US (issued) Passport Applications

[vj]

New on ancestry.com (subscription site)

About U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925
This database contains U.S. passport applications from 1795-1925,
including emergency passport applications (passports issued abroad)
from 1877-1907. It also contains passport application registers for
1810-1817, 1830-1831, and 1834-1906.
Passport applications often include information regarding an applicant's
family status, date and place of birth, residence, naturalization
(if foreign-born), and other biographical information.
Twentieth-century applications often include marriage and family
information as well as dates, places, and names of ships used for travel.

Source Information:
Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 [database on-line].
Provo, UT, USA:
The Generations Network, Inc., 2007.

Original data:
Passport Applications, 1795-1905;
(National Archives Microfilm Publication M1372, 694 rolls);
General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59;
National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Passport Applications, January 2, 1906-March 31, 1925;
(National Archives Microfilm Publication M1490, 2740 rolls);
General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59;
National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Registers and Indexes for Passport Applications, 1810-1906;
(National Archives Microfilm Publication M1371, rolls 1-3, 13);
General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59;
National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Emergency Passport Applications (Passports Issued Abroad), 1877-1907;
(National Archives Microfilm Publication M1834, 56 rolls);
General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59;
National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[misbris]

Thanks Valarie for the heads up.
I have been trying to connect another family to my own for the last 6 months. Looking through the passport records today, I was able to find a birthplace and father's name which proves a family relationship. I was amazed at the info collected on these early passport records.

[vj]

Mary Jo,
That's terrific that you were able to use
the database! You're right the information
is very extensive. The ones with photographs
are priceless !
Thanks for the update.
Valarie

[Biff83]

Hello Mary Jo and Valarie,

I hit the jackpot with the Passport Apps. Located my grandfather's oldest brother Antonio's 1924 application which included a picture of him. It also verified a 1908 manifest I found, gave details on his initial immigtration year as well as particulars about his naturalization and other information. Also located the app for his brother in law Nicola Mendicino (Antonio was married to Serafina Mendicino) from 1924. Both stated their intention of sailing on the same vessel with the same departure date to visit relatives. Nicola's app also contained a picture and since he was travelling with his four children they are also in the picture. I just mailed copies of the passport apps and blowup pictures to my cousin Sarah, Antonio's granddaughter. She'll flip when she gets them since she has only a couple of photos of her grandfather. Wish I could be there when she opens the envelope.

Biff

[vj]

Biff
WOW!
Valarie

[nuccia]

Hey Biff..how cool is that? I'm sure your cousin is going to be very happy. I haven't had any luck so far with my family and these records but I'll keep trying. You never know..

[Emmy]

That was good news Biff.

This may sound a silly question but during that time would the person applying for the passport need to have become an 'American Citizen' before a passport would have be issued?

Say eg a person had arrived in USA from Italy for a visit to a relation
(would they have required to have an Italian Passport) and if they returned to Italy would there be any record of this return journey?
Emmy

[vj]

Say eg a person had arrived in USA from Italy for a visit to a relation
(would they have required to have an Italian Passport)

Emmy, here’s a pretty good article on Italian passports.
It probably depended upon what the US regulations were
when they traveled.
Valarie

PIP Chicago
“The American authorities did not require incoming immigrants to carry an
entry document because of it’s “open immigrationâ€

[vj]

if they returned to Italy would there be any record of this return
journey?

To my knowledge, the US did not have outbound lists,
but the UK, Bremen and Hamburg lists do exist.
Valarie

genealogy worldwide

[vj]

... during that time would the person applying for the passport need to have
become an 'American Citizen' before a passport would have be issued?

It appears they were issued to US citizens

From ancestry.com
"The U.S. government has issued passports to American citizens since 1789,
albeit through several different agencies throughout the years.
For the most part, passports were not required of U.S. citizens for foreign travel
until World War I.
Passports were required for a short time during the Civil War (Aug. 19, 1861-Mar. 17, 1862).
An Executive Order given in 1915, and then later an act of Congress given in 1918,
established the passport requirement for citizens traveling abroad.
This law lapsed with the formal termination of World War I through treaties with
Germany, Austria, and Hungary in 1921.
In 1941, with the onset of World War II, the Congressional act of 1918 was reinstated.
U.S. citizens have been required to carry a passport for foreign travel ever since."

[Biff83]

Thanks Valarie for posting the information.

My grandfather's brother Antonio returned to Italy twice--in 1908 and 1924, both times after he was naturalized. Based on the information posted above, neither time was he required to travel with a US passport but he may have decided to secure a passport for his 1924 trip to ensure he was allowed back into the country. If I remember correctly, immigration laws became more stringent in the late teens and early twenties relative to a person's ability to read and write and mental capacity, and since Antonio was 56 in 1924 and did not read or write English nor Italian well, he may have opted to make sure he didn't have any trouble reentering the US. Just my somewhat educated guess.

Biff

[vj]

Hey Biff!
Thanks to Emmy for asking the questions.
Sounds like your grandfather's brother had
the right idea!
Valarie

[Emmy]

Thanks Valerie ad Biff
That was very interesting, when Biff had mentioned he found photographs, I just thought maybe it was a way to find a photograph of my dad's family but as they didnt need a passport perhaps because they were younger at the time they perhaps didnt do the wise thing like Biff's grandfather's brother and I dont know when and if they were naturalized.
Emmy

[millybobs]

Emmy
If you mean naturalisation to the UK, there's a searchable on-line index at the PRO at Kew.

I'll check out the link and post here if you or anyone else needs it. I think its the HO144 series.

Millybobs

[Emmy]

Hi Paul Thanks for that information (be grateful if you could post the link )but I was meaning USA part of my ancestors and if they returned to Italy from USA.
Unfortunately I dont have access to Ancestry to find out if they did actually obtain passports but somehow I have a feeling that they wouldnt have applied for one if they were in their early 20's I do know that Antonio Ciccone did definately return to Italy at least once because there are two ship's manifests for him arriving at Ellis Island.
Emmy