TEN USEFUL TIPS FOR POLISH GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH:
01. Study the Polish language, and read as much as you can about Polish history.
02. Gather information on your Polish-born ancestor now!
03. Always write to Poland in Polish. They will not seek interpreters for you.
04. Pay for all certificates requested from Poland or elsewhere.
05. Don't expect instant replies from Poland, nor from your own government agencies.
06. Always be precise in your requests regarding information you are requesting.
07. If you attempt to conduct genealogical research in Poland, respect their social customs.
08. Remember that there are no guarantees that you will get what you request.
09. Decide before you write what your immediate goals are.
10. Hire a professional genealogist if necessary.
HOW TO USE THE ELLIS ISLAND WEBSITE
I hope I can make using the Ellis Island Website simple for newcomers:
01. Go to this website:Ellis Island
02. If you have trouble getting into, keep trying. Highlight the URL in the address box and click enter over and over if necessary until it the site appears.
03. Type in the name you wish to research. Click on Enter. If the name does not appear use variations of different misspelled possibilities. Do not use Anglican first names. Most of our ancestors did not begin to use them when they first moved to their new residence. It was later that they did this.
04. If you get the name you wish or want to check the possibles that appear, click on them.
05. If you get a hit, definitely click on that name.
06. You will get a page to register. Do it. There is no cost for this feature. If you do not register, you will get no information. Remember your username and password.
07. The page that appears next is the Passenger Record. It will give some brief information.
08. Click on Ship Manifest.
09. Click on View Original Manifest. You can also use this page to view all the passengers onboard this ship to see if there were others from the same town that may have been relatives. You can go back to it later to run a check.
10. Click on the magnifying glass to enlarge it. Scroll to the proper line where your relative appears to view it. It will give you their name, age, sex, marital status, calling or occupation, whether they could read or write or not, nationality, race or ethnic group, last residence, their final destination, whether they had a ticket to get to that destination, who paid for their passage, how much money they had with them if less than $50.00, whether they have been to the US before, if yes when and where they were, whether they were to meet a friend or relative, that relationship and the name and address of the person they where they were going, if they had ever been in prison, if they were a polygamist, if they were an anarchist, if they were here as a result of a solicitation to do labor for someone, mental, physical and health status, if they were crippled or deformed and its cause and length of time. This is all a story in itself about your ancestor or relative. If you wish to have a copy of this, right click on the enlarged photo of the manifest. Click on copy. Right click again on it, and save as a gif or bmp. Make sure you know to which file you are saving it. Give it a name you will recognize...like the name of the person and the word manifest after it. I have 3 different photo programs in my computer. They all do different things. You can print it from any photo program to a size that will fit the paper you are using. After that you can have it enlarged on a photocopier. |
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