Author: Rich Venezia

A Timeline of US Immigration Law for Genealogists

US immigration law has changed considerably over the centuries. This recap shares what (if any) legal restrictions your immigrant ancestors faced when coming to the United States.

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16 Records for Identifying Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Hometown Premium

These sources will help you pinpoint an immigrant ancestor’s Old World town or village of origin.

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3 Essential Immigration Records for Starting Your Research Premium

Embark on the journey to your immigrant ancestors with these three kinds of records: passenger lists, naturalization records, and alien registrations.

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How to Find and Use Italian Civil Records for Genealogy Premium

Civil records are essential to tracing Italian roots. Learn how to locate and use records throughout different eras to find your Italian ancestors.

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How I Did It: Found Answers in Civil War Pension Index Cards Premium

In our How I Did It series, genealogy experts you know and trust share stories of how they solved a specific problem in their research. This week, Rich Venezia shares his investigation into whether or not his ancestor served in the Civil War.

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Case Study: Using Passport Applications in Immigrant Research Premium

Here are tips on finding an ancestor's place of origin from passport applications, a commonly overlooked genealogy record.

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Unusual Records: Researching County Histories Premium

Tracking down your ancestor's hometown or place of birth isn't always easy. In this edition of Unusual Records, Rich Venezia shares another resource for finding where your ancestors resided.

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Unusual Records: State-Specific Military Records Premium

Countless immigrant ancestors joined the Army of their newfound homeland. In fact, beginning in the Civil War, alien soldiers with honorable Army discharges could be fast-tracked to naturalization. (Marine Corps and Navy veterans were able to “fast-track” beginning in 1894, and nearly all World War I soldiers were exempted from many of the residency and […]

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Case Study: Using Registration Affidavit of Alien Enemy in Immigrant Research Premium

Sometimes genealogists need to be creative when searching for information. Here's a case study involving Registration Affidavit of Alien Enemy documents.

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