Discovering Our Family’s Discovering Our Family’s Immigrant HistoryImmigrant History

Building a Detailed Family TreeBuilding a Detailed Family Tree

Kurt Schmel, Josh Polensky, Mike Kurt Schmel, Josh Polensky, Mike Hogan, and Meliza ReynosoHogan, and Meliza Reynoso

What Do You Know About Your Family History?

• Please take the next few minutes to fill out the Worksheet titled “My Family History”

What Were Our Answers?

• Who is/was an immigrant?

• Me: __________

• Mom/Dad: __________

• Grandparent(s): __________

What Were Our Answers?

• When did the immigrant(s) come here?

• Since 1985: __________

• Between 1945 and 1985: __________

• Between 1900 and 1945: __________

• Before 1900: __________

Do We REALLY Know Our Family’s History?

• Do we know who all of the immigrants are in our family?

• What do we know about them ?

• How can we find out more ????????

Let’s Build a Family Tree

• We’ll start with a simple tree:

• Once we have that, we can add more details

We’ll Start With a Simple Tree:

Kurt Schmel

We’ll Start With a Simple Tree:

Kurt Schmel

Elizabeth Gruda

Raymond Schmel

We’ll Start With a Simple Tree:

Rose Najczuk

Kurt Schmel

Elizabeth Gruda

Henry Schmel

Cecelia Yasik

Joseph Gruda

Raymond Schmel

We’ll Start With a Simple Tree:

Rose Najczuk

Kurt Schmel

Elizabeth Gruda

Henry Schmel

Cecelia Yasik

Joseph Gruda

Raymond Schmel

Henry Schmel

Charlotte Louisa Lange

Stanley Yasik

Josephine Opielski

We’ll Start With a Simple Tree:

Elizabeth Bursztynska

Henry Schmel

Charlotte Louisa Lange

Stanley Yasik

Josephine Opielski

Henry Schmel

Cecelia Yasik

Joseph Gruda

Raymond Schmel

Rose Najczuk

Kurt Schmel

Elizabeth Gruda

Antoni Gruda

Catharine Nydza

Peter Najczuk

Who Are the Immigrants?

Rose Najczuk

Kurt Schmel

Elizabeth Gruda

Antoni Gruda

Catharine Nydza

Peter Najczuk

Henry Schmel

Cecelia Yasik

Joseph Gruda

Raymond Schmel

Elizabeth Bursztynska

Henry Schmel

Charlotte Louisa Lange

Stanley Yasik

Josephine Opielski

What Details Can We Find ?

• When did our immigrant ancestors come to the United States?

• Where did they come from?

• Did they become Citizens? When?

• Where did they arrive?

• Where did they settle?

How Do We Find These Details?

• Talk to older relatives:– The oldest form of history is Oral History – those bits

of information that are passed on by word of mouth

• Search through records in archives (and at home)– Immigration & Naturalization

– Birth, Death, Marriage

– Census Documents

Using These We Can Find:

• Born in Lodz, Poland, August 1, 1901

• Oral History

Some Details about Henry Schmel:

• Arrived in Philadelphia Sept. 4, 1912 traveling from Hamburg, Germany

• Archive Records: Historical Society of Philadelphia

• Declaration of Intent filed on August 31, 1937

• Archive Records: National Archives

• Naturalized Citizen on September 28, 1938

• Family Papers kept in a Trunk in a basement

So We Can Add More Detail:

The Project

• Now that you have the basic family tree, it is time to build a detailed version

• You will be provided with templates showing what kind of information you will try to find

• We will use some time in class to work together to find information, but you will do most research on your own

The Project

• In upcoming classes, we will spend some time discussing the sources outside of your family that you can use to find material