Immigration in your Family’s History

It’s not Ellis Island, or Angel Island, or even Castle Garden, but this graceful brick and stone building on Airport Way in south Seattle was the beginning of an American life for thousands of immigrants for more than 70 years.

The former Immigration and Naturalization Services building was built in 1932, replacing a dockside processing office.  The building is on the National Register of Historic Places, a recognition of its role in the detention of Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century and as a holding place for illegal immigrants more recently.  The building is empty and quiet now but the descendants of its former clients can research their family’s history at the Library.

There are many guides to researching your immigrant ancestors in the Library’s Genealogy collection. 

They became Americans: finding naturalization records and ethnic origins,
by Loretto Dennis Szucs

Guide to naturalization records of the United States,
by Christina K. Schaefer

The family tree guide to finding your Ellis Island ancestors,
by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack

 
A genealogist’s guide to discovering your immigrant & ethnic ancestors: how to find and record your unique heritage,
by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack

American passenger arrival records: a guide to the records of immigrants arriving at American ports by sail and steam,
by Michael Tepper.

Ellis Island Interviews: In their own words,
by Peter Morton Coan

Passenger and immigration lists bibliography, 1538-1900: being a guide to published lists of arrivals in the United States and Canada,
edited by P. William Filby.

If your family came directly into Seattle, then examine the Pacific Northwest Immigration records in our microfilm collection.  For example:

Certificates of head tax paid by aliens arriving at Seattle from foreign contiguous territory, 1917-1924 [microfilm]

Once you’ve exhausted the Library’s resources be sure to continue your search at the National Archives.  The local office of NARA is located on Sand Point Way.  They have many original records available to researchers.  To get an idea of what they have look at Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service held at the Pacific Alaska branch of the National Archives