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Immigrant Ancestors and WWII Alien Registrations

Image: rawpixel   It never occurred to me that my immigrant ancestors who did not naturalize after they came to the United States would be considered aliens. But an Ancestry hint for my great-grandmother Catherine Cassidy Baker tipped me off to this fact and a new Ancestry collection as well. The Alien Registration Act of 1940 required any non-citizen entering and living within the U.S. to register within four months at a local post office. 1  The process included completing a questionnaire consisting of 15 questions and to be fingerprinted. This requirement allowed the U.S. government to know the whereabouts and activities of the resident aliens, including where they worked, what sorts of clubs or organizations they belonged to, etc., in an effort to stem any anti-American activities. It was also intended to protect individuals from suspicion or harassment from others who might have learned of their status as a non-citizen. In a statement upon signing the ...
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Following Along the 14-Day Research Like a Pro Challenge

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In Another Comanche Connection in the Story of Morning Dew, I hinted that I would be doing some further research to determine Elizabeth Kite Stephen's birthplace. Elizabeth is my husband's 2x great grandmother. Identifying her birthplace is just one piece in verifying if there might be any kernel of truth to the family lore that she was of Comanche origin. 

This research will be part of the 14-day Research Like a Pro (RLP) Mini-Challenge offered by the RLP creators Diane Elder and Nicole Dyer, from January 16-29. The goal is to complete a small genealogical research project, using the RLP method, a step-by-step guide for seeing a project from start to finish. I'll be reporting here on what I find, and insights on the process along the way. 

The challenge sets out the 7 key steps of RLP methodology and devotes two days to each. It is recommended that researchers take on a relatively simple question given the time allowed, and the proposed time to be devoted to it each day—just 15 minutes. That piece will be a real challenge for me, as I do so love to be thorough and can spend hours deep in research. I'm looking forward to finding out more about Elizabeth Kite over the next few weeks.

Here's what I've accomplished in the first few days of the 14-day RLP Mini-Challenge:

Jan. 16—Research Question

To begin a project, the RLP method asks "What question do you have about an ancestor's life that you’d like to discover?" You do this by reviewing your family tree to determine what info is still missing or not documented fully.

While working on this question of Elizabeth Kite's identity, I noticed that there are conflicting places of birth listed in records such as censuses, her children's death certificates, etc. Some sources state Alabama, others state Georgia, while other sources note Texas, or specifically Comanche, Texas. A death record for Elizabeth has not yet been located where a birthplace might be recorded.

So, my overall question is:

Where was Elizabeth Kite Stephen born?

 

Jan. 17—Key Identifiers

Here, the task is to take a research question and turn it into a complete objective. A complete research objective contains "key identifiers." These help you determine if a record you found matches your ancestor. There would be nothing worse than investigating the wrong person! The best key identifiers are vital information, parents' and spouse's names, and locations, if known.

With this in mind, my objective is:

The objective of this project is to determine the birthplace of Elizabeth Kite born about June 1854 in either Alabama or Georgia to Caswell Kite and Harriet Kite. Elizabeth married James Howard Stephen on 20 September 1876 in Erath County, Texas. She died about 25 February 1901 in Erath County, Texas.

 

Next week, I'll report on what I've accomplished on these steps:

Jan. 18—Analyze Sources-Timeline

Jan. 19—Analyze Sources-Source and Information

Jan. 20—Locality Research-Background Information

Jan. 21—Locality Research-Identify Sources to Search

Jan. 22—Research Planning-Hypothesis

Jan. 23—Research Planning-Prioritize Sources

Jan. 24—Source Citations


Until next time...

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  1. Sarah BellJanuary 18, 2023 at 5:59 PM

    Nancy, this is a great overview of the challenge. I look forward to seeing what you can discover about Elizabeth's birthplace! Already knowing her parents will no doubt help :)

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyJanuary 20, 2023 at 10:49 AM

      Yes, definitely lucky with that. I have some good ideas for how to go about this. Stay tuned!!

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  2. Diane HenriksJanuary 19, 2023 at 8:07 AM

    Good for you, joining the Research Like a Pro! You have your work cut out for you! Good luck! :)

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    Replies
    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyJanuary 20, 2023 at 10:50 AM

      I've been following the RLP method for several years now. It really has changed how I research. Looking forward to the next couple of weeks, and making some progress on this question.

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