Country of Arrival Records - Land & Property Records Many immigrants to the United States jumped at the chance to purchase relatively inexpensive land. Organizations sprung up in the 19th century that did just that - helped immigrants find and purchase land. Recently, there was an 1857 ad from the 'Irish-American' newspaper sent to the list that advertised land in West Virginia. If your immigrant ancestor purchased land, then these records may yield important clues! If the land was purchased directly from the US government, ie homesteads, then the chances are higher that the records will contain information pertaining to the buyer's place of origin. Deeds show the place of residence of both the seller and the buyer. So if your ancestor purchased land shortly after arriving in the US, then the deed would show the place of residence in the old country. Remember, many areas required an immigrant to become a US citizen before purchasing land, or to at least have filed a declaration of intent. In those cases, there may be copies of the naturalization records kept with the land records! Another wonderful source of immigrant land records are the real estate records of the Emigrant Savings Bank of New York. These records are wonderful as they give personal information on the buyer, and all details of the purchase from the amount of the loan, interest and specifics relating to the land and/or home purchased! You can find the real estate records at the New York Public Library. Take care, Tracy