Sacramento: Immigration and naturalization records, Jan. 16

Immigration and naturalization records are on the program at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Sacramento on Sunday, January 6.

The meeting begins at 10am at the Albert Einstein Residence Center, 1935 Wright Street, Sacramento.

Speaker Lynn Brown will discuss how to determine when your ancestor immigrated, what records are available and how to locate them. Learn what organization has replaced the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and how this may impact your efforts to uncover relevant records.

A family historian for more than 35 years, Brown has an extensive background in computer and genealogy research. She is a Sacramento Regional Family History Center volunteer and recently retired from teaching genealogy research skills in several local school districts. She has lectured throughout the Central Valley and owns Family-Quest.com, a genealogical counseling business.

For more information, click here. 

New York: More than the basics with John Colletta, Nov. 6

New Yorkers should put this special full-day program with John Philip Colletta on their calendars for Saturday, Nov. 6.

Colletta is presenting a special "beyond the basics" day from 10am-4.30pm at the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYG&B), at the South Court Auditorium, New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York.

One of  the country's most popular genealogical speakers, Colletta is based in Washington DC. For 20 years, he conducted workshops for the National Archives and taught at the Smithsonian Institute. He is a faculty member of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.

This program is for whose who want to know more than the basics.

The day includes: 

-- Advanced problem solving with US passenger arrival records (1820-1950s).

-- Advanced problem solving with US naturalization records (1790-1920s).
-- Turning biographical facts into real-life events: How to build historical context

-- Breaking through brick walls: Use your head!

The cost to NYG&B members is $60, and $90 for others. Readers who are members of the Jewish Genealogical Society of New York will also receive the discounted rate.

For more information, or to register, click here or send an email.

Ancestry.com: Immigration Collection free through Labor Day

Ancestry.com launched a collection of more than 1,700 recorded oral histories of immigrants who arrived through Ellis Island. It's the first time the collection is available online.

In celebration, the subscription site is making its complete US Immigration Collection free through Labor Day (Monday, September 6), in the US.

"As immigrants created new lives in the U.S., the stories of their homelands and their remarkable journeys to America were often lost," said Christopher Tracy, senior vice president of global content for Ancestry.com. "We are thrilled to offer people the opportunity to hear the voices of their ancestors sharing stories of their lives."

Between 1892 and 1954, millions of immigrants arrived in America, and the National Park Service began recording the oral histories in the 1970s. The collections offers unique first-hand accounts recalling the lives they left behind, reasons for leaving and their incredible journeys to America.

Previously, the recordings were housed only at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and could only be accessed by visitors in person on site. In addition to immigrants' stories, it also includes those from military personnel stationed on Ellis Island and former workers.

"To our family it is important that we in the U.S. know the origin of the people who came to this country, settled here and made it what it is today. It makes us very proud to know that our mother was part of this," said Yvonne Rumac, daughter of oral history participant Estelle Belford, who immigrated to the United States from Romania via Ellis Island in 1905.

The US Immigration Collections includes more than 170 million records: passenger manifests from 1820-1960, including those who came through Ellis Island; more than 7 million citizenship and naturalization records; border crossings, passport applications and additional material.

New material added to the collection:

-- Nearly 2 million new U.S. naturalization record indexes have been added from 11 states (Alaska, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington state).

-- Nearly 2 million records were added for ship crew members who arrived in the port of Boston, bringing the Boston Passenger and Crew Lists (1820-1943) to more than 3.8 million.

The US Immigration Collection will be open to all through Labor Day, but the Oral History Collection will remain permanently free.

Learn more here.

New York: Naturalization documents, June 13

Ever wondered about the naturalization process and about the relevant documents?

The next meeting of the JGS of New York will focus on just this topic with speaker Phyllis Kramer, on Sunday, June 13.

The program begins at 2pm at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th St., New York City.

Naturalization is a voluntary process which enables an alien to become an American citizen. Documents after 1906 reveal birthplace, birth dates, immigration and family. After 1924, photos were required.

The program will cover the history of naturalization in the US, the four documents produced, derivative citizenship for women and children, the myriad of federal, state and county courts involved, and how to find the documents.

The session will outline a research plan starting with clues from the census, clues from manifests, the court system, explain what's online, what's in archives and share experiences with the governmental agencies involved.

A practicing genealogist, her primary interest is Eastern European Jewish research.

She holds an MBA (Fordham University) and a BS (Cornell). She retired from IBM as a business consultant designing and implementing client document imaging systems.

For more information, visit the JGSNY website.