Author Topic: Evidence of identity needed for emigration?  (Read 652 times)

Offline Shropshire Lass

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Evidence of identity needed for emigration?
« on: Saturday 03 July 10 18:16 BST (UK) »
In the early 1900s, did people wanting to emigrate from Ireland to the USA have to provide proof of their identity or was the information they gave just accepted?
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Offline dbath

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Re: Evidence of identity needed for emigration?
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 20 July 10 04:42 BST (UK) »
The question is an intriguing one.  The ship manifest showed who got on the boat and where.  They were asked other questions, but I don't believe they were required to prove it when they arrived.  However, I believe many of the name changes came because the person writing the names, locations, etc. was not from the country of origin and didn't know how to spell the names.  At least in my family and a few others I am aware of, the immigrant did not want to correct the person working their paperwork because they feared being deported.  For this reason, there are many names that are difficult to discern, both people and locations.  After several years in the US, they could become naturalized citizens.  Here they were asked other questions and often brought a witness to attest to their ability to be a good citizen.  However, the paperwork I have seen still had poor spelling on names and only listed the country of origin rather than more information.  Hope this is helpful to you.
BATH - Stithians, Cornwall; HOLMAN, Gwennap, Cornwall; KNOWLES - Cornwall, Devon; REED - Cornwall; CLEGG - Oldham, Lancashire; OGDEN - Oldham, Lancashire; JAMES - Suffolk; REID/REED/READ - Hadleigh, Suffolk; SANDS - Stratford St Mary, Suffolk; TUCKER - Gravesend, Kent;

Offline Shropshire Lass

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Re: Evidence of identity needed for emigration?
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 20 July 10 19:57 BST (UK) »
Thanks.  The way names change with emigration does make life difficult, doesn't it?

I am searching for my grandmother who went to the USA from Ireland.  I have found all her siblings but there's no sign of her.  The family story is that she was too young to travel alone and used something that showed an older sister's identity in order to travel and so went by another name.  I'm sure this isn't so, partly because I didn't think you had to show any papers and also I have found her in the 1911 census, still at home and aged 17.  I don't think there would have been any problem with her travelling at that age.

It's probably one of those stories that has an element of truth in it but has got mixed up.
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Offline dbath

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Re: Evidence of identity needed for emigration?
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 21 July 10 04:03 BST (UK) »
You are very welcome.  I know the situation as I am dealing with a similar one in my family.  One alternative is that she was sick on the trip over and was not allowed off of the ship with the other passengers until she was well.  This happened with one of my family members.  Like you, I found her mother and three brothers, but she does not ever appear on the ship's list.  I don't know that this is what happened, but it is a possibility.
David
BATH - Stithians, Cornwall; HOLMAN, Gwennap, Cornwall; KNOWLES - Cornwall, Devon; REED - Cornwall; CLEGG - Oldham, Lancashire; OGDEN - Oldham, Lancashire; JAMES - Suffolk; REID/REED/READ - Hadleigh, Suffolk; SANDS - Stratford St Mary, Suffolk; TUCKER - Gravesend, Kent;