resources for genealogists

TELL YOUR IMMIGRANT ANCESTOR’S STORY

Tell your immigrant ancestor’s story in thee easy steps:

  1. Research — gather information you can from family and historical records.
  2. Reflect on how your ancestor’s story connects to your own life.
  3. Reconstruct their story in a way that’s honest, meaningful and shareable.

Learn More in Part 3 of our free immigration storytelling guidebook, “A Beginner’s Guide to Telling Your Family’s American Immigration Story.”

GET THE FREE GUIDE
things to look for

GO ON A FACTS FINDING MISSION

Talk to relatives, search online, and gather as many of the following facts about your immigrant ancestor as possible:

  • Name
  • Date and place of birth, death (City, State, Country)
  • Place and date of arrival, and initial settlement, in the U.S. (City, State)
  • Occupation(s)
  • Citizenship Date (if obtained)
  • Why they left their country of origin to start a new life in the U.S.
  • How they got to the U.S. and who accompanied them on this journey
  • What they brought with them to the U.S.
  • The challenges they faced building a life in the U.S.
  • What they accomplished in the U.S.

start your search here

ONLINE RESOURCES

Your immigrant ancestor’s name, date of birth and place(s) lived is key to finding great info online. Here are a few places to look:

NEED SOME INSPIRATION?

EXPLORE OTHERS’ STORIES

Here are a few examples from our Founding Voices collection to inspire your own research and help you imagine how your immigrant ancestor’s story might be told.

FROM Tsintzina, Greece TO THE uSA
Manos family adjusted
JOHN K. MANOS

1880-1962
John K. Manos first came to America as a teenager, returning to Greece after a devastating leg injury before making his way back to the United States in 1898. Over the next several decades, he would try his hand at a succession of businesses, marry and raise a family, all while struggling to find lasting stability in America.

STITCHING A NEW LIFE IN nEW yORK
Fannie Faigen picture web feat
FANNIE FAIGEN

1892-1974
Fannie Faigen immigrated from Tolochin, Russia to Brooklyn, NY in 1909. At age 17, she found work in New York’s growing garment industry and built a life in one of the city’s burgeoning Jewish immigrant neighborhoods.

A LIFE ON THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER
Rafaela feature image
RAFAELA PRIETO OCHOA

1887-1967
When Rafaela Prieto Núñez crossed the Rio Grande to attend school in Laredo, Texas, she was only 16 years old. She did not arrive by chance. She came because an uncle believed that education could change the course of a young woman’s life—and because she was determined to prove him right.

READY TO SHARE YOUR STORY?

HOW TO SHARE YOUR IMMIGRANT ANCESTORS’ STORY WITH IHH

There’s more than one way to share your immigrant ancestor’s story with the Immigrant Hall of Honor. Whether you’ve already written your ancestor’s story or are just beginning to piece it together, we’re here to help you bring it to life.

Option 1: You wrote your immigrant ancestor’s story and are ready to share it with the Immigrant Hall of Honor


You can submit your existing story, research notes, or a combination of both via our freeform story submission pathway. We’ll review your materials and follow up if we need additional information.

Option 2: You did the research. We’ll write the story.


Have you researched your immigrant ancestor and gathered the details of their life? Share your answers to the research questions in the form below, and one of our professional storytellers will work with you to shape your research into a compelling 500–1,000-word narrative.

You don’t have to answer every question

You may not be able to find the answers to all your questions, and that’s okay. If you feel you have a story, we’d love to hear it.

To begin, we’ll ask for some basic information, including your name and contact information and your immigrant ancestor’s name, date of birth and place of birth. The remaining questions are optional.

Write it or record it

You can type your responses directly into the form, or you can record your answers and submit audio files instead. You can answer several questions in one recording or submit multiple shorter recordings.

Don’t worry about making your responses polished. We’re interested in hearing your story in your own voice.

Take your time

You don’t have to complete this form in one sitting. Use the “Save and Continue” option at the bottom of the form to save your progress and return to it later.

You get the final say

Once you submit your responses, one of our professional storytellers will review your story and shape your responses into a 500–1,000-word narrative. This process may take up to two weeks.

We’ll send the draft to the email address you provided when you submitted the form for review. You are in control of the final story. Add to it, take something out, correct anything that doesn’t feel right, or make any other changes you’d like. We’ll work with you until you’re comfortable with the story and ready to give your final approval for publication.

COMPLETE THE FORM

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Your Contact Info (For Follow-Up on Your Story)

Your Name(Required)
Please enter the name of the person who encouraged you to connect with us so we can thank them for the referral.

Consent

Consent to share your story and photos(Required)
Signature(Required)

Tell Us About Your Immigrant Ancestor

Their Name(Required)
It’s okay if you don’t know for sure. If historical research suggests a possible or likely reason, we are interested in hearing that as well. Just let us know if you’re providing fact or an educated guess.
Was it one suitcase? Any money? Traditions? Family heirlooms?
Tell us what they built, what they created, maintained or took care of.
These questions can’t capture everything that makes up a life. Is there something about your immigrant ancestor that you’d like us to know?Tell us anything we didn’t ask about that feels important to their life story. We’d also like to hear what you think of these questions. Is there a question you wish we had asked? Is there something you think we should change, add, or approach differently? Your feedback will help us make this experience better for future storytellers.

Supporting Materials

Drop files here or
Accepted file types: jpg, png, pdf, Max. file size: 5 MB, Max. files: 6.
    Family photos, heirlooms, etc. Only share images you are comfortable including, and please make sure you have permission to share photographs of other people, especially children.
    Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: mp3, m4a, Max. file size: 25 MB, Max. files: 5.
      Prefer to speak rather than type? You can record your responses and upload your audio here. You may answer several questions in one recording or submit multiple shorter recordings.

      Stay Connected & Support IHH

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      If you choose Yes, we’ll use your email address to send you news, stories, resources, and announcements from the Immigrant Hall of Honor. You can unsubscribe at any time. See our Privacy Policy for information about how we collect and use your information.
      Would you like to consider purchasing a brick in our Immigrant Path of Honor?
      Please let us know if you would be interested in purchasing what initially will be a virtual “brick” in our online Immigrant Path of Honor on the website. When we move forward with the building of our museum, we hope to showcase these honorees in that facility as well.

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