border crossings are frequently in the news these days.
But historic border crossings can help you research your family tree,
and today I want to introduce you to those records.
Howdy, welcome to Family History Fanatics. If you are new here, my name is Devon Noel Lee,
and I love helping people find meaning and connections through their family trees.
It’s not always easy or quick, but it’s always worth the effort.
and one really cool collection is U.S. border crossings.
now, if you're familiar with passenger records,
you know they're not the only genealogy gold mine for migratory ancestors.
The Canadian and Mexican borders maintained records of who entered
the US, where they've been, and where they went.
bt the question you might have is, how far back do border crossing records go?
Thanks to several immigration laws, the US government began documenting who entered the US.
These records help genealogists trace their ancestors so long as they crossed
the border at official land-based checkpoints.
The US/Canadian border records began around 1895 in St. Albans,
Vermont, with U.S. Mexican records starting 11 years later in about 1906.
Before these dates, you won't find federal border crossing records.
FamilySearch has indexes to the Canadian border records.
And to Mexican border crossings that are free to search.
However, to access images like this one, you’ll want to use Ancestry.
Findmypast
Or MyHeritage.
The border crossing cards from the US to Canada often list some or all of the following details:
Full name Who they were traveling with
Place of birth Age and sex,
Marital status, and Occupation Last known residence
Residence of nearest kin Details about when and
where they entered the United States Point of arrival in the United States.
Final destination And physical description
Be aware that these documents often have a backside or second page.
Usually, the second page appears alongside the first image.
Nevertheless, the backside will discuss a medical review.
In this example, I have protected this individual's identity in two ways.
First, there is a word that is not family-friendly, and I’ve blocked it out.
Second, this back side is not for the persons previously shown.
Therefore, I won’t include a citation to protect the person’s identity further.
It’s not about shame but instead showing you what you may discover.
That being said, a medical examination of this unidentified person reveals a diagnosed
mental deficiency. Therefore the border officials rejected the person’s entry into the US and why.
Additionally, the document indicates where the individual left the US,
in the case he left via Buffalo, New York.
Original images for Mexican border crossings appear on Ancestry, like this one.
These forms are often different and have some interesting questions.
Working out way from top to bottom, they may include:
Point of arrival Name and age
Physical description Sex, Marital status,
and Occupation Last known residence
Final destination Money,
How much money they had on themselves who they are going to,
and if they’ve ever visited the US before They asked if they have ever been in prison.
Or are currently a polygamist, anarchist, or contract laborer
There are a few other questions, but I think that gives you a great idea.
No matter which borders your relative crossed,
you can gain a wealth of information about your ancestor- particularly relationships,
place of origin, destination, and, my favorite - physical descriptions.
Rumor has it some include photos of individuals or families. However,
I haven’t come across that genealogy nugget.
If you have, will you share it with me in the comments section of this video?
By the way, the Library and Archives of Canada have border crossings into Canada
from the US on their website. At the time of this recording,
the website seems to be transitioning. The record links take me to an archived version of
the site that isn’t user-friendly to navigate. I really do hope this will improve
If it has, let me know in the comments section. You should now recognize that there are
US/Canadian border crossing records in Canada and the US.
Before we continue, if I have given you value during this video, please click the like button,
share this video with others, and subscribe. These actions signal to YouTube that this
content matches the video's title and is helpful information for viewers like you.
Thanks for sticking around. To wrap up, I want you to expand your mind and consider two pro-genealogy
tips when you explore these collections. You might think you'll only find Canadians
or Mexicans crossing the closest border to their home country.
However, land crossings happened as frequently as ocean travel.
Therefore, you will find a variety of European, Asian, Middle Eastern, and African
nationalities represented in these collections. Make sure to include a search of these records
even if your ancestors weren't from Mexico. Additionally, not all border crossings
were for migration purposes. While my Zumstein ancestors crossed the
Canadian borders often to visit their family in Canada after moving to the United States,
others crossed the border for vacation or business travel purposes.
As I mentioned in videos about passenger lists, sometimes you should explore these
videos just to scratch your curiosity itch. You may be amazed by what you find.
In many cultures, individuals had double surnames.
Meaning a person has their paternal and maternal surnames as their surname.
This naming practice makes identifying the surname of females much easier.
But it makes searching for names a little more challenging in these border crossing records.
For example, perhaps you have ancestors like Sofia and Gustave.
They may also have topographical surnames, such as De La Cruz.
When searching the records, look for the following variations:
Hernadez, Sophia AND Espinosa, Sofia. Or both last names for Gustave
Or Manuel’s surname smushed together in one, or the de la left off with just Cruz.
If you need help finding your ancestors' port of arrival or passenger lists,
give border crossing records a try. Additionally, discover your ancestors
who frequently returned to their homeland in Canada or Mexico. You might learn more about
them by tracking how often they cross the border. So what did you think of these tips and resources?
Do you still have questions, or have you made discoveries in border crossing records?
Whatever your answer, please like this video and leave a comment on your way out.
And then subscribe to this channel for more valuable genealogy research tips.
Then go ahead and check out this genealogy research video
to help you continue climbing your family tree.