Daily AncestorLook for a passport application
Search the passport applications for one ancestor who might have traveled abroad, especially an immigrant who visited home or anyone traveling between 1918 and 1921.
Applications from 1795 to March 1925 often give an exact birth date and town, and a naturalized citizen's may name the ship of arrival and the court of naturalization. From December 21, 1914 they carry a photograph.
Your steps this week
- Search the free FamilySearch collection of passport applications, 1795 to 1925, or Ancestry by subscription, across the person's whole adult life, since a frequent traveler may have filed several applications.
- Copy the birth date and birthplace exactly, including any town or province.
- For a naturalized citizen, write down the court and date of naturalization and the ship and date of arrival.
- List any wife or children named on the same application, with ages.
- Compare the dates with passenger lists and naturalization records before you rely on them.