TRACKING EARLY IMMIGRATION THROUGH THE PORT OF NEW ORLEANS
Brenda Kellow
May 15, 2011
Years ago, it was important to me to track down one of my ancestors who supposedly immigrated through one of the busiest points, the New Orleans seaport. I found that some immigrants traveled up to Mississippi to other states while others traveled up the Red River to Natchitoches or Shreveport and entered Texas possibly over the El Camino Real. The ancestor who came to Collin County may have come over that route. Another ancestor for sure came in to New Orleans and then over to Velasco, the first capital of the Republic of Texas. For records of entries before 1820 entering New Orleans, you must search Passenger and Immigration Lists Index a Guide to Published Arrival Records of...Passengers Who Came to the United States and Canada in the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries; edited by P. William Filby. It is available in most libraries, certainly the Plano library.
Also, check the digitized records in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for the years 1820 to 1952 to find those entering New Orleans. Ancestry.com is free in the library and is a quick method for finding entries during these years; however, the library edition does not have these arrivals. The NARA site is http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2008/nr08-69.html. Another free source is German Roots, http://www.germanroots.com/neworleans.html. The New Orleans Public Library Immigration Records Guide is another free source, http://nutrias.org/guides/genguide/immigrationrecords.htm.
Researchers today are fortunate that so much help is available online. Those online records were not available to those of us who begin many years ago.
GENEALOGY GAME ON FACEBOOK: Genealogists who play games and have a Facebook page may want to check out the new genealogy themed game per Diane Haddad of Family Tree Magazine on April 19. Dianne says, “Family Village lets you create a pedigree chart and “immigrate” ancestors from the chart into the village with houses, landscaping and more (including heritage-related items like international flags and the Eiffel Tower).” This game supposedly searches for free genealogy records related to your pedigree chart that are within your village and library.
The CEO and developer, Jeff Wells, warns that this is not a research tool; nevertheless the game does adhere to the Facebook privacy standards where you can adjust the settings and limit the people who can access your information. Wells, whose family is not particularly interested in genealogy, saw the necessity of Family Village after his own family failed to share his exciting genealogy finds. With over 300 million people playing Internet games, he hopes Family Village will excite those not currently interested in family history.
Family Village is free, unless you want game dollars, to purchase things like the newspaper printed on the day of your ancestor’s birth.
This game might interest some of my readers, but I doubt I will be playing the game. When I accessed Family Village, http://www.facebook.com/familyvillage, and clicked on ‘Go to App,’ it sent me to Play Family Village Now. Accessing that link concerned me when it asked for permission to “access my basic information which includes my name, profile picture, gender, networks, user ID, and list of friends.” It also asked for any other information I have shared with everyone. In addition, it wanted to send me email, as if I need more email in my box each day. Other information it requested was my profile information that includes my birthday, hometown and city; access my family and relationship status. It is OK to call me a cautious fossil, but I do not want all my personal and family information available on the Internet.
ALABAMA’S GIFT: The University of Alabama just received a three million dollar gift of its history from early statehood through the Civil War and into the early 1900s. Visit the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library at http://www.sc.edu/.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].
Also, check the digitized records in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for the years 1820 to 1952 to find those entering New Orleans. Ancestry.com is free in the library and is a quick method for finding entries during these years; however, the library edition does not have these arrivals. The NARA site is http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2008/nr08-69.html. Another free source is German Roots, http://www.germanroots.com/neworleans.html. The New Orleans Public Library Immigration Records Guide is another free source, http://nutrias.org/guides/genguide/immigrationrecords.htm.
Researchers today are fortunate that so much help is available online. Those online records were not available to those of us who begin many years ago.
GENEALOGY GAME ON FACEBOOK: Genealogists who play games and have a Facebook page may want to check out the new genealogy themed game per Diane Haddad of Family Tree Magazine on April 19. Dianne says, “Family Village lets you create a pedigree chart and “immigrate” ancestors from the chart into the village with houses, landscaping and more (including heritage-related items like international flags and the Eiffel Tower).” This game supposedly searches for free genealogy records related to your pedigree chart that are within your village and library.
The CEO and developer, Jeff Wells, warns that this is not a research tool; nevertheless the game does adhere to the Facebook privacy standards where you can adjust the settings and limit the people who can access your information. Wells, whose family is not particularly interested in genealogy, saw the necessity of Family Village after his own family failed to share his exciting genealogy finds. With over 300 million people playing Internet games, he hopes Family Village will excite those not currently interested in family history.
Family Village is free, unless you want game dollars, to purchase things like the newspaper printed on the day of your ancestor’s birth.
This game might interest some of my readers, but I doubt I will be playing the game. When I accessed Family Village, http://www.facebook.com/familyvillage, and clicked on ‘Go to App,’ it sent me to Play Family Village Now. Accessing that link concerned me when it asked for permission to “access my basic information which includes my name, profile picture, gender, networks, user ID, and list of friends.” It also asked for any other information I have shared with everyone. In addition, it wanted to send me email, as if I need more email in my box each day. Other information it requested was my profile information that includes my birthday, hometown and city; access my family and relationship status. It is OK to call me a cautious fossil, but I do not want all my personal and family information available on the Internet.
ALABAMA’S GIFT: The University of Alabama just received a three million dollar gift of its history from early statehood through the Civil War and into the early 1900s. Visit the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library at http://www.sc.edu/.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].