This time we are talking about using passenger lists to find your immigrant ancestor. See our earlier post about passenger lists. I have ancestors from Italy. First, I started tracking them in the U.S. censuses from 1940 (at the time that was the latest available). I found them in each census until 1910.
They were not in the 1900 census which gave me a clue of the timeframe I was looking for with passenger lists. With the information I had gathered from census records and other records, I could start looking at passenger lists. Accessing Ancestry, I started my search.
The person I am looking for is Alexander Spagnuolo (original given name Alessandro). I entered his information (name, birth year, etc.) and looked for my results. What I found was …nothing. So instead of typing out the first name and surname, I changed my tactics and left the first name blank and used a wildcard character for part of the last name ”Spag*”. Most Italian immigrants came through New Orleans or New York so those are the main ports I am looking for.
Success! There is an Alessdro Spagnola arriving in New York in 1893. Wait, he isn’t on the 1900 census so how could this be him? Well, genealogy isn’t an exact science and he could have been missed on the 1900 census. I also know that the family did not come over until 1905. Many single males were moving from place to place trying to earn enough money to bring the family over. The information matches (even with the misspelling of the name).
So I have found my ancestor! No other match comes close. Earlier passenger lists, like this one, do not have a lot of information but when I look at the arrival record of his wife from 1905, I learn more. I learn the town they are from, family members, etc.
One piece of information to point out is that some European countries, like Italy, the wife used her maiden name. So Ferraro is the name I looked for to find the family. Research and luck play an important part in genealogy research. Both played a part in this case. You get the idea, though. Thorough research will give you the information you need to find your ancestor in passenger lists. Then it is across the ocean and into European records. A new and exciting opportunity!
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