History and Genealogy at Brigham Young University.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to contact us.
(801) 422-1968
cfhgoff@byu.edu
Copyright © 2000- Center for Family History and Genealogy at Brigham Young University