Back to the Basic with Immigration Records: 1906 Forward

Finding an immigration record for an ancestor arriving in the United States after 1906 will depend on record availability and good search techniques. Identifying your ancestor among people of the same name is a challenge and thorough research in the U.S. records is important to find every clue available.

Timeline of Immigration Laws

Key to understanding 20th-century immigration is knowing the laws and historical context that influenced an ancestor’s desire to emigrate from their home country. Looking for immigration patterns can put an ancestor’s choices into perspective across the broader framework of their life. As immigration continued to increase, the United States government became concerned with allowing “undesirables” into the country. Various acts excluded people from Asian countries, people with mental and physical illnesses or disabilities, and other identifying factors.

The Library of Congress has published the laws, private and public, ever enacted by Congress. Some of the major laws with far-reaching implications are below. Each has a brief description and is by no means inclusive of every detail in the complicated laws. After discovering an ancestor’s date of immigration, search the appropriate law in place at the time to understand more about why they were allowed to enter the U.S. and what challenges they had to overcome.

1906: Establishment of the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization

On June 29, 1906, the United States Congress approved “An Act to Establish a Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, and to provide for a uniform rule for the naturalization of aliens throughout the United States.” Important to our research is the following statement.”¹

That it shall be the duty of the said Bureau to provide, for use at the various immigration stations throughout the United States, books of record, wherein the commissioners of immigration shall cause a registry to be made in the case of each alien arriving in the United States from and after the passage of this Act of the name, age, occupation, personal description (including height, complexion, color of hair and eye) the place of birth, the last residence, the intended place of residence in the United States, and the date of arrival of said alien, and if entered through a port, the name of the vessel in which he comes.

1917: Immigration Act of 1917

Throughout the history of immigration, various acts excluded certain individuals from entering the United States. On 5 February 1917, Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1917, which began by requiring a tax of $8 for every alien. However, children under 16 years of age accompanied by a parent would not be subject to the tax. Section 3 excludes a wide range of people suffering from “psychopathic inferiority,” alcoholism, tuberculosis, or any other disease. Criminals, vagrants, anarchists, and prostitutes were excluded, as well as immigrants from most Asian countries.²

1921: Emergency Quota Act

After World War 1, many Europeans desired to emigrate to the United States. Congress feared the influx of “aliens,” and in 1921, it passed the Emergency Quota Act for the purpose “to limit the immigration of aliens into the United States.” This act limited the number of people admitted annually to the U.S. to 3% of the number of foreign-born persons of a specific nationality who were currently residing in the U.S. as determined by the 1910 census.  A drop in immigration followed and caused confusion among people who were denied entry after the quota had been filled. ³

1924: National Origins Act

In 1924, Congress wanted to make the 1921 Emergency Quota Act permanent. This act reduced the quota of immigrants to 2% of the population of a specific nationality per the 1890 census and capped overall immigration to 150,000 people per year.  A minimum quota of any nationality was to be 100. To immigrate, a person had to apply for a visa at a U.S. consulate or embassy. An interview would ensue, and the consultant would determine whether the person was allowed to emigrate or was rejected.  The immigrants most affected by this new act were those from Southern and Eastern Europe. The act excluded immigration from any Asian country except the Philippines, which was an American colony at the time.⁴

1945 War Brides Act

With the end of World War II, Congress passed the War Brides Act, which took effect on 28 December 1945. This act allowed alien spouses, natural children, and adopted children of members of the U.S. Armed Forces to immigrate outside of their respective nations’ quotas. This allowed Asian Americans who served in the military to bring their wives to the U.S. for the first time. This act expired three years later in December of 1948. ⁵

1948 Displaced Persons Act

Following World War II, displaced persons from Europe were granted visas, and asylum seekers of people already in the U.S. were allowed permanent citizenship status. The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 authorized 200, 000 displaced persons. A person first had to apply and be investigated by a government agency, then if found eligible, would be granted a visa. ⁶

Sec. 3. (a) During the two fiscal years following the passage of this Act a number of immigration visas not to exceed two hundred and two thousand may be issued without regard to quota limitations for those years to eligible displaced persons . .

1952 Immigration and Naturalization Act

Congress enacted the Immigration and Naturalization Act in 1952, which removed restrictions based on race. Quotas were still allotted by the nation, with most quotas going to northern and western Europeans. The Asian-Pacific Triangle restriction capped Asian immigration overall at 2,000. Priority was given to skilled workers and their families. ⁷

1965 Immigration and Nationality Act

In 1965, Congress overhauled the immigration system, eliminating the national origins system introduced in 1924. The new law prioritized reunifying families, employment, and refugees. Immigration from each country was capped at 20,000, and for the first time, this included those from the American hemisphere. Unfortunately, the law didn’t provide for unskilled workers in areas such as agriculture, resulting in many illegal immigrants from Mexico as they crossed the border to find work.⁸

Clues from the U.S. Records and Establishing Identity

Immigration records began being created when an ancestor left their home country and arrived in the United States. Whether they settled permanently in the U.S. or traveled back and forth, they could be named in family sources, county histories, vital records, naturalization records, military records, passports, voting registers, ethnic church records, newspapers, census records, and land records. Each of these records could provide clues about the home country, ship’s name, date of immigration, and family relationships.

In our research, we are looking for a body of evidence to uniquely identify our ancestors. Immigration records are one piece of that evidence and must be used with other records because of the sheer volume of individuals immigrating to the U.S. with similar names, ages, occupations, and countries of origin.

If the ancestor was alive for the U.S. Federal Censuses of 1900-1940, important immigration information could be noted and should be the starting place for research analysis. Each year asked similar questions such as year of immigration, number of years in the U.S., naturalization status, etc. Combining naturalization and immigration research can give us our best chance at finding an ancestor’s information. See my three-part blog series for details on naturalization records.

Here is the breakdown by census year.

• 1900: Year of immigration to the US; the number of years in the US whether still an alien, having applied for citizenship, or naturalized ( AL=Alien, PA=First Papers Filed, NA=Naturalized)
• 1910: For foreign-born males 21 years old or older, whether naturalized or alien (AL=Alien, PA=First Papers Filed; NA=Naturalized)
• 1920: Whether naturalized or alien (A or AL=Alien; NA=Naturalized; NR=Not Reported; PA=First Papers Filed), and year of naturalization – only census to do so
• 1930: Year of immigration, whether naturalized (Na=Naturalized, Pa=First Papers, Al=Alien)
• 1940: Birthplace; citizenship if foreign born (Na=Naturalized, Pa=Having First Papers, Al=Alien, Am Cit=American Citizen Born Abroad)

 

Often, the census information doesn’t correlate with other records. This is because the informant was not the immigrant but another household member who simply didn’t know this information and may have guessed or didn’t answer the question. Using what is available, though, we can get a rough estimate of an ancestor’s timeline and approximate date of immigration.

What Kind of Records

Although we may think mainly of ship passenger manifests as the record to search. In reality, many types of records were created. When a person arrived in the United States, they could be listed in any of the following: passenger/arrival lists (ship manifests), hospital records, detainee lists, alien registration (LPC – lack of proper credentials), naturalization records, newspapers, and periodicals.

Records were also created when a person left their home country. These could include the sale of property, permits to emigrate (Germany), indentures, work permits, travel documents, emigrant lists, church records, and more.

We also have additional record types, such as border crossings between the U.S. and Canada or the U.S. and Mexico, passport applications, and crew lists.

Finding the Records

The National Archives holds the passenger arrival records from 1820 to 1982. It is important to note that there are gaps, and the records are by no means complete. The records have been microfilmed and are currently being digitized.

The FamilySearch Research Wiki page for US Immigration Passenger Arrival Records breaks down the various collections by United States city and year and includes direct links to collections on FamilySearch, Ancestry, FindMyPast, and MyHeritage. A sound methodology is to perform a broad search first, then, if the ancestor is not located, begin searching specific databases.

Ancestry has a major collection simply titled “Passenger Lists.” This can be filtered by location and date, and basic information for the ancestor can be filled in. Within this large collection are smaller data collections specific to a port such as New York or Alabama. For example, if you know that your ancestor was a sailor out of Boston, Massachusetts. You’d want to search the Massachusetts, Boston, Crew Lists, 1811-1921. You could use the search engine or browse the crew lists by date. Although indexed, your ancestor’s name could be difficult to read and indexed differently than you would expect.

We always research our ancestors thoroughly in U.S. records such as the census and review family knowledge before moving to immigration records. This will help us identify our ancestors among those of the same name.

Case Study: Birger Gustaf Soelberg

Birger Gustaf Solberg was an elusive individual who was born in Sweden on 31 May 1895 to Jan Fredrik Solberg (1855-1921) and Anna Pettersdotter (1861-1941). His family knew only that he emigrated to the United States in the 1920s. A family story says that he sent a letter asking his family to send some money so he could buy a ticket and come home to Sweden. Instead of sending money they sent a ticket, but the ticket was returned to them. No trace was found of Birger. Another family story tells of his mother looking for him until she died, even enlisting the help of the Red Cross organization. The family notes that Birger Solberg was declared dead in the Swedish death record 19560128.

Careful research in city directories and immigration records determined more about Birger’s actions and provided a new place for research. Fitting with the family story that Berger, emigrated to the United States in 1920 was the the first located passenger list dated 16 March 1920. ⁹ As a 24-year-old single male, he named his father as Jan Sohlberg of Forshaga, positively identifying himself as the ancestor. His age of 24 was also correct – he would turn 25 in May of 1920. The complete record gives the information dictated by the 1906 act.

• S.S. Stockholm, passengers sailing from Gothenburg 3 Mar 1920; arrived 16 Mar 1920
• Birger Sohlberg, age 24, male, single, iron-worker, can read Swedish, can write
• Last permanent residence Forshaga, father Jan Sohlberg of Forshaga
• Final destination Massachusetts, Worcester, does not have a ticket to final destination
• Passage paid by self, in possession of $100, not been in the U.S. before
• Going to stay with a relative, Uncle Carl Hult, 5 Carlstads St. Worchester, Massachusetts
• Intends to return to Sweden in 2 years, does not intend to become a U.S. citizen
• 5’7″ fair, blond hair, blue eyes

Important evidence linking Birger to city directory records of Worcester, Massachusetts, is the statement of his final destination as Worcester, Massachusetts, and that he was going to stay with his Uncle Carl Hult of 5 Carlstads Street, Worcester, Massachusetts. Birger gave a clue to his future intentions in his declaration that he was going to return to Sweden in two years and not become a U.S. citizen.

Birger made his way to Worcester by 1921, where the city directory reveals his residence as 22 Lincoln.¹⁰ Birger probably resided in Worcester just for the two years that he designated on the ship’s passenger list of 1920. The Worcester city directories of 1921 and 1922 show Birger Solberg, laborer, boarding at 22 Lincoln Street.¹¹

Why did Birger board at 22 Lincoln, and where was this address located in the city? A map published by the Richards Map Company in 1922 designates streets, parks, businesses, and homes of Worcester with the names of the owners also designated. The following image reveals the name “J. Gustafson” as the probable owner of the building located at 22 Lincoln.¹²

 

What was the draw of Worcester, Massachusetts, for the ancestor, Birger Gustaf Solberg? An article titled “The First Swedes to Locate in Worcester” discusses the city of Worcester, located in the central part of Massachusetts, 40 miles west of Boston. The article stated that the city produced machine tools, steel products, etc. and added that Worcester in 1953 had the 2nd largest Swedish population in New England, with the Greater Boston area having the largest. The article states the following.

The rapid growth of industry in Worcester led to a great demand for workers. The Washburn & Moen Wire Mills, the Morgan Construction Company, the American Steel & Wire Co., the Norton Co. and several others were expanding rapidly. All of them needed skilled workers and they welcomed the Swedish immigrants. It was only natural that the new arrivals should seek employment in lines where they had previous experience and in factories where people from their locality in Sweden were already employed. Those who came from the steel towns of Värmland, usually went to work for the American Steel and Wire Company. They settled in Quinsigamond. In 1910, Swedes were at 30,000 in Worcester, 1/5th of the entire population of the city.¹³

With the large number of Swedes who were immigrating from Birger’s homeland of Värmland to Worcester, Massachusetts, it is almost certain that he had heard of the city and the possibilities for a young man to find employment. As stated previously, on the 1920 ship passenger list, the ancestor Birger Gustaf Solberg declared he was going to stay with his “Uncle Carl Hult,” located at “5 Carlstads Street.” Who was Carl Hult? The 1919 Worcester City Directory does list a Carl Hult at 5 Carlstad, providing evidence that Carl Hult was not fictional and that Birger must have obtained information about his name and address before his voyage of 1920.¹⁴

Could Birger Solberg’s supposed “Uncle” Carl Hult have been a con man who had promised the young man a get-rich-quick scheme? Another possibility is that Carl Hult sold or sent Birger his ticket and that he was the only person with an address in the United States that Birger knew.

Another explanation involves the United States immigration laws of the time. With the flood of immigrants to the United States, the federal government began a quota system in the 1920s to cap the number of immigrants from specific countries. Preference was given to immediate relatives of naturalized U.S. citizens or those who had started the naturalization process. Perhaps Carl Hult had naturalized and using his name as a relative ensured the ancestor, Birger Gustaf Solberg’s entry into the United States.

Based on the evidence of the 1921 and 1922 city directories of Worcester, Massachusetts, Birger likely resided in the United States for only two years before signing on as a seaman on the Danish Steamer, “S. S. United States” on 4 July 1923. The ship manifest reveals the expected departure date of 26 July 1923 for Kristianssand [Norway]. ¹⁵

Berger traveled between the U.S. and Sweden at least once more, but the last documented voyage for Birger Gustaf Solberg was that of 1926. Two Swedish records suggest a permanent emigration in 1926. First, an indexed Swedish church record positively identifies Birger, listing his name as Birger Gustaf Solberg, birth parish of Kvarntorp, and birth date of 31 Mary 1895 in Nedre Ullerud, Värmland. His parents are listed as Jan Fredrik Solberg and Anna Persdotter.  The church record states that Birger departed 31 August 1926 from Forshaga, Värmland. He is listed as a machinist, traveling alone.¹⁶

A second record from Sweden provides evidence of Birger’s intended emigration to Canada. A Swedish Emigration Register dated 11 September 1926 lists Birger Gusaf Solberg’s birth as 31 May 1895, gives his age as 31, and his birthplace as N. Ullerud, Forshaga, Värmlands.  His destination is noted as Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and he is to travel on the “Bergensfjord” first to Oslo, Norway, and then to Halifax, Nova Scotia.¹⁷

Upon arriving in Canada, Birger completed another form with the following information.¹⁸

• Birger G. Sohlberg, age 31, born Sweden, N. Ullerud, Swedish
• Not in Canada before, intends to reside in Canada permanently, can read Swedish
• Paid his own passage, general laborer in Sweden, plans to farm in Canada
• Going to C.N.R. Montreal, Quebec
• Mother: Anna Sohlberg, Forshaga, Sweden, nearest relative
• Passport issued #1316 in Karlstad 5 Aug 1926
• In possession of $98, traveling inland on  C.N.R. immigrant action taken

With the discovery of Birger’s last intended residence as Canada, the family can now research there to hopefully find more about Birger. Tracing his immigration between Sweden, the U.S., and Canada was key.

Other posts in this series:

Back to the Basics with Immigration Records: Part 1 – Getting Started

Back to the Basics with Immigration Records: Part 2 – Colonial Era

Back to the Basics with Immigration Records: Part 3 1820-1906

Best of luck in all your genealogical research!

 

 

1. “An Act to Establish a Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, and to provide for a uniform rule for the naturalization of aliens throughout the United States,” approved June 20, 1906,  The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 1, No. 1, Supplement: Official Documents (Jan., 1907), pp. 31-47; digital image, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2212339 : accessed 24 April 2024).
2. United States, and United States Bureau Of Immigration, Immigration laws. Act of February 5, 1917; and acts approved; October 19, 1918; May 10, 1920; June 5, 1920; December 26, 1920, and May 19, 1921, as amended, and Act May 26, 1922. Rules of May 1, 1917, (Washington, Govt. print. off, 1922), digital pdf, Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/item/22019016/ : accessed 27 April 2024).
3. Emergeny Quota Law (1921), Immigration History (https://immigrationhistory.org/item/%E2%80%8B1921-emergency-quota-law/ : accessed 27 April 2024).
4. “Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson-Reed Act), Immigration History (https://immigrationhistory.org/item/1924-immigration-act-johnson-reed-act/ : accessed 27 April 2024).
5. “War Brides Acts (1945 & 1946)), Immigration History (https://immigrationhistory.org/item/1924-immigration-act-johnson-reed-act/ : accessed 27 April 2024).
6. “Displaced persons Act (1948), Immigration History (https://immigrationhistory.org/item/1948-displaced-persons-act/ : accessed 27 April 2024).
7. “Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (The McCarran-Walter Act), Immigration History (https://immigrationhistory.org/item/immigration-and-nationality-act-the-mccarran-walter-act/ : accessed 27 April 2024).
8. “Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (hart-Celler Act),” Immigration History (https://immigrationhistory.org/item/hart-celler-act/ : accessed 27 April 2024).
9. “New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957,” for Birger Gustaf Solberg, 1920, Roll T715, 1897-1957 3001-4000 Roll 3662; Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Feb 2019).
10. Sampson & Murdock, Worcester (Massachusetts) City Directories, 1921, p. 589 Birger Sohlberg, (Woodridge, Connecticut : Research Publications, 1980-1984); FHL microfilm 1,612,178.
11. Sampson & Murdock, Worcester (Massachusetts) City Directories, 1921, p. 589 Sohlberg, (Woodridge, Connecticut : Research Publications, 1980-1984); FHL microfilm 1,612,178.Sampson & Murdock, Worcester (Massachusetts) City Directories, 1922, p. 580, Sohlberg, (Woodridge, Connecticut : Research Publications, 1980-1984); FHL microfilm 1,612,179.
12. Worcester City, 1922, Massachusetts, Plate 8, Historic Map Works Worcester City, 1922, Massachusetts, Plate 6, Historic Map Works (http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/9787/Plate+6/Worcester+City+1922/Massachusetts/ : accessed 12 Feb 2019).
13. Oscar G. Norseen,”The First Swedes to Locate in Worcester,” The Swedish Pioneer, vol. 4 issue 4, Oct. 1953, (Chicago : Swedish-American Historical Society, 1953), 11-16.
14. “U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995,” Worcester, Massachusetts, City Directory, 1919, p. 358, entry for Carl Hult Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Feb 2019).
15. “New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957,” entry for Berger Solberg, 1923, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com accessed 16 Feb 2019); citing NARA publication T715, roll 3331.
16. “Sweden, Emigrants Registered in Church Books, 1783-1991,” for Birger Gustaf Solberg, born 31 May 1895 at Nedre Ullerud, Värmland, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com : 7 Feb 2019).
17. “Sweden, Emigration Registers, 1869-1948,” for Birger Gust Sohlberg, Göteborgs 1926, database with images, Ancestry (https://www.acnestry.com : accessed 7 Feb 2019).
18. “Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935,” for Birger G Sohlberg, Halifax, Nova Scotia 1926 September, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Feb 2019).