Hello Shirley, If you can estimate their date of immigration (if after 1902) the INS has a SOUNDEX (sounds-like) indexing system by last name, that might help you find their passenger list arrival record. This also contains place of birth. These records are stored at the National Archives and a copy of them is viewable through the Mormon's Family History Center. A handy SOUNDEX converter is found at http://www.cimorelli.com/nara/soundex2.htm You need to know port of arrival (or make a good guess). I used NY. NARA information here: http://www.archives.gov/research_room/genealogy/immigrant_arrivals/passe nger_records.html (general holdings) http://www.archives.gov/research_room/genealogy/immigrant_arrivals/new_y ork_port.html (new york) http://www.archives.gov/publications/microfilm_catalogs/immigrant/microf ilm_755_rolls_t621.html (new york soundex) The Mormons have Port of NY records here here: http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp ?display=titledetails&titleno=341057&disp=Index_to_passenger_lists_of_ve ssels_arri&columns=*,180,0 Index to passenger lists of vessels arriving at New York, June 16, 1897- June 30, 1902 ; Index (soundex) to passenger lists of vessels arriving at New York, July 1, 1902-December 31, 1943 ; Passenger and crew lists of vessels arriving at New York Authors United States. Immigration and Naturalization Service (Main Author) Notes Microfilm of original records at the National Archives. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- Volumes show beginning date occurring on each film. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- These records contain names and other information about immigrants who passed through a designated immigration station known as Ellis Island from 1890 to 1954. Ellis Island is now part of New York City. The index stops at 1943. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- Includes index, which is filmed in two columns. The 2nd column is filmed upside down and the reader head needs to be rotated in order to read it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- Some records are light and may be hard to read. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- Some film numbers and years of passenger lists are out of order at the present time and will be moved to the proper place in the future. Good Luck, Bill Tarkulich -----Original Message----- From: Shirley VanLeuven [mailto:shirley_vanleuven@byu.edu] Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 12:02 PM To: Bill Tarkulich Subject: Re: Priests in steerage / Manifest errors How do I find the NARA SOUNDEX index? Thank you Shirley ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Tarkulich" <bill@iabsi.com> To: <SLOVAKIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 6:37 AM Subject: RE: Priests in steerage / Manifest errors > Hello Donna, > Three comments to help you. > > One, do not be surprised if you don't find him on the manifest, though > I hope you do. I have seen hundreds of official documents from the > INS and other places that have just plain incorrect information on > them regarding ship's names and specific dates of arrival. > > Two, transcription errors (both from immigrant's mouth to manifest and > from manifest to Ellis Island) are reknown. Errors exist by the > thousands. If you want to stay seated, begin to search the database > using letters that could appear as the same form. For example, "T" > and "F". Look at the specific manifest to understand the writing > style of the particular clerk. That will help give you an idea what > letters will appear similar in form. > > Third the NARA SOUNDEX index is a very superior index to the > Ellisislandrecords.org index. It was an index of immigrants produced > in the 1930's by the NARA to aid in finding surnames which may sound > alike. It is an ingenious system which helped me find dozens of > relatives I never would have found online. It will however, require > you to get out of that easy chair and go down to the Mormon's Family > History Center or a National Archive's office for microfilm viewing. > If anyone is at all serious about doing comprehensive family research, > SOUNDEX should be on their must-do list. > > Good Luck, > > Bill Tarkulich > > -----Original Message----- > From: Donna Przecha [mailto:DonnaPrz@att.net] > Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2002 8:34 PM > To: SLOVAKIA-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Priests in steerage > > > I am trying to research a priest who is said to be from the same town > as > > the family I am researching. According to his naturalization, he > arrived on the Kaiser Wilhelm des Grosse on 14 Dec 1904 and the ship > did come on that > day. I have not been able to find him in the Ellis Island index > (searching > the ship by name for 1904-5 for everyone whose last name began with T) > and > I am in the process to looking through the entire manifest. I am > wondering > if perhaps a priest would not have to travel in steerage and would not > go > through Ellis Island. (His naturalization says he was born in Eperjes > but I > think the family was from a smaller town so I would like to know what is > on > the ship's manifest.) > > Donna > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy > records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > ______________________________